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Leonard Strong is a Actor American born on 12 august 1908 at Salt Lake City (USA)

Leonard Strong

Leonard Strong
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Birth name Leonard Clarence Strong
Nationality USA
Birth 12 august 1908 at Salt Lake City (USA)
Death 23 january 1980 (at 71 years) at Glendale (USA)

Leonard Clarence Strong (born August 12, 1908, Salt Lake City, Utah - d. January 23, 1980, Glendale, California) was a prolific American character actor specializing in playing Asian roles.

Beginning with Little Tokyo, U.S.A in 1942, Strong played a gamut of roles as Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Thais, etc. in films such as Dragon Seed (1944), Up in Arms (1944), Jack London (1943), Salute to the Marines (1943), Behind the Rising Sun (1943), Night Plane from Chungking (1943), Bombardier (1943), Underground Agent (1942), and Manila Calling (1942). He played the Thai interpreter in both Anna and the King of Siam and its musical remake The King and I. Strong also appeared in the movie Shane (1953) as homesteader Ernie Wright.

Strong achieved some pop culture notoriety for his role on television as "The Claw" on Get Smart. He appeared in a season-five episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960) "The Cure" written by horror writer Robert Bloch. Set deep in an Amazon jungle, Strong plays Luiz, a loyal native who speaks broken English and saves his employer, an oil explorer, from the attempted murder of his supposedly mentally ill and unfaithful wife. Something gets lost in the translation when his employer wants Strong to take her to a psychiatrist 200 miles down river, and he takes her instead to a native headshrinker. The denouement comes when Strong returns alone to the shock of his employer. He says, "I do what you tell me. I take her to my people. The best headshrinkers in the world". Then, pulling his employer's wife's now shrunken head out of a bag, he says, "Best job in the world."

Another notable television role was his haunting and mostly silent portrayal of the title character in the original Twilight Zone episode, "The Hitch-Hiker", which is often listed as one of the ten best episodes of the series. With his thumb extended, seeking a ride, and asking "Going my way?", Strong is seen in one of the half-dozen, seconds-long scenes used at the start of every one of the 30 DVDs in the CBS DVD five-season collection, "The Twilight Zone, The Definitive Edition."

Usually with

Philip Ahn
Philip Ahn
(7 films)
Richard Loo
Richard Loo
(6 films)
Benson Fong
Benson Fong
(5 films)
Edith Head
Edith Head
(5 films)
Hal Pereira
Hal Pereira
(5 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Leonard Strong (28 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Escape from Zahrain, 1h33
Directed by Ronald Neame
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure
Themes Monde imaginaire
Actors Yul Brynner, Anthony Caruso, Sal Mineo, Jay Novello, Madlyn Rhue, Jack Warden
Roles Ambulance Driver
Rating60% 3.0007353.0007353.0007353.0007353.000735
Dans le pays fictif de Zahrain, un leader nationaliste arabe est délivré par un groupe de jeunes partisans lors d'un transfert de prison. Fuyant la police nationale à ses trousses, il décide de voler une ambulance avec laquelle il compte se sauver, en rejoignant le pays voisin à travers le désert.
The Big Fisherman, 3h
Directed by Frank Borzage
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Peplum
Themes Films set in Africa, Films about religion, Films based on the Bible, Portrayals of Jesus in film
Actors Howard Keel, Susan Kohner, John Saxon, Martha Hyer, Herbert Lom, Marian Seldes
Roles Zebedee
Rating54% 2.707782.707782.707782.707782.70778
The story traces Peter's journey from self-sufficient fisherman to his dependency on a risen Christ. It also presents another story of redemption and forgiveness, as he takes in a young Arab/Jewish girl, Fara. As they both learn of Jesus, it changes their lives.
Jet Attack
Jet Attack (1958)
, 1h9
Directed by Edward L. Cahn
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War
Themes Transport films, Aviation films, Political films
Actors John Agar, Audrey Totter, Gregory Walcott, Leonard Strong, Nicky Blair, Victor Sen Yung
Roles Maj. Wan
Rating36% 1.831081.831081.831081.831081.83108
During the Korean War, scientist Dean Olmstead (Joseph Hamilton) designs a long-range radio transmitting and tracking device for the United States Air Force. During testing of the device, Capt. Tom Arnett (John Agar), leading an escort of North American F-86 Sabre jet fighters, is unable to prevent Olmstead's North American B-25 Mitchell bomber being shot down in North Korea. His commanding officer, Col. Catlett (George Cisar) plans a rescue of the scientist, whom he believes is still alive and may be undergoing interrogation by Russian intelligence agents working with the North Koreans.
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, 1h42
Directed by Henry King
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Romance
Themes Films about writers, Films about journalists, Political films, Children's films
Actors Jennifer Jones, William Holden, Keye Luke, Torin Thatcher, Isobel Elsom, Richard Loo
Roles Fortune Teller (uncredited)
Rating63% 3.196843.196843.196843.196843.19684
The widowed Eurasian doctor Han Suyin (Jones) falls in love with the married-but-separated American correspondent Mark Elliott (Holden) in Hong Kong, during the period of China's Civil War in the late 1940s. Although they briefly find happiness together, she is ostracized by the greater Chinese community. After losing her position at the hospital, Suyin and her adopted daughter go to live with a friend while Mark is on an assignment during the Korean War. They write to each other constantly.
Cult of the Cobra
Directed by Francis D. Lyon
Origin USA
Genres Fantasy, Horror
Actors Faith Domergue, Richard Long, Marshall Thompson, Jack Kelly, Kathleen Hughes, William Reynolds
Roles Daru
Rating58% 2.902352.902352.902352.902352.90235
While stationed in Asia, six American G.I.'s witness the secret ritual of Lamians (worshipers of women who can change into serpents). When discovered by the cult, the High Lamian Priest vows that "the Cobra Goddess will avenge herself". Once back in the United States, a mysterious woman enters into their lives and accidents begin to happen. The shadow of a cobra is seen just before each death.
The Naked Jungle, 1h35
Directed by Arthur Rosson, Byron Haskin
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure, Romance
Themes Films about animals, La fin du monde, Natural horror films, Films about insects, Disaster films, Film de catastrophe animalière
Actors Eleanor Parker, Charlton Heston, Abraham Sofaer, William Conrad, Douglas Fowley, Romo Vincent
Roles Kutina
Rating66% 3.3457853.3457853.3457853.3457853.345785
In 1901, mail order bride Joanna (Eleanor Parker) arrives from New Orleans at a South American cocoa plantation to meet her new husband, plantation owner Christopher Leiningen (Charlton Heston), whom she has married by proxy.
Bengal Brigade, 1h27
Directed by László Benedek
Origin USA
Genres War, Adventure, Historical
Themes Political films
Actors Rock Hudson, Arlene Dahl, Ursula Thiess, Dan O'Herlihy, Torin Thatcher, Arnold Moss
Roles Mahindra
Rating56% 2.805232.805232.805232.805232.80523
En 1856, dans le vaste empire britannique des Indes, un brillant officier doit donner sa démission après avoir désobéi à un ordre supérieur. Il devient alors chasseur de fauves et va reprendre accessoirement du service en s'introduisant secrètement dans le palais du rajah, un conspirateur qui veut libérer son pays de la domination étrangère grâce à une formidable révolte fomentée parmi les Cipayes.
Hell's Half Acre, 1h30
Directed by John H. Auer
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Noir, Crime
Actors Wendell Corey, Evelyn Keyes, Elsa Lanchester, Marie Windsor, Nancy Gates, Leonard Strong
Roles Ippy
Rating62% 3.139223.139223.139223.139223.13922
The drama related the tale of ex-racketeer Chet Chester (Corey) who is blackmailed by his former criminal partners.
Prisoner of War
Directed by Andrew Marton
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War
Themes Prison films, Political films
Actors Steve Forrest, Ronald Reagan, Dewey Martin, Oskar Homolka, Paul Stewart, Robert Horton
Roles Col. Kim Doo Yi
Rating50% 2.5204452.5204452.5204452.5204452.520445
An American officer volunteers to be captured in order to investigate claims of abuse against American POWs in North Korean camps during the Korean War.
Shane
Shane (1953)
, 1h58
Directed by George Stevens
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure, Western
Actors Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon deWilde, Jack Palance, Edith Evanson
Roles Ernie Wright
Rating75% 3.798443.798443.798443.798443.79844
Shane (Alan Ladd), a skilled, laconic gunslinger with a mysterious past, rides out of the desert and into an isolated valley in the sparsely settled state of Wyoming some time after enactment of the Homestead Act of 1862. At dinner with a pioneer homesteader, Joe Starrett (Van Heflin) and his wife, Marian (Jean Arthur), he learns that a war of intimidation is being waged on the valley's homesteaders. The ruthless cattle baron Rufus Ryker (Emile Meyer) is trying to run them out and seize their land. Starrett offers Shane a job, and he accepts.
Scared Stiff, 1h48
Directed by George Marshall, Hal B. Wallis, Walter DeLeon, Herbert Baker
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Horror comedy, Horror, Musical
Themes Seafaring films, Films about music and musicians, Théâtre, Transport films, Ghost films, Musical films, Films based on plays, Comedy horror films
Actors Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Lizabeth Scott, Carmen Miranda, George Dolenz, Dorothy Malone
Roles Shorty
Rating63% 3.1993153.1993153.1993153.1993153.199315
Mary Carroll (Lizabeth Scott) inherits her family's ancestral home, located on a small island off Cuba, and, despite warnings and death threats, decides to sail to Havana and take possession of the reputedly haunted castle. She is joined by nightclub entertainer Larry Todd (Martin) who, believing he has killed a mobster, flees New York with a friend, Myron (Lewis). Once on the island the three enter the eerie castle and, after viewing the ghost of one of Mary's ancestors and fighting off a menacing zombie, find the key to the castle's treasure.
Destination Gobi, 1h29
Directed by Robert Wise
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Adventure
Themes Political films
Actors Richard Widmark, Don Taylor, Ross Bagdasarian, Murvyn Vye, Max Showalter, Darryl Hickman
Roles Wali-Akhun
Rating62% 3.1455753.1455753.1455753.1455753.145575
In November 1944, Chief Boatswain's Mate Sam McHale (Richard Widmark) is aghast to learn that he is being transferred from the USS Enterprise, his beloved aircraft carrier, to Argos 6, a Navy-operated weather station in Inner Mongolia's Gobi Desert. Capt. Gates (Willis Bouchey) explains to McHale that accurate weather forecasts are crucial to the Allies' success in the Pacific theater, and that his practical experience is required by meteorologist Commander Hobart Wyatt (Russell Collins) and his crew of technicians: Jenkins (Don Taylor), Walter Landers (Max Showalter), Wilbur "Coney" Cohen (Darryl Hickman), Elwood Halsey (Martin Milner), Frank Swenson (Earl Holliman) and Paul Sabatello (Ross Bagdasarian). Despite his longing for the ocean, McHale adjusts to life in the desert during the following six months, although Wyatt is bemused by McHale's dependence on the military's strict chain of command.
The Atomic City, 1h25
Directed by Jerry Hopper
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Thriller
Actors Gene Barry, Lydia Clarke, Michael Moore, Nancy Gates, Lee Aaker, Leonard Strong
Roles Donald Clark
Rating60% 3.042653.042653.042653.042653.04265
Frank and Martha Addison live in Los Alamos, where he does top-secret work as a physicist. They have a young son, Tommy, who goes with school mates to Santa Fe for a carnival, where teacher Ellen Haskell can't find him when Tommy's winning ticket in a raffle is announced.
Carbine Williams, 1h32
Directed by Richard Thorpe
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Crime
Themes Mafia films, Prison films, Gangster films
Actors James Stewart, John Smith, Jean Hagen, Wendell Corey, Carl Benton Reid, Paul Stewart
Rating68% 3.445413.445413.445413.445413.44541
The film follows the life of David Marshall Williams (James Stewart), who was a member of the Winchester team that invented the semi-automatic M1 Carbine used in World War II. Williams was found distilling illegal moonshine, and was held responsible for the death of a federal officer during a raid on his still. He was sentenced to thirty years hard labor. He cycled through the prison system, until a firm, but compassionate warden, H.T. Peoples (Wendell Corey), allowed him to work in a prison tool shop. There, he invented the gas system for his famous rifle. Williams was released from prison in 1929 and worked with Winchester Firearms on development of the M1 Carbine.
Backfire
Backfire (1950)
, 1h31
Directed by Vincent Sherman
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Crime, Romance
Actors Edmond O'Brien, Ed Begley, Virginia Mayo, Gordon MacRae, Sheila MacRae, Richard Steven Rauber
Roles Lee Quong (uncredited)
Rating65% 3.2927153.2927153.2927153.2927153.292715
Bob Corey (Gordon MacRae) is an American soldier badly wounded at the end of World War II, and undergoing a number of surgical operations on his spine at a military hospital in California. He is tended by a nurse, Julie Benson (Virginia Mayo), and they have fallen in love. Corey's military pal, Steve Connolly (Edmond O'Brien), arrives in early November to discuss plans for the ranch they plan to purchase and operate together once Corey is out of the hospital. The two men pool their G.I. benefits (totaling $40,000) to do so. Corey's final surgery is in mid-December, but Connolly does not appear at the hospital afterward to see his friend. By Christmas, Corey is still in recovery but Connolly still remains absent. One night, as Corey lies semi-conscious in bed after being administered a sleeping drug, a woman with an foreign accent (Viveca Lindfors) appears at his bedside. She says Connolly has been in a horrible accident; his spine is shattered and he wants to die, but she has refused to help him commit suicide. The woman asks Corey what to do, and he advises her to do nothing to harm Steve, and just to wait. Corey slips into unconsciousness, and the woman disappears.