Jonathan Ke Quan

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Jonathan Ke Quan
Quan at Fan Expo Canada in 2019
Born	(1971-08-20) August 20, 1971 (age 50) Saigon, South Vietnam (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
Nationality	Vietnamese
Other names	Jonathan Ke Huy Quan
Education	Alhambra High School University of Southern California
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1984–present

Jonathan Luke Ke Huy Quan (Chinese: 關繼威; Vietnamese: Quan Kế Huy; born August 20, 1971) is an American actor and stunt choreographer.^[1] He is best known for his film appearances in the 1980s, portraying Data in The Goonies and Indiana Jones' sidekick Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.^[2][3] He also co-starred as Jasper Kwong in the sitcom Head of the Class over two seasons from 1990 to 1991.

Early life[]

Quan was born in Saigon, South Vietnam (present-day Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) to Vietnamese parents of Chinese descent. He was forced to leave his country when the Army of the Republic of Vietnam was defeated during the Fall of Saigon. His family was selected for political asylum and emigrated to the United States as refugees.

Quan attended Mount Gleason Jr. High in Tujunga, California, and Alhambra High School in Alhambra, California. After high school, he graduated from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He later attended the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.^[4]

Career[]

Quan became a child actor at age 12, starring as Harrison Ford's sidekick Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The casting director auditioned children at his elementary school, which also included his brother.^[5] After being cast, his family changed his name to Ke Huy, the name by which he is credited in the film.^{[citation needed]}

In 1985, Quan co-starred in The Goonies as a member of the eponymous group of children, the inventor Richard "Data" Wang. He played a pickpocket orphan in the 1986 Taiwanese movie It Takes a Thief. In 1987, he appeared in the Japanese movie "Passengers" (Passenjā Sugisarishi Hibi) with the Japanese idol singer Honda Minako. He played Sam on the short-lived TV series Together We Stand (1986–1987) and played Jasper Kwong in the sitcom Head of the Class from 1990 to 1991. He also starred in the movie Breathing Fire (1991) and had a small role in Encino Man (1992). He played the starring role in the 1993 Mandarin language TV show The Big Eunuch and the Little Carpenter which ran for forty episodes. He also starred in the 1996 Hong Kong/Vietnam co-production Red Pirate. He last appeared on screen in the 2002 Hong Kong movie Second Time Around alongside Ekin Cheng and Cecilia Cheung.

Having studied Taekwondo under Philip Tan on the set of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Quan later trained under Tao-liang Tan.^[6] He worked as a stunt choreographer for X-Men^[7] and The One as the assistant of renowned Hong Kong fight choreographer Corey Yuen.^[4]

In September 2019, Quan joined the cast for the Netflix film Finding 'Ohana from filmmaker Jude Weng.^[8] The film will mark Quan's returning to acting since the release of Second Time Around in 2002. In January 2020, Ke Quan was announced as a cast member of the upcoming science fiction film Everything Everywhere All at Once.^[9]

Personal life[]

Quan is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. He is of Han Chinese (Hoa) descent and has eight siblings.^[5]

Filmography[]

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 387.

External links[]

• Jonathan Ke Quan at IMDb