American actor
John Lone
(
Chinese
:
尊龍
;
pinyin
:
Z?n Long
; jyutping: zyun1 lung4; born October 13, 1952) is a Chinese-American actor. He starred as
Puyi
in the
Academy Award
-winning film
The Last Emperor
(1987), for which he was nominated for a
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor
.
A veteran of the
East West Players
, he appeared in numerous high-profile screen and stage roles throughout the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, in films like
Iceman
,
Year of the Dragon
,
M. Butterfly
,
The Shadow
, and
Rush Hour 2
. He was nominated for the
Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male
for his performance in
The Moderns
.
Biography
[
edit
]
Lone was born in 1952 as Ng Kwok-leung (
Chinese
:
吳國良
;
pinyin
:
Wu Guoliang
) in
British Hong Kong
.
[1]
He was raised in an orphanage and later adopted by a woman from Shanghai. At age 7, he was sent to train in the style of the
Peking opera
at Hong Kong's Chin Chiu Academy, where he was trained in singing, dance, and classical Chinese theater techniques.
[2]
It was here that he was given the name Johnny; he chose the surname Lone to reflect the fact that he was an orphan and for its similarity to Leung, part of his given name.
Lone declined an offer to join a Belgian dance company and a contract to make
Kung fu
films, and he accepted a sponsorship by an American family.
[2]
He moved to Los Angeles and spent three years taking night classes at Santa Ana College to improve his English. In 1972, he married fellow student Nina Savino and gained American citizenship. They divorced in 1979. In 1978, he graduated from the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
in Pasadena, California.
[1]
Career
[
edit
]
Due to the lack of roles in Hollywood for people of East Asian descent at the time, Lone was often left to play minor parts on television.
[1]
Lone was with the
East West Players
, an Asian-American theatre organization, for 10 years
[3]
before
Mako
offered him a role as an Asian emigrant trying to assimilate in
David Henry Hwang
's first play
FOB
.
[1]
Lone starred alongside
Tzi Ma
[4]
and his performance garnered him an
Obie Award
in 1981.
[5]
One of his early film roles was as the cook in
King Kong
. His first major role in films was as the title character in
Iceman
. In 1985, John Lone played the gang leader Joey Tai in
Michael Cimino
's
Year of the Dragon
, for which he was nominated the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.
[6]
Impressed by Lone's performance, Cimino recommended Lone to his longtime friend
Bernardo Bertolucci
, who was casting for
The Last Emperor
.
[7]
Bertolucci met Lone while casting in Los Angeles and chose him as
Puyi
at first sight. Lone portrayed Puyi at different stages of his life, from an 18-year-old to a man in his sixties. In preparation for his role, he visited China to study the body language of the elderly.
[8]
He was nominated for a
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
at the
45th Golden Globe Awards
in 1988 for his performance.
[6]
He and
Joan Chen
presented the
Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film
at the
1988 Academy Awards
.
[9]
In 1987,
David Henry Hwang
and John Dexter were casting for Hwang's play
M. Butterfly
. Hwang knew of Lone's Peking opera training and thought of him for the part of Song Liling, an opera singer.
[10]
He sent him a copy of the script, but Lone was too busy to respond.
[11]
In 1991, David Cronenberg prepared to direct the
film adaptation
of
M. Butterfly
, and invited Lone to play Song Liling. After a three-hour meeting with Cronenberg, Lone agreed to play Song.
[12]
Lone did his own singing for the film.
[13]
In the 1995 film
The Hunted
,
Lone played assassin Kinjo alongside
Christopher Lambert
. Other international film appearances included the role of corrupt Hong Kong cop Ricky Tan in
Rush Hour 2
(2001) and the antagonist Shiwan Khan in
The Shadow
(1994).
Lone's focus then shifted to the Chinese market.
[1]
He played the
Qianlong Emperor
in the 30-episode television drama series
Qianlong and the Fragrant Concubine
(乾隆?香妃) in 2004. He also appeared in the title role of
Kangxi Emperor
, in
Records of Kangxi's Travel Incognito
(1998?2007), a Chinese television series about the Manchu-ruling Qing Empire monarch.
His last film role was 2007's
War
, co-starring
Jet Li
and
Jason Statham
.
Filmography
[
edit
]
Film
[
edit
]
Television
[
edit
]
Awards and nominations
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
"Academy Trailblazers: John Lone"
.
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts
. December 9, 2020
. Retrieved
August 20,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"Academy Trailblazers, John Lone"
.
aada.edu
. American Academy of Dramatic Arts
. Retrieved
January 16,
2022
.
- ^
Breslauer, Jan (March 8, 1998).
"Honoring the Past, Looking to the Future"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
August 20,
2021
.
- ^
Yamato, Jen (April 12, 2020).
"Tzi Ma is already everyone's go-to Asian dad. Netflix's 'Tigertail' makes him the star"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
August 19,
2021
.
- ^
"1981 ? Winners"
.
Obie Award
. Retrieved
October 19,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Briggs, Tracey Wong (January 7, 1988).
"John Lone, earnest 'Emperor'
"
.
USA Today
. Retrieved
April 29,
2010
.
- ^
【John Lone/尊?】Michael Cimino comments on John Lone 《?年》?演?克·西米?盛?尊?演技 [中英]
, retrieved
April 15,
2022
- ^
Bowker, Gordon (February 1, 1987).
"FILM; BERTOLUCCI BRINGS BACK IMPERIAL CHINA"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
April 16,
2022
.
- ^
Academy Awards
(1988).
Young at Heart Wins Documentary Short: 1988 Oscars
(YouTube video).
- ^
LLC, New York Media (January 11, 1993).
New York Magazine
. New York Media, LLC.
- ^
LLC, New York Media (December 7, 1987).
New York Magazine
. New York Media, LLC.
- ^
Lauretis, Teresa de (October 1, 2010).
Figures of Resistance: Essays in Feminist Theory
. University of Illinois Press.
ISBN
978-0-252-09096-7
.
- ^
Lauretis, Teresa de (October 1, 2010).
Figures of Resistance: Essays in Feminist Theory
. University of Illinois Press.
ISBN
978-0-252-09096-7
.
- ^
Broeske, Pat H. (December 2, 1990).
"Shanghai Surprise"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
August 19,
2021
.
- ^
Barnes, Mike (May 5, 2016).
"Gino Grimaldi, Producer on TV's 'Emergency!' and 'Knight Rider,' Dies at 74"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. Retrieved
August 19,
2021
.
- ^
Wu, Flora (July 7, 2004).
"Last emperor wants to be first"
.
South China Morning Post
. Retrieved
August 19,
2021
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
John Lone
.
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