Benedict Wong

Benedict Wong
Born 1971 (age 4344)
Eccles, Greater Manchester, England

Benedict Wong (born 1971) is a British actor.

Early life

Wong was born in Eccles, in Greater Manchester, north-west England, to parents who had emigrated from Hong Kong to the UK via Ireland.[1] He was brought up in Salford.

He took a two-year performing arts course at Salford College, and, while there, worked as an usher at Manchester’s now defunct Green Room Theatre.[2]

Career

His first role was in a 1993 BBC Radio play called Kai Mei Sauce, written by Kevin Wong. He appeared alongside Sean Lock in the situation comedy 15 Storeys High, and as Dr. Franklin Fu in the second series of Look Around You.[3]

In 2007, Wong starred in the feature film Grow Your Own.[4]

Wong went on to appear in the second episode of Series 4 of the Channel 4 comedy The IT Crowd, playing the character Prime, a previous Countdown contestant who had won the sixteenth Countdown teapot when he was known as Harold Tong.[5] Wong also appeared in the movie Shanghai playing the character Juso Kita and the BBC series Spirit Warriors in the role of Li.[6]

In 2012, Wong appeared in the highly anticipated film Prometheus.[7]

In 2013, it was announced that Wong had been cast in the lead role of #aww: The Arrest of Ai WeiWei at the Hampstead Theatre.[8] Shortly after, the Almeida Theatre announced that Wong had joined the cast of new play Chimerica.[9]

Also in 2013, Wong played the role of gangster Lau in the BBC Two comedy-drama The Wrong Mans.[10]

In 2014, Wong played the role of Kublai Khan in the original Netflix series Marco Polo, which on January 7, 2015 was renewed by Netflix for a 10 episode second season.

Awards

In 2003, Wong was nominated at the British Independent Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Guo Yi in Dirty Pretty Things.[11]

In 2013, Wong was nominated for the West End Frame award for Best Dramatic Performance 2013, for his role as Zhang Lin in Chimerica.[12]

Credits

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1994 Frank Stubbs Promotes Lee Episode: "Chinatown"
1995 Cardiac Arrest Radiographer Episode: "Shallow End"
Night Watch Guard
1996 Pie in the Sky Michael Cheung Episode: "Chinese Whispers"
Cracker Peter Yang Episode: "White Ghost"
1997 Supply & Demand Frankie Li
Breakout Jerry
2000 Arabian Nights Hassan Miniseries
2002 The Bill DS David Chiu Episodes: 052, 053, 054, 056, 057
15 Storeys High Errol
TLC Terry
Look Around You Chess/draughts player Episode: "The Brain"
2003 State of Play Pete Cheng Episode: No.1.1
2005 Look Around You Dr Franklin Fu Episode: "Health"
2006 Eleventh Hour Danny Episode: "Containment"
2008 The Peter Serafinowicz Show Various characters
2009 Spirit Warriors Li
2010 The IT Crowd Prime Episode: "The Final Countdown"
Spooks Kai Episode: 4
2010-11 Law & Order: UK Eli Smart Episodes: "ID" & "Fault Lines"
2011 Covert Affairs Shen Yue Episode: "World Leader Pretend"
Top Boy Vincent
2012 Top Boy Season 2 Vincent
2013 The Wrong Mans Lau
Words of Everest Tenzing Norgay
2014 Prey Ashley Chan
Marco Polo Kublai Khan

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2000 Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang) Pat Proudence
2001 Wit Fellow 2
Spy Game Tran
Double Happiness Dan Short film
2002 Dirty Pretty Things Guo Yi
2003 Code 46 Medic
2005 On a Clear Day Chan
A Cock and Bull Story Ed
2007 Sunshine Trey
Grow Your Own Kung Sang
Frankenstein Ed Gore TV film
2008 Largo Winch William Kwan
2009 Moon Thompson
My Dad the Communist Dad
2010 Shanghai 2010 Juso Kita
2011 The Lady Karma Phuntsho
Johnny English Reborn Chi Han Ly
2012 Prometheus Ravel
Painkiller Jay Short film
2013 Hummingbird Mr Choy
Kick-Ass 2 Mr. Kim

Theatre

Year Title Role Theatre
1995 The Letter Ong Chi Seng Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith)
1998 The Merchant of Venice Solanio Shakespeare's Globe
1998 The Honest Whore Castruchio Shakespeare's Globe
1999 Julius Caesar Calphurnia/Lucillius Shakespeare's Globe
1999 Antony and Cleopatra Menas/Scarus Shakespeare's Globe
2003 In Arabia We'd All Be Kings Vic/Cop Hampstead Theatre
2009 The Pillowman Ariel Curve (theatre)
2010 Hungry Ghosts Zhi-Hui Orange Tree Theatre
2012 Hamlet Laertes Young Vic
2013 #aiww: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei Ai Weiwei Hampstead Theatre
2013 Chimerica Zhang Lin Almeida Theatre

References

  1. Mesure, Susie (28 July 2013). "Benedict Wong: 'I'm the go-to guy for victims of torture'". The Independent. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  2. http://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/170655889-manchesters-greenroom-closes-its-doors-good
  3. O'Neill, Phelim (9 March 2007). "First sight: Benedict Wong". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  4. Kelly, Ann. "Benedict Wong - Grow Your Own interview". BBC Films. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  5. "Press Office - Spirit Warriors press pack: introduction". BBC. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  6. Cameron K (20 February 2012). "Actor Benedict Wong talks about Prometheus". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  7. "Casting announced for #aiww: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei". Hampstead Theatre. 1 March 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  8. "Benedict Wong People". Headlong. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  9. "The Wrong Mans full cast and crew". IMDb.com. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  10. "Benedict Wong". BIFA. Chapter Media. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  11. "Vote: Best Dramatic Performance 2013". West End Frame Awards. West End Frame. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2014.

External links