Charlie Chan Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional character created by Earl Derr Biggers. Biggers loosely based Chan on Honolulu, Hawaii, detective Chang Apana, and conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes and villains like Fu Manchu. Chan is a detective for the Honolulu police, though many stories feature Chan traveling the world as he investigates mysteries and solves crimes. Chan first appeared in Biggers' novels, then was featured in a number of media. Over four dozen films featuring Charlie Chan were made, beginning in 1926. The character was first portrayed by East Asian
Charlie Chan (composer) of up to 15 musicians at school, along with drama and music camps. One of Chan's early major orchestration assignments at drama camp was for a stage adaption of the novel "They Shoot Horses Don't They?". Originally named Maryann Chan at birth, she was "christened" Charlie Chan around this time by friends at a drama camp. The name stuck. As Chan grew into adulthood, the musical influences that stayed with her included an eclectic range: from classical greats Mahler, Smetana and Wagner, through contemporary composer/artists Laurie Anderson, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Philip Glass and Keith Jarrett, to world-renowned Pakistani musician Nusrat Fateh