Which actor plays the maitre d' in Seinfeld's The Chinese Restaurant?

James Hong plays the maître d' in Seinfeld's “The Chinese Restaurant.”

The episode is the 11th installment of season two and the 16th episode overall. It originally aired on May 23, 1991, and takes place almost entirely inside a Chinese restaurant, where Jerry, George, and Elaine wait for a table. Hong's maître d' repeatedly blocks their attempts to get seated, use the telephone, and make sense of the restaurant's seating decisions.

Hong was already a veteran character actor when he appeared on Seinfeld, with hundreds of film and television credits. The role also echoed his earlier portrayal of a maître d' in the 1961 film Flower Drum Song, making the part a fitting bit of typecasting.

The episode is often remembered as a landmark “show about nothing.” NBC executives initially disliked its minimal premise, but it became one of the series' most celebrated episodes. A common mix-up is confusing Hong's maître d' with the restaurant's other minor characters or with actors from later Seinfeld episodes.