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Christine Ko | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 1988 (age 36–37) [1] Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||
| Alma mater | Georgia State University | ||||||||
| Occupation | Actress | ||||||||
| Years active | 2012–present | ||||||||
| Spouse | Alan Yang | ||||||||
| Father | Frankie Kao | ||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 葛曉潔 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 葛晓洁 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Christine Ko (born 1988) is an American actress, known for her roles as Emma on the CBS sitcom The Great Indoors , Mandi on Upload and Emma on Dave. Before her success in America, she had a brief career in Taiwan in the early 2010s. [2]
Ko was born in Chicago and grew up in both Taiwan and Atlanta. She is the daughter of legendary Taiwanese entertainer Frankie Kao. [3] Ko initially pursued a career in finance before transitioning to acting. [4]
Ko has discussed the issue of limited roles for Asian American actors in the United States. Her role on The Great Indoors was originally written for a blond woman, but Ko's agent was able to get her an audition. After her audition, the producers changed their original idea of Emma's appearance. Ko said, "I think that's true diversity. You're just like everybody else. You just look Asian... It's the norm and how we all live. We just haven't seen it in Hollywood yet." [5] [6]
Ko joined the cast of the television series Hawaii Five-0 part way into its eighth season. [7] She also guest-starred in the HBO comedy series Ballers . [5] [6] [8] She starred on the FXX series Dave alongside Dave Burd. [9]
In 2021, she starred alongside Canadian singer Justin Bieber in the music video of his song "Hold On". [10] [11]
In 2022 she joined the cast of The Handmaid's Tale (TV series). [12]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Jade Pendant | May |
| 2018 | Grandmother's Gold | Mona |
| 2019 | Extracurricular Activities | Amy |
| 2020 | Tigertail | Angela |
| Blinders | Sam | |
| 2024 | Mabel | Angela |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Hollywood Heights | Brenda | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Ballers | Anna | Episode: "Saturdaze" |
| 2016–2017 | The Great Indoors | Emma | Series regular |
| 2017 | Adam Ruins Everything | Tiffany | Episode: "Adam Ruins the Hospital" |
| 2018 | Hawaii Five-0 | Jessie Nomura | Recurring role; 6 episodes |
| Deception | Vivian Song | Episode: "Divination" | |
| 2019 | No Good Nick | Ms. Chang | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Stumptown | Cameron Dorsey | Episode: "All Quiet On The Dextern Front" |
| 2020–2023 | Dave | Emma | Series regular |
| 2020 | Upload | Mandi | Recurring role |
| 2021 | Master of None | Ashley | 1 episode |
| Sweet Pecan Summer | Amanda | Hallmark Channel | |
| Just Beyond | Ms. Fausse | Episode: "Unfiltered" | |
| 2022 | Only Murders in the Building | Nina Lin | Recurring role |
| The Handmaid's Tale | Lily | ||
| 2025 | Common Side Effects | Kiki | Voice role |
Ko is married to Parks & Recreation writer and producer Alan Yang. [13]