‘Cato’ of ‘Pink Panther’ f ilms
Actor Burt Kwouk, who also appeared in Bond movies and popular TV series such as “The Saint” and “The Avengers,” has died at 85.
Burt Kwouk, an actor who played martial arts expert Cato in the “Pink Panther” comedy films, has died. He was 85.
Kwouk’s agent, Jean Diamond, said in a statement that he “passed peacefully” on Tuesday. She didn’t give a cause of death.
Born in northwest England in 1930 and raised in Shanghai, Kwouk had his first major film role in 1958’s “The Inn of the Sixth Happiness,” with Ingrid Bergman.
Kwouk appeared in the James Bond films “Goldfinger” and “You Only Live Twice” as well as the 1967 Bond spoof “Casino Royale,” and had roles in the popular 1960s TV series “Secret Agent,” “The Avengers” and “The Saint.”
In 1964, Blake Edwards cast him in “A Shot in the Dark,” a comedy centered on Peter Sellers’ bumbling Inspector Clouseau. Kwouk appeared in half a dozen more Pink Panther movies as Cato Fong, a manservant whose job was to attack Clouseau when he least expected it.
Other film appearances included Norman Jewison’s sci-fi thriller “Rollerball” and Steven Spielberg’s World War II drama “Empire of the Sun” and the 1980s British World War II TV series “Tenko.”
In 2011, Kwouk was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama.