Freda Foh Shen (born April 25, 1948) is an American actress. She is best known for the voice of Fa Li in the 1998

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

animated film ''

Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...

'' and its 2004 direct-to-video sequel ''

Mulan II ''Mulan II'' is a 2004 American direct-to-video animated musical adventure film produced by the Japanese office of Disneytoon Studios. It is directed by Darrell Rooney and Lynne Southerland. It is a sequel to the 1998 theatrically-released Di ...

'', and for playing Anne Lee on '' 9-1-1'' (2019-present).

Early life

Foh Shen was born in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, on April 25, 1948, to Chinese parents.

Career

In 1982, Foh Shen played

Lady Nijō (1258 – after 1307) was a Japanese noblewoman, poet and author. She was a concubine of Emperor Go-Fukakusa from 1271 to 1283, and later became a Buddhist nun. After years of travelling, around 1304–07 she wrote a memoir, ''Towazugatari'' ("An ...

in Caryl Churchill's play ''

Top Girls ''Top Girls'' is a 1982 play by Caryl Churchill. It centres around Marlene, a career-driven woman who is heavily invested in women's success in business. The play examines the roles available to women in old society, and what it means or takes fo ...

'' at the

New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park (or Free Shakespeare in the Park) is a theatrical program that stages productions of Shakespearean plays at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air theater in New York City's Central Park. The theater and the productions ar ...

. In 1990, she played Carmen in Jean Genet's play ''

The Balcony ''The Balcony'' (french: Le Balcon) is a play by the French dramatist Jean Genet. It is set in an unnamed city that is experiencing a revolutionary uprising in the streets; most of the action takes place in an upmarket brothel that functions as a ...

'' at the Hudson Guild Theater in New York City. In addition to her theater performances, she played the role of Chinese American ceramist Jade Snow Wong in the 1976

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

historical drama ''Jade Snow''. Since the beginning of the 1980s, Foh Shen has appeared in several television series, including ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class Africa ...

'', '' Adult Math'', ''

Renegade Renegade or The Renegade may refer to: Aircraft *Lake Renegade, an American amphibious aircraft design *Murphy Renegade, a Canadian ultralight biplane design *Southern Aeronautical Renegade, an American racing aircraft design Games *'' Comman ...

'', ''

Party of Five ''Party of Five'' is an American television teen and family drama created by Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman that originally aired on Fox for six seasons from September 12, 1994, to May 3, 2000. The series featured an ensemble cast led by ...

'', '' JAG'', '' 7th Heaven'', '' 24'', '' Desperate Housewives'', '' Cracker'', and '' Boston Legal''. She has also appeared in movies including ''

Crossing Delancey ''Crossing Delancey'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy film starring Amy Irving and Peter Riegert. Joan Micklin Silver directed it, drawing upon a play by Susan Sandler, who also wrote the screenplay. The film also features performances fro ...

'' (1988), ''

Basic Instinct ''Basic Instinct'' is a 1992 neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. The film follows San Francisco police detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), who is investigating the brutal murder of a wea ...

'' (1992), ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

'' (2001), '' The Ladykillers'' (2004), and a starring role in 2005's '' Red Doors''. By 2007, she had already had recurring roles in three television series: as Mrs. Lee on ''

Gideon's Crossing ''Gideon's Crossing'' is an American medical drama starring Andre Braugher. The series is loosely based on the experience of real-life physician Jerome Groopman and his book '' The Measure of Our Days''. It premiered on October 10, 2000, and ra ...

'', as Dr. Chao on ''

Everwood ''Everwood'' (known as ''Our New Life in Everwood'' in the United Kingdom) is an American drama television series created by Greg Berlanti. Berlanti, Mickey Liddell, Rina Mimoun, Andrew A. Ackerman and Michael Green served as executive produce ...

'', and as Dr. Yolanda Perrin on '' Close to Home''. She is also known for her role as Dr. Noriko Weinstein in the crime drama ''

Silk Stalkings ''Silk Stalkings'' is an American crime drama television series that premiered on CBS on November 7, 1991, as part of the network's late-night ''Crimetime After Primetime'' programming package. Broadcast for two seasons until CBS ended the ''Crim ...

''. Most recently, she appeared in a 2018 episode of '' Magnum P.I.'', and landed a recurring role on the 2019 series '' 9-1-1''. As a voice actress, Foh Shen has provided the voices of Fa Li in ''

'' (1998) and ''

'' (2004), the Chinese food lady in ''

Dude, Where's My Car? ''Dude, Where's My Car?'' is a 2000 American stoner comedy film directed by Danny Leiner. The film stars Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott as two best friends who find themselves unable to remember where they parked their vehicle after a nigh ...

'' (2000), Admiral Alice Liu in the 2002 video game '' Star Trek: Bridge Commander'', and the Narrator in '' The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'' (2008).

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Foh Shen, Freda American film actresses American actresses of Chinese descent American television actresses American voice actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Living people 1948 births Actresses from Atlanta American stage actresses