Russell Wong (; born March 1, 1963) is an American actor of film and television. He was one of the first actors of Chinese descent to hold a leading role in a primetime American television series, portraying Jian-Wa with Chi Muoi Lo portraying Wago in the highly rated critically acclaimed '' Vanishing Son,'' first in a series of a

made-for-television films A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

followed by a 13-episode syndicated series. He has appeared in numerous films and series including

Abel Ferrara Abel Ferrara (born July 19, 1951) is an American filmmaker, known for the provocative and often controversial content in his movies and his use of neo-noir imagery and gritty urban settings. A long-time independent filmmaker, some of his best k ...

's '' China Girl,

New Jack City ''New Jack City'' is a 1991 American action crime film based upon an original story and written by Thomas Lee Wright and Barry Michael Cooper, and directed by Mario Van Peebles in his feature film directorial debut. Released in the United S ...

, The Joy Luck Club, Takedown, The Monkey King, Romeo Must Die, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.''

Early life

The sixth of seven children, Wong was born in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany ...

; the son of Connie Van Yserloo, an American artist of French and Dutch descent and Chinese American restaurateur William Wong. His family moved to Albany when he was a baby, where his father ran a restaurant. When Wong was seven years old, his parents divorced, and he moved with his mother to California, settling near

Yosemite Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...

. In 1981, Wong graduated from Mariposa County High School, and that fall enrolled at

Santa Monica City College Santa Monica College (SMC) is a Public university, public, community college in Santa Monica, California. Founded as a Junior college#United States, junior college in 1929, SMC enrolls over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. Althoug ...

Career

Wong supported himself as a photographer and as a dancer (appearing in rock videos with David Bowie, Donna Summer, and Janet Jackson, among others) before scoring his first screen roles in 1985, appearing in a Hong Kong musical called ''Ge wu sheng ping'' (aka Musical Dancer) and in a screen adaptation of

James Clavell James Clavell (born Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell; 10 October 1921 – 7 September 1994) was an Australian-born British (later naturalized American) writer, screenwriter, director, and World War II veteran and prisoner of war. Clavell is best ...

's best-seller ''

Tai-Pan A tai-pan (,Andrew J. Moody, "Transmission Languages and Source Languages of Chinese Borrowings in English", ''American Speech'', Vol. 71, No. 4 (Winter, 1996), pp. 414-415. literally "top class"汉英词典 — ''A Chinese-English Dictionary' ...

'' (as Gordon Chen). A number of television and film roles followed, including an appearance as Narong Bansari on an episode of the 80s crime show '' The Equalizer'', but Wong began breaking into better roles in 1989, when he made a memorable guest appearance on the drama series ''

21 Jump Street ''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural television series that aired on the Fox network and in first run syndication from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-lo ...

'' (as Locke in the episode "The Dragon and the Angel") and won a leading role in

Wayne Wang Wayne Wang (; born January 12, 1949) is a Hong Kong–American director, producer, and screenwriter. Considered a pioneer of Asian-American cinema, he was one of the first Chinese-American filmmakers to gain a major foothold in Hollywood. ...

's acclaimed independent romantic comedy ''

Eat a Bowl of Tea ''Eat a Bowl of Tea'' is a 1961 novel by Louis Chu. It was the first Chinese American novel set in Chinese America. Because of its portrayal of the "bachelor society" in New York's Chinatown after World War II, it has become an important wor ...

'' as Ben Loy. He also played a rising Chinese American gangster named Yung Gan in

's '' China Girl'', a Romeo and Juliet love story film about the conflicts between Chinese gangsters and the Italian mob in New York. Supporting roles in ''China Cry'' (as Lam Cheng Shen), ''China White'' (as Bobby Chow) and ''

'' (as Park) were to follow, and Wong found himself working with Wayne Wang again when he was cast as Lin Xiao in the film adaptation of

Amy Tan Amy Ruth Tan (born on February 19, 1952) is an American author known for the novel '' The Joy Luck Club,'' which was adapted into a film of the same name, as well as other novels, short story collections, and children's books. Tan has written ...

's best-selling novel '' The Joy Luck Club''. Wong's breakthrough role came in 1994, when he was cast in the leading role in the short lived TV series '' Vanishing Son'', in which he played a Chinese political activist exiled in America. The show was popular enough to spawn three sequels, and was later spun off into a syndicated TV series. ''People'' magazine named him one of fifty "Beautiful People" in 1995. After ''Vanishing Son'' ran its course, Wong moved on to more big-screen work, including major roles in ''Prophecy II'' (as Danyael), ''The Tracker'' (as Rick Tsung), and '' Romeo Must Die'' (as the antagonist Kai to

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, martial artist, and retired Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singaporean citizen. After three years of ...

's hero), as well as the made-for-TV epic '' The Lost Empire'', where he played the title character, The Monkey King. He also played Lieutenant Tong in the film ''

Twisted Twisted may refer to: Film and television * ''Twisted'' (1986 film), a horror film by Adam Holender starring Christian Slater * ''Twisted'' (1996 film), a modern retelling of ''Oliver Twist'' * ''Twisted'', a 2011 Singapore Chinese film directed ...

'' starring

Ashley Judd Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella; April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She grew up in a family of performing artists: she is the daughter of the late country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country music singer Wynonn ...

, Samuel L. Jackson,

Andy Garcia Andy may refer to: People *Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds *Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and piano ...

and directed by

Philip Kaufman Philip Kaufman (born October 23, 1936) is an American film director and screenwriter who has directed fifteen films over a career spanning more than six decades. He has been described as a "maverick" and an "iconoclast," notable for his versati ...

. In 2003, he was cast as the lead in a TV series created by

Robert Mark Kamen Robert Mark Kamen (born October 9, 1947) is an American screenwriter, best known as creator of '' The Karate Kid franchise'', as well as for his later collaborations with French filmmaker Luc Besson, which includes the screenplay for ''The Fift ...

and Carlton Cuse entitled ''

Black Sash The Black Sash is a South African human rights organisation. It was founded in Johannesburg in 1955 as a non-violent resistance organisation for liberal white women. Origins The Black Sash was founded on 19 May 1955 by six middle-class white ...

'', where he played a former narcotics cop named Tom Chang who opens up a martial arts school in San Francisco left to him by his teacher, Master Li (played by

Mako , better known by the mononym name Mako (sometimes stylised MAKO), is a Japanese voice actress, singer and a member of the band Bon-Bon Blanco, in which her prominent role is as the maraca player. She has also performed in a Japanese television ...

), to teach a number of young students "the art of 8 palm changes" or

Baguazhang Baguazhang or Pakua chang () is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being T'ai chi and Xing Yi Quan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice (or neijia quan). ''Bāguà zhǎng'' literally ...

. The series also starred

Missy Peregrym Melissa "Missy" Peregrym (born June 16, 1982) is a Canadian actress and former fashion model. She is known for her roles as Haley Graham in the 2006 film ''Stick It'' and Officer Andy McNally on the ABC and Global Television Network series ''R ...

, Corey Sevier,

Ray J William Ray Norwood Jr. (born January 17, 1981), known professionally as Ray J, is an American singer, actor, and television personality. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Carson, California, he is the younger brother of recording ...

, Sarah Carter, and Drew Fuller. Although 8 episodes were made, 6 ended up airing on

The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on terrestrial television, broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture be ...

. Wong also voiced the main character, an undercover cop named Nick Kang, in the video game '' True Crime: Streets of LA'' (2003). In the late 2000s, he starred as General Ming Guo opposite

Michelle Yeoh Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng, ( ; born 6 August 1962) is a Malaysian actress. Credited as Michelle Khan in her early Hong Kong films, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in a series of Hong Kong action films where she performed her own ...

and

in '' The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'' (2008) directed by

Rob Cohen Rob Cohen (born March 12, 1949) is an American director and producer of film and television. Beginning his career as an executive producer at 20th Century Fox, Cohen produced and developed numerous high-profile film and television programs, inc ...

and as Patrick in the Thailand action film ''The Sanctuary'' alongside Michael B, Inthira Charoenpura and

Patharawarin Timkul Patharawarin Timkul ( th, ภัทรวรินทร์ ทิมกุล, born March 1, 1977) is a List of Thai actresses, Thai actress and model (person), model. Her films include ''Bangkok Dangerous (1999 film), Bangkok Dangerous'' and '' ...

. He also appeared as Leon in Chris Chan Lee's independent film '' Undoing'' (2006) opposite Sung Kang and Kelly Hu, and Anna Chi's '' Dim Sum Funeral'' (2008), opposite

Bai Ling Bai Ling (, born October 10, 1966) is a Chinese-American actress known for her work in the films ''The Crow'', ''Nixon'', '' Red Corner'', '' Crank: High Voltage'', ''Dumplings'', ''Wild Wild West'', ''Anna and the King'', '' Southland Tales'', a ...

and

Talia Shire Talia Rose Shire (née Coppola; born April 25, 1946) is an American actress who played roles as Connie Corleone in ''The Godfather'' films and Adrian Balboa in the ''Rocky'' series. For her work in ''The Godfather Part II'' and ''Rocky'', Shir ...

. He also guest starred on a number of TV shows such as '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (as Lieutenant Arthur Chen), '' Just Legal'' (as the District Attorney in the pilot episode), '' Commander in Chief'' (as a Cabinet member), ''

Numb3rs ''Numbers'' (stylized as ''NUMB3RS'') is an American crime drama television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010, for six seasons and 118 episodes. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heu ...

'' (as Jeremy Wang). In the 2010s, Wong appeared in the TV series ''

Nikita Nikita may refer to: * Nikita (given name) * Nikita, Crimea, a town in Crimea * Nikita the Tanner, a character in East Slavic folklore Film and television *''Little Nikita'', a 1988 film * ''La Femme Nikita'' (film), also known as ''Nikita'', a 19 ...

'' (as Victor Han), '' Hawaii Five-0'' (as Kong Liang; he also appeared as Nick Wong in the 1997 Hawaii Five-O TV movie), and HBO Asia's ''

Serangoon Road ''Serangoon Road'' is an Australian-Singaporean television drama series which premiered on 22 September 2013 on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and HBO Asia. It is a detective noir drama set in the 1960s, revolving around Seran ...

'' (as Winston, the husband of

Joan Chen Joan Chen (born April 26, 1961) is a Chinese-American actress and film director. In China, she performed in the 1979 film and came to the attention of American audiences for her performance in the 1987 film '' The Last Emperor''. She is also ...

's character) in 2013. Film wise, Wong was involved with a number of films shot in Asia or China, reuniting again with

for ''

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan ''Snow Flower and the Secret Fan'' is a 2005 novel by Lisa See set in nineteenth-century China. In her introduction to the novel, See writes that Lily, the narrator, was born on June 5, 1824—"the fifth day of the sixth month of the third year ...

'' (2011) (as the Bank CEO at the beginning that gives a speech to

Archie Kao Archie David Kao (born December 14, 1969) is an American actor and producer. He is best known to American audiences for series regulars roles on '' Chicago P.D.'', '' Power Rangers Lost Galaxy'' as well as long-running hit '' CSI: Crime Scene I ...

and Li Bingbing) and as Peter in the Chinese language remake of the film '' What Women Want'' (2011) starring

Andy Lau Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...

and

Gong Li Gong Li ( Chinese: 巩俐; born 31 December 1965) is a Chinese actress. She starred in three of the four Chinese-language films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Gong was born in Shenyang, Liaon ...

. In 2014, Wong finished shooting a horror series entitled ''Grace'' which was shot in Singapore for HBO Asia, and also directed by ''

'' co-director Tony Tilse.‘Grace’ Horror Series Underway at HBO Asia, https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/grace-horror-series-underway-at-hbo-asia-1201127472/ He plays the patriarch of the family, Roy Chan. Wong also played the character of Brompton in three 2020 episodes of the HBO series '' Westworld'', and appeared as Dr. Yu in the 2021 movie ''

Clifford the Big Red Dog ''Clifford the Big Red Dog'' is an American children's book series about the adventures of a precocious girl named Emily Elizabeth and her titular pet: a giant, red-furred dog named Clifford. It was first published in 1963 and was written by No ...

''.

Personal life

Wong has one daughter, Eja Robinson-Wong (born 1988), with dancer Eartha Robinson. He was married to Hong Kong-based designer Flora Cheong-Leen. They divorced in 2012. He is the brother of Michael Wong, a Hong Kong-based actor.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

*
UCLA Asia Pacific Arts Interview
*
Starpulse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Russell 1963 births Living people Male actors from New York (state) American male film actors American people of Dutch descent American people of French descent American male taekwondo practitioners American male karateka American wushu practitioners American male actors of Chinese descent American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors Actors from Troy, New York Santa Monica College alumni American expatriates in Hong Kong 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors