Peter Kwong, 'Big Trouble in Little China' Actor, Dead at 73

Peter Kwong, known for his role in John Carpenter's 1986 film "Big Trouble in Little China," died Tuesday night at 73.

A representative confirmed in a statement to Variety that the actor, who portrayed Rain, one of three martial arts warlocks in the cult classic, died in his sleep.

A native of Sacramento, California, Kwong launched his acting career in the late 1970s and 1980s, appearing in a string of popular television shows. His credits included roles in "The A-Team," "Wonder Woman," "Little House on the Prairie," "Miami Vice," "The Greatest American Hero," "Cagney & Lacey," "Dynasty," "MacGyver," and "227."

In 1986, Kwong gained widespread recognition for his role as Rain in "Big Trouble in Little China." As one of the Three Storms, a trio of mystical martial artists, he shared the screen with Kim Cattrall and Kurt Russell, a regular collaborator of director John Carpenter. While the film later developed a strong cult following, it failed to perform at the box office, bringing in just $11 million against an estimated $20 million production budget.

That same year, Kwong appeared in "Never Too Young to Die" alongside John Stamos and Vanity, and also had a role in "The Golden Child," starring Eddie Murphy and Charles Dance.

Kwong was involved in the industry long after his acting career. He spent over a decade serving on the SAG National Board of Directors and was also part of the AFTRA National Board. In addition, he held positions on the Television Academy's Board of Governors and the Actors Branch Executive Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In 2016, Kwong joined dozens of others in signing a letter condemning the use of jokes targeting Asians during the Oscars ceremony.

"I was there at the Academy Awards, and I was shocked because [Academy President] Cheryl Boone-Isaacs went up and talked about diversity and then right after that comes the jokes from Chris Rock and Sacha Baron Cohen," Kwong told Deadline at the time. "Some people have the attitude, 'Why can't you have a sense of humor?' and 'in humor there are no boundaries.' It's because it gives people permission to not only continue it but to escalate it as well."

In 2023, Kwong was honored with the Snow Leopard Award by the Asian World Film Festival for his exceptional contributions to cinema.

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