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Leonard Strong

Leonard Strong

Known For Acting
Birthday Aug 12, 1908
Died Jan 23, 1980 (71)
Birthplace Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Popularity 0.1 (history)
Updated Aug 09, 2025 (Update)
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
Biography

Leonard Clarence Strong (born 12 August 1908, Salt Lake City, Utah - d. 23 January 1980, Glendale, California was a prolific American character actor specialising in playing Asian roles. Beginning with Little Tokyo, U.S.A in 1942, Strong played a gamut of roles as Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Thais, ... etc. in films such as Dragon Seed (1944),Up in Arms (1944), Jack London (1943), Salute to the Marines (1943), Behind the Rising Sun (1943), Night Plane from Chungking (1943), Bombardier (1943),Underground Agent (1942), and Manila Calling (1942). He played the Thai interpreter in both Anna and the King of Siam and its musical remake The King and I. Strong also appeared in the movie Shane (1953) as homesteader Ernie Wright. Strong achieved some pop culture notoriety for his role on television as "The Claw" on Get Smart. He appeared in a season-five episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960) "The Cure" written by horror writer Robert Bloch. Set deep in an Amazon jungle, Strong plays Luiz, a loyal native who speaks broken English and saves his employer, an oil explorer, from the attempted murder of his supposedly mentally ill and unfaithful wife. Something gets lost in the translation when his employer wants Strong to take her to a psychiatrist 200 miles down river, and he takes her instead to a native headshrinker. The denouement comes when Strong returns alone to the shock of his employer. He says, "I do what you tell me. I take her to my people. The best headshrinkers in the world". Then, pulling his employer's wife's now shrunken head out of a bag, he says, "Best job in the world." Another notable television role was his haunting and mostly silent portrayal of the title character in the original Twilight Zone episode, "The Hitch-Hiker", which is often listed as one of the ten best episodes of the series. With his thumb extended, seeking a ride, and asking "Going my way?", Strong is seen in one of the half-dozen, seconds-long scenes used at the start of every one of the 30 DVDs in the CBS DVD five-season collection, "The Twilight Zone, The Definitive Edition."

Known For

Headshots

Profile
Profile
Filmography

Escape from Zahrain

Escape from Zahrain

1962

as Ambulance Driver

Jet Attack

Jet Attack

1958

as Maj. Wan

Cult of the Cobra

Cult of the Cobra

1955

as Daru

Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing

Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing

1955

as Fortune Teller (uncredited)

Hell's Half Acre

Hell's Half Acre

1954

as Ippy

Prisoner of War

Prisoner of War

1954

as Col. Kim Doo Yi

The Naked Jungle

The Naked Jungle

1954

as Kutina

Bengal Brigade

Bengal Brigade

1954

as Mahindra

Scared Stiff

Scared Stiff

1953

as Shorty

Destination Gobi

Destination Gobi

1953

as Wali-Akhun

Shane

Shane

1953

as Ernie Wright

The Atomic City

The Atomic City

1952

as Donald Clark

Cargo to Capetown

Cargo to Capetown

1950

as Singh

Backfire

Backfire

1950

as Lee Quong (uncredited)

Sword of the Avenger

Sword of the Avenger

1948

as Ming Tang

Jewels of Brandenburg

Jewels of Brandenburg

1947

as Marcel Grandet

Backlash

Backlash

1947

as Willis, Caretaker

Dangerous Millions

Dangerous Millions

1946

as Bandit Chieftain

First Yank into Tokyo

First Yank into Tokyo

1945

as Maj. Nogira

Blood on the Sun

Blood on the Sun

1945

as Hijikata

Back to Bataan

Back to Bataan

1945

as Gen. Homma

The Keys of the Kingdom

The Keys of the Kingdom

1944

as Mr. Chia

Bombardier

Bombardier

1943

as Japanese Officer

Behind the Rising Sun

Behind the Rising Sun

1943

as Tama's Father

Underground Agent

Underground Agent

1942

as Count Akiri

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Organization Category Movie
Television Credits

Get Smart

as The Claw

Episodes: 3

First Aired: Sep 18, 1965

The Islanders

as General Kumari

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 02, 1960

The Twilight Zone

as The Hitch-Hiker

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 02, 1959

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as Manuel

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 02, 1955

Peter Gunn

as King Felix

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 22, 1958

One Step Beyond

as Conductor

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 20, 1959

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as Luiz

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 02, 1955

The Wonderful World of Disney

as Zanaga Martinez

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 27, 1954

The Lone Wolf

as Ti Ling

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Apr 09, 1954

The Lone Wolf

as Shalmar

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Apr 09, 1954

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

as General Yokura

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 22, 1964

77 Sunset Strip

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 10, 1958

The Alaskans

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 04, 1959

Navy Log

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 20, 1955

Terry and the Pirates

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Nov 25, 1952

Dr. Fu Manchu

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 03, 1956

Dangerous Assignment

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 01, 1952

Popularity Metrics

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Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 6 3 6 1
2024 7 5 12 1
2024 8 5 12 2
2024 9 7 11 3
2024 10 3 8 1
2024 11 3 12 1
2024 12 2 3 1
2025 1 4 12 1
2025 2 2 3 1
2025 3 1 2 1
2025 5 1 1 1
2025 7 0 0 0
2025 8 2 9 0
2025 9 0 0 0

Trending Rank


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