Suzanne Whang (

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

:황보희, September 28, 1962 – September 17, 2019) was an American television host, comedian, radio host, author, minister, writer, producer, and political activist. She is best known for having been the host of the

HGTV HGTV (an initialism for Home & Garden Television) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate. As of February 2015, appr ...

series ''

House Hunters ''House Hunters'' is an American unscripted television series that airs on HGTV and is produced by Pie Town Productions. Each episode follows people making a decision about a new home purchase or rental. Format ''House Hunters'' follows indiv ...

'' for nine years, and for her recurring role as manicurist Polly Chae on ''

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

'' for four seasons. Suzanne also starred as Divina the maid / wannabe actress in the

Here TV Here TV is an American premium television network targeting LGBT audiences. Launched in 2002, Here TV is available nationwide on all major cable systems, fiber optics systems, and Internet TV providers as either a 24/7 premium subscription channe ...

sitcom ''

From Here on OUT ''From Here on OUT'' is an American sitcom on Here TV, starring Terry Ray, T.J. Hoban, Suzanne Whang, Juliet Mills, Austin Robert Miller, Adrian Gonzalez and Michael Lanham. The series, which premiered on February 28, 2014, is the first original ...

''.

Personal life

Whang was Korean-American. Her parents were born in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, South Korea. She was born in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

. She held a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

and an

M.Sc. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

degree in

cognitive psychology Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of mental processes such as attention, language use, memory, perception, problem solving, creativity, and reasoning. Cognitive psychology originated in the 1960s in a break from behaviorism, which ...

from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

. As a graduate student, she conducted research with William H. Warren on visually guided action. Whang completely recovered from stage 4 breast cancer, wrote and performed a solo show about her journey, and was writing a book about her experiences. On October 19, 2013, Whang married long-time boyfriend Jay Nickerson at The Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew in Manhattan. The two had met decades prior, working together in theater. Whang died on September 17, 2019, in her Los Angeles home, after a 13-year battle with cancer, eleven days shy of her 57th birthday. Her remains were later cremated.

Career

Whang hosted ''

'' from 1999 to 2007 on

and had a recurring role as Polly the spa manager on NBC's drama ''

''. She made her television debut as a "Road Warrior" (remote correspondent) on the

FX network FX is an American pay television channel owned by FX Networks, LLC, a subsidiary of the Disney General Entertainment Content unit of The Walt Disney Company. It is based at the Fox Studios lot in Century City, California. FX originally launc ...

's two-hour morning show ''Breakfast Time'' in the 1990s, and later co-hosted the network's ''Pet Department''. In 2002, Whang won the Best Up & Coming Comedian Award at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival, for her controversial alter ego character, Sung Hee Park. Whang won the first annual

Andy Kaufman Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman ( ; January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer and performance artist. While often called a "comedian", Kaufman preferred to describe himself instead as a "song and dance man". He has sometimes b ...

Award at the 2004

New York Comedy Festival The New York Comedy Festival is an annual comedy festival co-founded by Jarrod Moses and Caroline Hirsch in 2004. The festival is produced in association with Comedy Central, the Huffington Post, and Carolines comedy club located at Times Squar ...

. She made a guest appearance on ''

Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis (writer), Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was r ...

'' in the episode "Poison" in a brief cameo as a local TV reporter. Since January 2011, Whang had portrayed Carol Cheng, Brenda Barrett's wedding planner and rumored to have been involved with

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" Prefix * Franco, a prefix used when ref ...

, on the TV series ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

''. In November 2011 Whang joined the cast of ''

Don't Tell My Mother ''Don't Tell My Mother'' is a television programme hosted by Diego Buñuel and shown on the subscription television channel Nat Geo Adventure. Development For the past ten years, Diego Buñuel has been a foreign correspondent for French tele ...

'', a monthly storytelling event in which celebrities share true stories they'd never want their mothers to know.

Filmography

*1990: ''A Matter of Degrees'' as Student *1992: ''

HouseSitter ''Housesitter'' is a 1992 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Oz, written by Mark Stein, and starring Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. The premise involves a woman with con-artist tendencies who worms her way into the life of a reserved ...

'' as Moseby's Secretary *1994: '' Personal fX: The Collectibles Show'' (TV Series) as Field Host *1994: '' Personal fX: Breakfast Time'' (TV Series) as Road Warrior *1996: '' Personal fX: The Pet Department'' (TV Series) as Co-Host *1996: '' Fox After Breakfast'' as Road Warrior *1999: '' V.I.P'' (TV Series) as Diana Lu *1998: ''New Attitudes'' as Co-Host *2000: '' 18 Wheels of Justice'' as N/A *2001: '' The Chronicle'' (TV Series) as Christy Kwan *2001: ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...

'' (TV Series) as Dr. Kim *2001: ''

Norm Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) consist of materials, usually industrial wastes or by-products enriched with radioactive elements found in the envir ...

'' as Woman #3 *2002: ''

The Practice ''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy in 1 ...

'' as Foreperson *2002: ''

Robbery Homicide Division ''Robbery Homicide Division'' (''RHD'') is an American police procedural television series that ran on CBS from September 27, 2002 to April 21, 2003, created by Barry Schindel with executive producers Michael Mann and Sandy Climan. Overview The ...

'' (TV Series) as Reporter *2002: ''

Strong Medicine ''Strong Medicine'' is an American medical drama with a focus on feminism, feminist politics, health issues and class conflict that aired on the Lifetime Television, Lifetime network from 2000 to 2006. It was created and produced in part by Who ...

'' (TV Series) as Dr. Sporich *2002: ''Seoul Mates'' (short) as Sung Hee Park *2003: ''

Melvin Goes to Dinner ''Melvin Goes to Dinner'' is a 2003 American film adaptation of Michael Blieden's stage play ''Phyro-Giants!'', directed by Bob Odenkirk. Blieden wrote the screenplay from his stage play, and he also stars in the film (as he did in the Los Angel ...

'' as Extra *2003: ''Date or Disaster'' as Sock Puppet Actor *2004: ''The Perfect Husband: The

Laci Peterson The ''lac'' repressor (LacI) is a DNA-binding protein that inhibits the expression of genes coding for proteins involved in the metabolism of lactose in bacteria. These genes are repressed when lactose is not available to the cell, ensuring that ...

Story'' as Second Reporter *2004 '' Still Standing'' (TV Series) as Patron *2004: ''

Ring of Darkness ''Ring of Darkness'' is a 2004 fantasy horror film directed by David DeCoteau and starring Ryan Starr, Matt T. Baker, and Adrienne Barbeau. Although never released into American theaters, the movie was released worldwide, and translated into sever ...

'' as Television Reporter *2005-2008: ''

'' (TV Series) as Polly Nguyen *2005: ''

Nip/Tuck ''Nip/Tuck'' is an American medical drama television series created by Ryan Murphy that aired on FX in the United States from July 22, 2003, to March 3, 2010. The series, which also incorporates elements of crime drama, black comedy, family dra ...

'' as Nurse Lee *2005: '' Edison'' as Medical Examiner *2005: ''

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...

'' as Mother *2005: ''

Two and a Half Men ''Two and a Half Men'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS for twelve seasons from September 22, 2003, to February 19, 2015. Originally starring Charlie Sheen in the lead role alongside Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones, the ...

'' as Anesthesiologist *2005: ''Now That's Funny'' (video) *2005: ''

Traci Townsend ''Traci Townsend'' is a 2006 comedy film directed by Craig Ross Jr. and starring Jazsmin Lewis and Mari Morrow. It was written by Bobby Thompson, who was also a producer of the film. Premise A beautiful and successful journalist interviews her thr ...

'' as Rosa *2005: ''Fresh News'' (video short) *2006: '' Brothers & Sisters'' (TV Series) as Carly *2006: ''

Material Girls ''Material Girls'' is a 2006 American teen comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge, loosely based on Jane Austen's 1811 novel '' Sense and Sensibility'', updating the setting to modern Los Angeles. Starring Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff, the film i ...

'' as TV News Anchor *2006: ''

Cold Case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...

'' (TV Series) as Mrs. Lee *2006: ''

Without a Trace ''Without a Trace'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hank Steinberg that aired on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009 with the total of seven seasons and 160 episodes. The series focuses the cases of ...

'' as Linda Porter *2006: ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal drama and comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 2004, t ...

'' as Juror # 1 *2006: ''

'' (TV Series) as Reporter *2009: ''Un-Broke: What You Need to Know About Money'' as Anchorwoman *2009: ''Twice as Dead'' as Courier Person *2010: ''

The Secret Life of the American Teenager ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager'' (often shortened to ''Secret Life'') is an American teen drama television series created by Brenda Hampton. It aired on ABC Family from July 1, 2008 to June 3, 2013. The series received mixed to some ...

'' as Fern *2011: ''

'' as Carol Cheng *2013: ''

Arrested Development The term "arrested development" has had multiple meanings for over 200 years. In the field of medicine, the term "arrested development" was first used, ''circa'' 1835–1836, to mean a stoppage of physical development; the term continues to be use ...

'' (TV Series) as Olive Garden *2014: ''

Anger Management Anger management is a psycho-therapeutic program for anger prevention and control. It has been described as deploying anger successfully.Schwarts, Gil. July 2006. Anger Management', July 2006 The Office Politic. Men's Health magazine. Emmaus, PA: ...

'' (TV Series) as Bank Teller *2014: ''

'' as Divina Sung Hee (series regular) *2014: ''

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, 59th Street to the north, Eighth Avenue to the eas ...

'' as Herself (dining room guest) *2015: ''

Kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

'' (TV Series) as Dr. Lynn Bennett *2016: ''

Angel from Hell ''Angel from Hell'' is an American Single-camera setup, single-camera fantasy sitcom created by Tad Quill. The series was greenlit to order on May 8, 2015, by CBS, and premiered on January 7, 2016. On February 8, 2016, CBS cancelled the series an ...

'' as Woman *2017: '' The Mick'' (TV Series) as Dr. Frenkel / Female Doctor *2019: '' For the People'' (TV Series) as Lori Pak

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whang, Suzanne 1962 births 2019 deaths People from Arlington County, Virginia American actresses of Korean descent American women comedians Yale College alumni Brown University alumni Actresses from Virginia American television actresses Comedians from Virginia Deaths from breast cancer Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians