Burt Kwouk

Biography: Born in England and raised in Shanghai, actor Burt Kwouk can best be described as a funnier variation of Bruce Lee. To be sure, many of his acting assignments have called for straight interpretations, notably his roles in such films Satan Never Sleeps (1961) and The Brides of Fu Manchu (1965). But Kwouk is best known for his role as karate champ Cato Fong, right-hand man of the hapless Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers). Trained by his boss to attack without warning (the better to keep Clouseau on guard and in shape), Cato has invariably done his job too well, kicking and chopping at the Inspector at the most inopportune times -- when Clouseau is making love, for example. As Cato, Bert Kwouk has appeared in the Blake Edwards-directed Clouseau films A Shot in the Dark (1964), Return of the Pink Panther (1975), The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1978) and Revenge of the Pink Panther (1979), and has guest-starred in two pastiche films made after Peter Sellers' death, Curse of theBorn in England and raised in Shanghai, actor Burt Kwouk can best be described as a funnier variation of Bruce Lee. To be sure, many of his acting assignments have called for straight interpretations, notably his roles in such films Satan Never Sleeps (1961) and The Brides of Fu Manchu (1965). But Kwouk is best known for his role as karate champ Cato Fong, right-hand man of the hapless Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers). Trained by his boss to attack without warning (the better to keep Clouseau on guard and in shape), Cato has invariably done his job too well, kicking and chopping at the Inspector at the most inopportune times -- when Clouseau is making love, for example. As Cato, Bert Kwouk has appeared in the Blake Edwards-directed Clouseau films A Shot in the Dark (1964), Return of the Pink Panther (1975), The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1978) and Revenge of the Pink Panther (1979), and has guest-starred in two pastiche films made after Peter Sellers' death, Curse of the Pink Panther (1981) and Trail of the Pink Panther (1982). Outside the aegis of Blake Edwards, Kwouk has taken action-oriented parts in films like Rollerball (1980) and Air America (1990). For several years in the '80s, Kwouk played a Japanese commandant on the British TV series Tenko. Kwouk continued to work steadily through the 2010s, including a recurring role on Last of the Summer Wine. He died in 2016, at age 85. Expand

Burt Kwouk's Scores

Average career score: 52
Highest Metascore: 70 A Shot in the Dark
Lowest Metascore: 31 Curse of the Pink Panther
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 11
  2. Negative: 3 out of 11
11 movie reviews
Title: Year: Credit: User score:
58 Kiss of the Dragon Jul 6, 2001 Uncle Tai 8.2
33 Son of the Pink Panther Aug 27, 1993 Cato Fong / Cato Fong 5.2
33 Air America Aug 10, 1990 General Lu Soong / General Lu Soong tbd
31 Curse of the Pink Panther Aug 12, 1983 Cato Fong 3.8
43 Trail of the Pink Panther Dec 17, 1982 Cato Fong 4.2
65 Revenge of the Pink Panther Jul 19, 1978 Cato Fong 6.2
60 The Pink Panther Strikes Again Dec 15, 1976 Cato 6.7
56 Rollerball Jun 25, 1975 Japanese Doctor 6.6
61 The Return of the Pink Panther May 21, 1975 Cato Fong 6.8
61 You Only Live Twice Jun 13, 1967 Spectre 3 / Spectre 3 6.9
70 A Shot in the Dark Jun 23, 1964 Cato / Cato tbd