Burt Kwouk

A British-born Chinese actor, Bert Kwouk was best known for playing Inspector Clouseau's aggressive servant, Cato, in the "Pink Panther" films. Kwouk was born in Manchester but lived in Shanghai for most of his youth. He began doing theatre work in London in the late '50's and early '60s and had bit parts in several TV series and films, before getting his break in the 1964 spy spoof, "A Shot in the Dark," the first in the Pink Panther franchise. In every one of the films, bumbling Inspector Clouseau would be caught by surprise when an overzealous Cato would make a surprise attack as his boss came home. He went on to reprise his role in "The Return of the Pink Panther" in 1975, "The Pink Panther Strikes Again" a year later, and "Revenge of the Pink Panther" in 1978. (Kwouk appeared in three other Pink Panther films after the death of star Peter Sellers.) He made his first of several appearances in a James Bond film in 1964's "Goldfinger." He then appeared in the Bond spoof "Casino Royale" and had a supporting role as Spectre 3 in "You Only Live Twice." He has appeared in many TV series on both sides of the Atlantic, including a recurring role in the BAFTA-nominated World War II-era drama "Tenko" in the early 1980s. In 2002 he began a long run in the venerable British comedy "Last of the Summer Wine" (BBC 1973-2010) as Entwistle, a supporting part that turned into a principal role. Kwouk died of cancer in Hampstead, London on May 24, 2015; he was 85.