Biography
Chao-Li Chi (also credited as Chao Li Chi) was a Chinese-American actor and dancer. Born in Shanxi Province, China, he emigrated to New York City at the age of twelve as a refugee from the Second Sino-Japanese War. He studied acting through Pearl S. Buck's East-and-West Association and made his screen debut in Maya Deren's short film Meditation on Violence (1949), having toured with her as a dancer incorporating Taoist and martial arts disciplines.
He settled in Los Angeles and worked as a character actor in film and television. His best-known role was as the loyal majordomo Chao-Li in the CBS series Falcon Crest (1981–1990), appearing across all nine seasons. Film credits include Big Trouble in Little China (1986) as Uncle Chu, The Joy Luck Club (1993), The Nutty Professor (1996), Blood Work (2002), Wedding Crashers (2005) and The Prestige (2006).
Chi co-founded the Taoist Institute in North Hollywood and taught t'ai chi classes weekly for thirty years. He died on 16 October 2010 in Granada Hills, California.
