Dustin Nguyen

Dustin Nguyen (born September 17, 1962) is a Vietnamese-American actor, director, writer and martial artist. He is best known for his roles as Harry Truman Ioki on 21 Jump Street and as Johnny Loh on V.I.P.^[1] In Films, he's known for starring in Little Fish, The Doom Generation and The Rebel.

Early life

Born as Nguyễn Xuân Trí in Saigon, South Vietnam, his mother My Le, was an actress and dancer, and his father, Xuan Phat, was an actor, comedian, writer and producer in South Vietnam.^[2] The family left Vietnam in April 1975 as it fell to Communist Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army forces.^[3]

They arrived in Guam, then the family was moved to a refugee camp in Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, and finally with the assistance of a Methodist church they relocated to Des Peres, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.^[3][4] After Nguyen graduated from Garden Grove High School in Garden Grove, CA, he attended Orange Coast College^[1] and majored in communications. Nguyen practices several martial arts including Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, Eskrima, and Jeet Kune Do.^[3]

Personal life

After a car accident on September 3, 2001 that left his wife, Angela Rockwood-Nguyen, a quadriplegic, Nguyen and his wife became active in The Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center. That accident also claimed the life of Vietnamese-American actress Thuy Trang, a member of the original cast of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He separated from his wife in 2011.^[5]

Filmography

He made his acting debut on Magnum, P.I., portraying a Cambodian freedom fighter in the episode "Crouching." He was a cast member on both 21 Jump Street and V.I.P., and has guest-starred on a number of other series, including General Hospital, Highlander, and most notably seaQuest DSV, playing the role of Chief William Shan. Moreover, he played a cameo role in Charlie's Angels. Nguyen also auditioned for the role of Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat, but lost out to Robin Shou. In 1993 he played a Vietnamese man sent off to fight with the Viet Cong, in the film Heaven & Earth. In 2005, Nguyen starred as a former heroin addict opposite Academy Award-winner Cate Blanchett in the critically acclaimed Little Fish.^[6] He starred in the 2007 films The Rebel and Saigon Eclipse. In 2008 he starred in the Vietnamese martial art film Huyen Thoai Bat Tu (The Legend Is Alive, The Immortal Legend)^[7] where he plays a mentally disabled martial artist. Nguyen screened in 2009 the Thriller The Gauntlet under the Direction from Matt Eskandari and stars alongside Chinese actress star Bai Ling.

Television

Producer

• The Amazing Race Vietnam (2012-ongoing) - Himself
• 2007 AZN Asian Excellence Awards (2007) - Himself
• "E! True Hollywood Story" - Himself (1 episode, 2004)
• "Howard Stern" - Himself (4 episodes, 1999)
• "The Howard Stern Radio Show" - Himself (2 episodes, 1999)
• "Intimate Portrait" - Himself (1 episode)

In production

• CinemAbility (2011) (filming) - Himself
• The Slanted Screen (2006) - Himself

Awards

In March 2009, he won the Vietnamese Cánh Diều Vàng (Golden Kite Award) for best actor, for his starring role in the Phuoc Sang Films vehicle Huyền Thoại Bất Tử (The Legend Is Alive).^[8][9]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dustin Nguyen.

• Official website
• Dustin Nguyen at the Internet Movie Database
• Lisa Lee (2006-07-07). "No ‘Little Fish’". AsianWeek.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2008. 
• Allan Donnelly (March 2002). "V.I.P moves are no Hollywood make-believe". Men's Fitness. Retrieved January 17, 2008. 
• "Dustin's destiny". Nguoi Viet Daily News. 2007-03-01. Retrieved 2009-07-30.