Rosalind Chao

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Rosalind Chao

Rosalind Chao at the Just Like Heaven premiere in Los Angeles, California (September 08, 2005)
Born September 23, 1959 (1959-09-23) (age 48)
Anaheim, California, U.S.A.
Occupation actress
Years active 1972—present
Spouse(s) Simon Templeman

Rosalind Chao (pronounced /rɒzʌlɪnd tʃaʊ/)[1] (born September 23, 1959) is an American actress of Chinese descent;[2] she is married to voice actor Simon Templeman.[3]

Contents

[edit] Early life

Born in Anaheim, California as a first-generation Californian,[4] Chao's parents ran a successful Chinese American pancake restaurant, Chao's, across the street from Disneyland, and employed her there from an early age. After moving from Garden Grove to Villa Park, California, Chao was enrolled at Marywood, an all-girls school where she was the only non-Caucasian student.[5]

[edit] Career

Chao's parents were instrumental in her decision to pursue acting;[4] she began at the age of five in a California-based Peking Opera traveling company at the instigation of her parents who were already heavily involved, and during the summers they sent her to Taiwan to further develop her acting.[5] She later performed in television commercials and guest starred on TV series in her teenage years. Her first acting role was in the CBS sitcom Here's Lucy, but she was first noticed performing in another CBS sitcom: 1972's short-lived Anna and the King as the eponymous king's (Yul Brynner) eldest daughter.[3]

Dropping out of acting, Chao enrolled in the communications department at the University of Southern California where she earned her degree in journalism. However, after spending a year as a radio newswriting intern at the CBS-owned Hollywood radio station KNX,[5] she soon returned to acting.[3][4]

[edit] Re-commitment

Having seen and remembered Chao from Anna and the King,[4] television producer Burt Metcalfe provided her big break with the role of Soon-Lee, a South Korean refugee, in the final episodes of the TV series M*A*S*H.[3] Soon-Lee married longtime starring character Maxwell Klinger (Jamie Farr) in the series finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen",[6] the most-watched television episode of all time (as of 2008). Chao continued playing the character in the M*A*S*H sequel: 1983's AfterMASH, her first role billed at co-starring status.[7]

[edit] Post-M*A*S*H

Chao regularly portrayed the Japanese exo-botanist Keiko O'Brien (née Ishikawa) on both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) with eight appearances in the former and 19 in the latter before DS9's end in 1999.[8]

[edit] Performance credits

[edit] Television

  • Here's Lucy (1972)
  • Anna and the King (1972)
  • Diff'rent Strokes (1982), Miss Chung - recurring role[3]
  • M*A*S*H (1983), Soon-Lee - episodes "As Time Goes By" and "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen"
  • AfterMASH (1983—1985), Soon-Lee Klinger
  • Paper Angels (1986) - first lead role on television[3]

[edit] Film

[edit] Theatre

[edit] References

  1. ^ Rosalind Chao. (2007). Nanking: 'Nanking - Unscripted' (AOL Video). New York City, United States: Moviefone. Retrieved on 2008-06-02.
  2. ^ Rosalind Chao. (2007-02-04). Sundance Film Festival '07 - Nanking Party (YouTube). Gilbert, Arizona, United States: Greening Productions. Retrieved on 2008-06-02. Event occurs at 00:00:50. "Well, most people ... don't feel bad. I grew up with Chinese parents, and I learned nothing about it [...]. Nothing."
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rosalind Chao Biography. Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo! Inc. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Rosalind Chao Biography. Fandango. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  5. ^ a b c Hodgins, Paul. "A career made from scratch", The Orange County Register, Santa Ana, California, United States: Terry Horne, 2008-02-01. Retrieved on 2008-02-02. "Former Star Trek actress Rosalind Chao talks about her latest work with playwright Neil LaBute." 
  6. ^ "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen". M*A*S*H. CBS. 1983-02-28. No. 16, season 11.
  7. ^ RJ. AfterMASH: Main Article (embedded video). M*A*S*H, Finest Kind. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  8. ^ a b c Keiko O'Brien (Wiki). Memory Alpha. Wikia. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  9. ^ a b c d e Rosalind Chao Filmography. Fandango.com. Fandango. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Rosalind Chao. The New York Times. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr.. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  11. ^ a b c Rosalind Chao Filmography. Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo! Inc.. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  12. ^ BWW News Desk (2008-01-15). LaBute's 'Some Girl(s)' Opens Feb.6 at Geffen Playhouse. BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-20.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Persondata
NAME Chao, Rosalind
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION American actress
DATE OF BIRTH 1959-09-23
PLACE OF BIRTH Anaheim
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH