On the left is actor Yee Keung Victor Wong while on the right is actor Noriyuki Morita.
Yee Keung Victor Wong better known as Victor Wong was born July 30, 1927, San Francisco, California, United States. He turned to acting, starting in the local Asian American theatre and later landing larger roles on the stages New York City. In October 1980, Yee Keung Victor Wong made his Asian American Theater Company (AATC) debut in San Francisco by appearing in their production of Paper Angels by Genny Lim. He was on Social Security Disability Insurance at the time. Yee Keung Victor Wong stage work led to television work and eventually, into movies. In between film roles, Wong lived in Sacramento, California, where he supported the local performing arts. In 1992, he acted in the Hong Kong film, Cageman (笼民). He appeared in the TV soap opera Search for Tomorrow (1951). He then appeared in the Mickey Rourke gang movie Year of the Dragon (1985), followed by the heart warming Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985), before scoring the role he is probably best remembered for, as the Chinese wizard “Egg Shen” helping truck driver Kurt Russell defeat the evil “Lo-Pan” in Big Trouble in Little China (1986). He also appeared in the movie Prince of Darkness (1987). He later starred as the grandfather; Mori Shintaro in the popular 3 Ninjas movie and, Big Trouble in Little China and Tremors. Film director Wayne Wang called Yee Keung Victor Wong his role model for living life. Yee Keung Victor Wong met Jack Kerouac in the early 1960s, who chronicled their meeting in his novel Big Sur (1962). In the novel, he is characterised as “Arthur Ma”. He was also famous for the movie The Last Emperor (1987) as Chen Pao Shen. On September 11, 2001 Yee Keung Victor Wong died of heart failure his remains were cremated.
Noriyuki Morita also known as Pat Morita was born 28 June 1932, Isleton, California, USA. Noriyuki Morita was known by the nicknames The Hip Nip, Mr. Miyagi and Nori. Noriyuki Morita Abundantly busy and much loved Asian-American actor who became an on-screen hero to millions of adults and kids alike as the wise and wonderful Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid (1984) with Ralph Macchio as Daniel. Noriyuki Morita he returned with Eastern philosophy and martial arts lessons for The Karate Kid, Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid, Part III (1989), and even for The Next Karate Kid (1994) with Hilary Swank as Julie Pierce. However, putting all that karate aside, the diminutive Morita actually first started out as a stand-up comedian known as the Hip Nip in nightclubs and bars, and made his first on-screen appearance in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). He quickly adapted to the screen and showed up in small parts in such comedy films as The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968), alongside Don Knotts, and in Evil Roy Slade (1972) supporting John Astin. He also appeared in such popular series as Sanford and Son (1972) and M*A*S*H (1972). Noriyuki Morita got his next big break playing the often-perplexed restaurant owner Matsho “Arnold” Takahashi in two episodes of the hugely popular sitcom Happy Days (1974) between 1975 and 1976, and again between 1982 and 1983. Morita was quite in demand on the small screen and also scored the lead in his own police drama Ohara (1987), and guest-starred on other high-profile television series including Magnum, P.I. (1980), Murder, She Wrote (1984), Baywatch (1989) and The Hughleys (1998). Although most often used as a minor character actor, he remained consistently busy and occasionally lent his vocal talents to animated features such as Mulan (1998). Noriyuki Morita was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1984 for the movie Karate Kid. Noriyuki Morita was the lead actor in the television program Mr. T and Tina, regarded as the first American sitcom centered on a person of Asian descent, and Ohara, a police-themed drama. Both television shows were aired on ABC, but they were both short-lived. He died at age 73 of natural causes at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 24, 2005 mianly due to kidney failure.
Yee Keung Victor Wong and Noriyuki Morita are famous karate ninja actors. They are old, short men of Asian descent normally in Karate movies as teachers.