Kwouk made his film debut with an uncredited part in ''
Windom's Way (1957). His next film role in The Inn of the Sixth Happiness'' (1958) was described as his "big break"; Kwouk featured as the leader of a
prison revolt who later aids the main starring character Gladys Aylward (
Ingrid Bergman) in heroically leading orphans to safety. 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 damaged or destroyed. Amidst the chaos, the phone would ring and Cato would calmly answer it before dutifully handing the phone to Clouseau who would then give Cato a final assault. 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
Japanese 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 as Cato with
Peter Sellers is found in the opening scene of Seller's last film,
The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980) where Sellers, as Fu Manchu 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, 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
Japanese warrior-priest;
Sung-Hi Lee played his female pupil, Kami. He provided
voice-overs 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. ==Personal life==