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 Chi Muoi Lo is an actor, writer, and entrepreneur. As a veteran actor, he is a classically trained and best known for starring in the ''Vanishing Son'' made-for-television eight-hour mini-series and syndicated television episodic series. As a writ ...

portraying Wago in the highly rated critically acclaimed ''

Vanishing Son ''Vanishing Son'' is an American action television series that was part of Universal Television's Action Pack. Starting as a series of four television films in 1994, the series debuted in syndication on January 16, 1995. ''Vanishing Son I'', ''V ...

,'' first in a series of a made-for-television films 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 kn ...

's ''

China Girl China Girl may refer to: Music *China Girl (song), "China Girl" (song), a 1977 song by David Bowie and Iggy Pop, rerecorded and released as a single by Bowie in 1983 *"China Girl", a song by John Cougar, released in 1982 on the album ''American Foo ...

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 St ...

, The Joy Luck Club, Takedown, The Monkey King,

Romeo Must Die ''Romeo Must Die'' is a 2000 American action film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak in his feature film directorial debut, and featuring fight choreography by Corey Yuen. The film stars Jet Li and Aaliyah in her feature film debut, It follows a C ...

, 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 Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

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

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's best-seller '' Tai-Pan'' (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-loo ...

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

's ''

'', 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 ''

'', 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 ''

'' (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 o ...

'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'' 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 Wynonna ...

Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...

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. 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 Fif ...

and

Carlton Cuse Arthur Carlton Cuse (born March 22, 1959) is a screenwriter, showrunner, producer, and director, best known for the American television series ''Lost'', for which he made the '' Time'' list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 ...

entitled '' Black Sash'', 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 a ...

Sarah Carter Sarah Sanguin Carter (born October 30, 1980) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her recurring role as Alicia Baker in the superhero series ''Smallville'' (2004–2005), Madeleine Poe in ''Shark'' (2006–2008), and main role as ...

, and

Drew Fuller Andrew Alan "Drew" Fuller (born May 19, 1980) is an American actor and former model. He is best known for his portrayal of Chris Halliwell in the television series ''Charmed'' and for playing soldier Trevor LeBlanc on Lifetime's ''Army Wives' ...

. 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. He also appeared as Leon in Chris Chan Lee's independent film '' Undoing'' (2006) opposite

Sung Kang Sung-Ho Kang (born April 8, 1972) is an American actor. His first major role was as Han Lue in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise, a character he first portrayed in ''Better Luck Tomorrow'' (2002). Kang also played John Mak in the television serie ...

and

Kelly Hu Kelly Ann Hu (born February 13, 1968 ) is an American actress, voice artist, former fashion model and beauty queen who was Miss Teen USA 1985 and Miss Hawaii USA 1993. Hu starred as Dr. Rae Chang on the American television soap opera '' Sunset ...

, and Anna Chi's ''

Dim Sum Funeral ''Dim Sum Funeral'' is a 2008 comedy/drama film directed by Anna Chi and starring Kelly Hu, Bai Ling, Russell Wong, Steph Song and Talia Shire. Premise After their mother dies, four Chinese-American siblings return to their Seattle home. As th ...

'' (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'', an ...

and Talia Shire. 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'' (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 Serang ...

'' (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'' (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 In ...

and

Li Bingbing Li Bingbing (; born 27 February 1973) is a Chinese actress and singer who rose to fame with her role in '' Seventeen Years'' (1999) and since then received critical acclaim for her roles in ''A World Without Thieves'' (2004), '' Waiting Alone'' (2 ...

) and as Peter in the Chinese language remake of the film ''

What Women Want ''What Women Want'' is a 2000 American romantic fantasy comedy film written by Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa, and Diane Drake, directed by Nancy Meyers, and starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. The film earned mixed reviews from critics but wa ...

'' (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. In 2014, Wong finished shooting a horror series entitled ''Grace'' which was shot in Singapore for

HBO Asia HBO Asia is the Asian division of HBO, based out of Singapore. It was originally launched on 1 May 1992 as MovieVision, later rebranding on 1 June 1995 to its current name after being purchased by Home Box Office, Inc. The Singapore-based broad ...

, and also directed by ''

'' co-director

Tony Tilse Tony Tilse is an Australian television director. He won the Australian Directors' Guild Award for best direction of a TV drama series (periodical) and TV mini-series for '' Underbelly'' in 2008. Tilse also directed ''The Postcard Bandit'', and ' ...

.‘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 ''Westworld'' is an American science fiction-thriller media franchise that began with the 1973 film ''Westworld'', written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populate ...

'', 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 N ...

''.

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 Flora Zeta Elizabeth Cheong-Leen (born November 20, 1959) is a Hong Kong actress and fashion designer. Biography Cheong-Leen is an Australian who was born in Hong Kong. Her father Hilton Cheong-Leen was born in Georgetown, British Guyana a ...

. 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