Rosalind Chao | |
|---|---|
| Chao in 2005 | |
| Born | September 23, 1957 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | Pomona College University of Southern California (BA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Known for | |
| Spouse | Simon Templeman |
| Children | 2 |
| Rosalind Chao | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 趙家玲 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 赵家玲 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Rosalind Chao (born September 23,1957) [a] is an American actress. She appeared as Soon-Lee Klinger in the mid-1980s CBS show AfterMASH ,Rose Hsu Jordan in the 1993 movie The Joy Luck Club ,the recurring character Keiko O'Brien on Star Trek:The Next Generation and Star Trek:Deep Space Nine in the 1990s,and Dr. Kim on The O.C. in 2003. She also played Hua Li,Mulan's mother,in the live-action 2020 remake of Mulan . In 2024 she starred as Ye Wenjie in the Netflix production of 3 Body Problem . She played the role of Pei Pei in the 2003 film Freaky Friday and its 2025 sequel Freakier Friday .
Rosalind Chao was born in Los Angeles,California, [7] and raised in Anaheim. Her parents were performers with the Peking opera [8] before they relocated to Anaheim,where they ran a successful pancake restaurant,Chao's Chinese and American Restaurant,across the street from Disneyland. Chao worked there from an early age. [9] [10]
She attended Pomona College in Claremont,California, [11] and then the University of Southern California,where she earned a degree in broadcast journalism in 1978. [11] She worked at Disneyland as an international tour guide, [12] and contemplated pursuing journalism as a career. [8]
Chao's parents were instrumental in her decision to pursue acting. [13] She began acting at the age of five,in the California-based Peking opera traveling company with which her parents were involved. During the summer,they sent her to Taiwan for further acting study and experience. [14]
As a child,she played the daughter of a laundry owner (played by James Hong) on a 1970 episode of Here's Lucy ,"Lucy the Laundress". [15]
Deciding not to pursue acting,Chao enrolled in the communications department at the University of Southern California where she earned her degree in journalism. However,after a year as a radio newswriting intern at the CBS-owned Hollywood radio station KNX, [14] she returned to acting. [16] [13]
Chao's breakthrough role was that of Soon-Lee,a South Korean refugee,in the final episodes of the TV series M*A*S*H . [16] Soon-Lee married longtime starring character Maxwell Klinger (Jamie Farr) in the series finale "Goodbye,Farewell and Amen", [17] which aired on February 28,1983,and was the most-watched U.S. sitcom television episode of all time as of 2021. Chao repeated the role in the M*A*S*H sequel,1983's AfterMASH,her first role billed at co-star status. [18]
Chao played Japanese exo-botanist Keiko O'Brien on the television series Star Trek:The Next Generation and Star Trek:Deep Space Nine. In 2010,a preliminary casting memo for The Next Generation from 1987 was published,revealing that Chao was originally considered for the part of Enterprise security chief Tasha Yar. [19]
In August 2018,Chao was cast as Mulan's mother in the 2020 live-action retelling of Mulan. [20] [21] In 2019,she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,citing her contributions to the critically acclaimed films The Joy Luck Club and I Am Sam . [22] [23] [24]
Chao met her husband Simon Templeman while they were working in theatre at the Mark Taper Forum. [25] They have a son and a daughter. [25] [26]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | The Big Brawl | Mae | |
| 1981 | Spider-Man:The Dragon's Challenge | Emily Chan | |
| 1981 | An Eye for an Eye | Linda Chen | |
| 1983 | The Terry Fox Story | Rika Noda | Theatres in Canada and Britain |
| Going Berserk | Kung Fu Girl | ||
| 1987 | Slam Dance | Mrs. Bell | |
| The Tribulations of a Chinese Gentleman | Lianhua | ||
| 1988 | White Ghost | Thi Hau | |
| 1990 | Denial | Terry | |
| Thousand Pieces of Gold | Lalu Nathoy/Polly Bemis | ||
| 1992 | Memoirs of an Invisible Man | Cathy DiTolla | |
| 1993 | The Joy Luck Club | Rose | |
| 1994 | North | Chinese Mom | |
| Love Affair | Lee | ||
| 1997 | The End of Violence | Claire | |
| 1998 | What Dreams May Come | Leona | |
| 2000 | Enemies of Laughter | Carla | |
| 2001 | The Man from Elysian Fields | Female Customer | |
| Impostor | Newscaster | Uncredited | |
| I Am Sam | Lily | ||
| 2003 | Freaky Friday | Pei-Pei | |
| 2005 | Life of the Party | Mei Lin | |
| Just like Heaven | Fran | ||
| 2007 | Nanking | Chang Yu Zheng | |
| 2009 | The Rising Tide | Narrator | |
| 2012 | Knife Fight | Kate - Focus Group Moderator | |
| 2015 | Stockholm,Pennsylvania | Dr. Andrews | |
| 2017 | Tragedy Girls | Mayor Campbell | |
| 2019 | Plus One | Angela | |
| The Laundromat | Gu Kailai | ||
| 2020 | Mulan | Hua Li | |
| Magic Camp | Lorraine | Uncredited | |
| 2021 | Together Together | Dr. Andrews | |
| The Starling | Fawn | ||
| 2024 | Sacramento | Dr. Lisa Murray | |
| 2025 | Freakier Friday | Pei-Pei |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Here's Lucy | Linda Wong | 1 episode [15] |
| 1972 | Anna and the King | Princess Serana | 1 episode |
| 1973 | Kung Fu | Dancer | Season 1,Episode 5,"The Tide;" uncredited |
| 1976 | ABC Afterschool Specials | The Kurmese Ambassador's Daughter | 1 episode |
| 1977 | The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries | Lily | Episode:"The Secret of the Jade Kwan Yin" |
| Kojak | Grace Chen | Episode:"The Summer of '69:Part 1" | |
| 1978 | The Incredible Hulk | Receptionist | Episode:"Married" |
| 1979 | How the West Was Won | Li Sin | Episode:"China Girl" |
| The Ultimate Imposter | Lai-Ping | Television film | |
| Emergency! The Convention | Kathy | Television film | |
| The Amazing Spider-Man | Emily Chan | Episode:"The Chinese Web" (Part 1 &2) | |
| A Man Called Sloane | Soom Nuk | Episode:"Tuned for Destruction" | |
| Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women | Flower | Television film | |
| 1981 | The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo | Leslie Chiu | Episode:"The Roller Disco Karate Kaper" |
| The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island | Hotel Clerk | Television film | |
| Twirl | Kim King | Television film | |
| One Day at a Time | Gloria | Episode:"Julie Shows Up:Part 2" | |
| 1981–83 | Diff'rent Strokes | Ming Li / Miss Chung | Recurring role (8 episodes) [16] |
| 1982 | Moonlight | Daphne Wu | Television film |
| Bring 'Em Back Alive | Episode:"The Reel World of Frank Buck" | ||
| 1983 | The Terry Fox Story | Rika | Television film |
| M*A*S*H | Soon-Lee | Recurring role (2 episodes) | |
| 1983–85 | AfterMASH | Soon-Lee Klinger | Main cast (30 episodes) |
| 1986 | Riptide | Lucy | Episode –"Smiles We Left Behind" |
| Falcon Crest | Li Ying | Recurring role (4 episodes) | |
| Jack and Mike | Holly Sykes | Episode:"Pilot" | |
| St. Elsewhere | Mary Wilson | Episode:"Not My Type" | |
| The A-Team | Alice Heath | Episode:"Point of No Return" | |
| American Playhouse | Ku Ling | Episode:"Paper Angels" [16] | |
| 1987 | Spies | Episode:"From China with Love" | |
| Stingray | Colette Tran | Episode:"Anytime,Anywhere" | |
| Max Headroom | Angie Barry | 2 episodes | |
| Private Eye | Kai-Lee | Episode:"Nobody Dies in Chinatown" | |
| 1988 | Beauty and the Beast | Lin Wong | Episode:"China Moon" |
| Tour of Duty | Li Kiem | Episode:"Gray-Brown Odyssey" | |
| Shooter | Lan | Television film | |
| Miami Vice | Mai Ying | Episode:"Heart of Night" [27] | |
| 1989 | Jake and the Fatman | Elaine Nakasone | Episode:"The Way You Look Tonight" |
| 1990 | Drug Wars:The Camarena Story | Thanh Steinmetz | 3 episodes |
| Against the Law | Toy Feng | Episode:"Pilot" | |
| 1991 | Thirtysomething | Willa Camden | Episode:"California" |
| 1991–92 | Star Trek:The Next Generation | Keiko O'Brien | Recurring role (8 episodes) [13] |
| 1992 | Intruders | Dr. Jenny Sakai | 2 episodes |
| 1993–99 | Star Trek:Deep Space Nine | Keiko O'Brien | Recurring role (19 episodes) |
| 1994 | Web of Deception | Dr. Sheila Prosser | Television film |
| 1995 | Murder,She Wrote | Phoebe Campbell | Episode:"Nailed" |
| Chicago Hope | Allison Granger | Episode:"Rise from the Dead" | |
| 1995–96 | The Magic School Bus | Mrs. Li (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 1996 | To Love,Honor and Deceive | Sydney's Unnamed Friend | Television film |
| 1998 | Brimstone | Nina Chou | Episode:"Poem" |
| 1999 | Get Real | Anne Collins | Episode:"Passages" |
| ER | Dr. Chao | Episode:"Humpty Dumpty" [27] | |
| 2000 | Family Law | Dr. Seabourne | Episode:"Going Home" |
| 2001 | Gideon's Crossing | Claire Hines | Episode:"Filaments and Ligatures" |
| The West Wing | Jane Gentry | Episode:"The Fall's Gonna Kill You" | |
| Arliss | Karen | Episode:"As Others See Us" | |
| Three Blind Mice | Li Mei Chen | Television film | |
| Citizen Baines | Dr. Judith Lin [28] | Recurring role (3 episodes) | |
| Once and Again | Tami Seitz | Episode:"Pictures" | |
| 2002 | Dharma &Greg | Patricia | Episode:"Tuesday's Child" |
| MDs | Angela Yuan | Episode:"R.I.P." | |
| 2003–06 | The O.C. | Dr. Kim | Recurring role (6 episodes) [16] |
| 2003 | Without a Trace | Helen Collins | Episode:"Hang on to Me" |
| Monk | Arleen Cassidy | Episode:"Mr. Monk Goes Back to School" [28] | |
| The Parkers | Prof. Thornhill | Episode:"Cheaters Never Prosper" | |
| 2003–04 | 10-8:Officers on Duty | Lt. Maggie Chen | 4 episodes |
| 2004 | Century City | Doctor | Episode:"The Face Was Familiar" |
| Medical Investigation | Dr. Kramer | Episode:"Price of Pleasure" | |
| Center of the Universe | Dr. Geisler | Episode:"Art's Heart" | |
| 2005 | Six Feet Under | Cindy | 3 episodes |
| According to Jim | Sally Wu | Episode:"James &the Annoying Peach" | |
| 2006 | Ben 10 | Councilwoman Liang (voice) | Episode:"Side Effects" |
| W.I.T.C.H. | Joan Lin,Mandy (voice) | Episode:"V Is for Victory" | |
| 2007 | Tell Me You Love Me | Cynthia | Recurring role (3 episodes) [16] |
| 2008 | Grey's Anatomy | Kathleen Patterson | Episode:"All By Myself" |
| 2009 | Private Practice | Lillie Jordan | Episode:"Slip Slidin' Away" |
| 2010 | CSI | Michelle Huntley | Episode:"Long Ball" |
| Trauma | Therapist | 2 episodes | |
| The Event | Doctor | 2 episodes | |
| 2011 | Law &Order:Criminal Intent | Mrs. Zhuang | Episode:"Cadaver" |
| 2012 | Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 | Pastor Jin | Recurring role (4 episodes) |
| Bones | Mandy Oh | Episode:"The Suit on the Set" | |
| 2014 | Intelligence | Sheng-Li wang | Episode:"Pilot" |
| Shameless | Doctor | Episode:"Strangers on a Train" | |
| The Neighbors | Barb Hartley | 2 episodes | |
| Forever | Frenchman | Episode:"The Frustrating Thing About Psychopaths" | |
| 2015 | Castle | Mimi Tan | Episode:"Hong Kong Hustle" |
| Sin City Saints | Mrs. Wu | 5 episodes | |
| 2016 | The Muppets | Woman #1 | Episode:"A Tail of Two Piggies" |
| Hawaii Five-0 | Governor Keiko Mahoe | Episode:"Makaukau 'oe e Pa'ani?" | |
| The OA | Patricia Knowler | Episode:"Champion" | |
| 2017 | Black-ish | Dr. Stone | Episode:"Manternity" |
| The Catch | Kohana Takashi | Episode:"The Dining Hall" | |
| 2018 | Code Black | Jae Eun | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | This Is Us | Anna | Episode:"The Pool:Part Two " |
| 2020 | The L Word:Generation Q | Grace Lee | Episode:"Lose It All" |
| 2020–22 | Better Things | Caroline | 6 episodes |
| 2022 | The First Lady | Tina Tchen | [29] |
| 2023–2024 | Sweet Tooth | Mrs. Zhang | Guest season 2;Main season 3 |
| 2024 | 3 Body Problem | Ye Wenjie |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Some Girl(s) | Lindsay | |
| 2018 | The Great Wave | Etsuko | National Theatre of Great Britain |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Shanghai:Great Moments | Rosalind Chao / Guide |