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Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk (Kwouk; ; ; 18 July 1930 – 24 May 2016) was a British actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Cato in the Pink Panther films. He made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of Imperial Japanese Army Major Yamauchi in the British drama series Tenko and as Entwistle in Last of the Summer Wine.
Kwouk was best known for playing Cato Fong, Inspector Clouseau's manservant, in the Pink Panther film series. The character was first introduced in A Shot in the Dark (1964), the second film in the series, and was a role that Kwouk would reprise on another six occasions until the 2006 series reboot. The Pink Panther series used a running gag; Cato was ordered to attack Clouseau when he least expected it to keep Clouseau alert, usually resulting in a ruined romantic encounter or Clouseau's flat being completely destroyed. Amidst the chaos, the phone would ring and Cato would calmly answer it before dutifully handing the phone to his employer and being thumped again by Clouseau.
He was a stalwart of several 1960s ITC television series, such as Danger Man, The Saint and Man of the World, when an oriental character was required. He appeared in the episode "Assault Force" in Return of the Saint. Kwouk also featured as one of the leads in the short-lived series The Sentimental Agent (1963) and had minor roles in three James Bond films. In Goldfinger (1964), he played Mr Ling, a Chinese expert in nuclear fission; in the non-Ian Fleming spoof Casino Royale (1967), he played a general; in You Only Live Twice (1967), Kwouk is a operative of Blofeld, credited as Spectre 3. He also appeared with Laurence Olivier and Anthony Quinn in The Shoes of the Fisherman.
A reference to Kwouk's appearances in several films with Peter Sellers is found in the opening scene of The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980) where Sellers says to him "your face is familiar." His next major role was as the honourable but misguided Major Yamauchi in the BBC World War II television drama Tenko (1981–1984). Kwouk featured in many British television productions that called for an Oriental actor. As a result, he became a well-known face in the United Kingdom and appeared as himself in the Harry Hill Show, in addition to supporting several of Hill's live tours. Kwouk had a guest role in Super Gran in 1985, appearing as himself in the episode "Super Gran and the TV Villains". He also played a supportive role in the 1985 RKO film Plenty (film), portraying a Burmese diplomat at a dinner party.
In 2000, Kwouk appeared in an episode of the syndicated western TV series Queen of Swords as Master Kiyomasa, an aged warrior-priest; Sung-Hi Lee played his female pupil, Kami. He provided on the spoof Japanese betting show Banzai (2001–2004) and subsequently appeared in adverts for the betting company, Bet365. From 2002 to 2010 Kwouk had a regular role as one of the three main characters in the long-running BBC series Last of the Summer Wine, featuring as 'Electrical' Entwistle. His later work also included voice acting for radio drama, video games, and television commercials.
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