Christina Chong (born 18 September 1983) is an English actress. She has appeared in several notable roles in film and television, including '' Monroe'', ''

Line of Duty ''Line of Duty'' is a British police procedural television series created by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions. On 26 June 2012, BBC Two began to broadcast the first series; it was its best-performing drama series in ten years wit ...

'', '' Halo: Nightfall'', ''

Black Mirror ''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Individual episodes explore a diversity of genres, but most are set in near-future dystopias with science fiction technology—a type of speculative fictio ...

'', ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'', and '' 24: Live Another Day''. She plays the role of La'an Noonien-Singh in the

Paramount+ Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

original series '' Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'' (2022present).

Early life and education

Chong was born in

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

, the daughter of a Chinese father and an English mother. She was first raised together with her five siblings in

Broxbourne Broxbourne is a town and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Hoddesdon, in the Broxbourne district, in Hertfordshire, England, north of London, with a population of 15,303 at the 2011 Census.Broxbourne Town population 2011 It is ...

. Later, after the separation of her parents, she moved with her mother and siblings to

Longridge Longridge is a market town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is situated north-east of the city of Preston, at the western end of Longridge Fell, a long ridge above the River Ribble. Its nearest neigh ...

, her mother's hometown. According to her own recollection, Chong and her siblings were the only mixed-race children attending the local school. Chong started dancing at the age of four and attended the Sutcliffe School of Dance in Longridge. Aged 14, she gained a place at the

Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts is a performing arts conservatoire based in Woking, England. It was founded in 1911 by Italia Conti, an actress. The first production at Italia Conti Academy was the play ''Where the Rainbow Ends''. For ...

in London, graduating five years later. After graduation, she got a role in

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

's musical ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December ...

'' being performed in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. An injury cut short her career in

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

, though, so she turned to acting, training at the

Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (originally the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute) is an acting school founded in 1969 by actor, director, and acting teacher Lee Strasberg. The Institute is located in Union Square on East 15th Street, a ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

for 18 months. After her return to London, she had initially difficulties finding work as an actor, acting only in a few small supporting roles and commercials. To support herself, she gave acting lessons at schools and held a part-ownership of her chef father's Chinese restaurant in

Harpenden Harpenden () is a town and civil parish in the City and District of St Albans in the county of Hertfordshire, England. The population of the built-up area was 30,240 in the 2011 census, whilst the population of the civil parish was 29,448. Har ...

.Susannah Butte
''May the force be with her: Christina Chong on why joining Star Wars has been such an incredible adventure''
London Evening Standard, 3 November 2014''Christina’s acting star is rising''
longridgenews.co.uk 11 August 2011

Career

In 2011, Chong made her breakthrough with supporting roles in the movies ''

W.E. ''W.E.'' (stylised ''W./E.'') is a 2011 historical romantic drama film written and directed by Madonna and starring Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough, Oscar Isaac, Richard Coyle, and James D'Arcy. The screenplay was co-written by Alek Keshishia ...

'' and ''

Johnny English Reborn ''Johnny English Reborn'' is a 2011 spy action comedy film directed by Oliver Parker and written by Hamish McColl from a story by William Davies. A sequel to ''Johnny English'' (2003) and the second instalment in the ''Johnny English'' serie ...

'' and TV appearances in a Doctor Who episode, and as a regular cast member in the medical series ''Monroe''. In the next 3 years, she appeared as either a regular or guest in a number of different English and American TV series. In 2015, she had a recurring role in the second season of the

SyFy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

series ''

Dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

'', as Zoe Holloway, a member of Vega’s Archangel Corps, who becomes the leader of the rebellion of the city's lower classes. Chong was cast in a minor role in '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', but was not seen in the final cut of the film. Chong stars in a main role in the 2022 series '' Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'' as La'an Noonien-Singh, a descendant of the character Khan Noonien-Singh.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Christina Chong ('Doctor Who') interview

Interview about her roles in Doctor Who and Monroe
(Red Carpet TV, 8 mins) {{DEFAULTSORT:Chong, Christina 1983 births Living people People from Enfield, London Actresses from London People from Longridge British film actresses Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts 21st-century British actresses British television actresses Actresses from Lancashire British actresses of Chinese descent English people of Chinese descent Actresses from Hertfordshire People from Broxbourne 21st-century English women 21st-century English people