Ken Leung

Kenneth "Ken" Leung (born January 21, 1970) is an American actor who is best known for his role as Miles Straume in the ABC television series Lost and roles in such films as Shanghai Kiss, Rush Hour, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Saw.

Early life

Ken Leung was born in New York City and initially raised in the Two Bridges section of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. His family moved to Midwood, Brooklyn, where he grew up before finishing high school in Old Bridge, New Jersey.

Leung later attended New York University (NYU) as a University Scholar. He discovered acting in his junior year, when he studied acting with Catherine Russell and Nan Smithner,^{[citation needed]} and then briefly with Anne Jackson at HB Studio.^{[citation needed]} During this time he acted mostly in downtown spaces and black box theaters, working with groups such as the Ma-Yi Theater Company, New Perspectives, and STAR, a traveling group of actors-educators based at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Career

In 1997, Leung made his debut in Brett Ratner's Rush Hour. Ratner stated, "[Leung]'s a great actor. In my opinion, he's equivalent to Philip Seymour Hoffman as far as talent is concerned."^[1] He would later work with Ratner in the films Red Dragon, The Family Man, and X-Men: The Last Stand. Edward Norton cast Leung in his directorial debut Keeping the Faith in 2000. Since then, Leung has appeared in several independent and television films, as well as features, including four films with Brett Ratner and two with Spike Lee. In 1998, he played James the Less and God in Terrence McNally's passion play, Corpus Christi, and in 2002 made his Broadway debut in the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie (also appearing on the cast recording).

In 2007, he starred in the independent film Shanghai Kiss with Hayden Panettiere, and earned a Special Mention at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.^{[citation needed]} That same year he guest-starred in the final season of the HBO drama series The Sopranos. He followed this with the ABC drama Lost as Miles Straume from the series' fourth season through the rest of its run. Leung is rumored to star in the pilot for the TV adaption of the comic book Chew as the title character Tony Chu.

Filmography

Television

References

External links

• Ken Leung at the Internet Movie Database
• Ken Leung at the Internet Broadway Database

Interviews

• Asia Pacific Arts - UCLA Asia Institute, May 30, 2008
• Hillis, Aaron. "Interview: Ken Leung on 'Year of the Fish'", IFC.com, August 27, 2008