Lauren Tom

Lauren Tom (born August 4, 1961)^[1] is an American actress. She began her career on stage, winning an Obie Award. Her films include The Joy Luck Club (1993). On television, she is known for her roles in the NBC sitcom Friends (1995–1996), the ABC series Men in Trees (2006–2008) and Grace Under Fire (1997–1998), the CW series Supernatural (2012–2014), and the Disney Channel series Andi Mack (2017–2019).

Lauren Tom
Tom at Animate! Columbus in 2023
Born	(1961-08-04) August 4, 1961 (age 63) Highland Park, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1978–present
Spouse(s)	Glenn Lau-Kee (divorced) Curt Kaplan ​ (m. 1999)​
Children	2
Relatives	Tom Y. Chan (grandfather) Ping Tom (uncle)
Website	laurentom.com

In animation, Tom has voiced Amy Wong in Futurama, Dana Tan in Batman Beyond, Jinx and Gizmo in Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go!, Minh and Connie Souphanousinphone in King of the Hill, Trish and Sherry in Rocket Power, Yan Lin in W.I.T.C.H. and Numbuh 3 in Codename: Kids Next Door.

Early life

Tom was born in the Chicago suburb Highland Park, Illinois, on August 4, 1961,^[2] the daughter of Nancy (née Dare) and Chan Tom, Jr.^[1] She has a brother, Chip.^[1] Her parents were born in Chicago, and their grandparents came from Kaiping, Guangdong, China.^[2] She was raised in a largely Jewish neighborhood.^[3]

Career

Theatre

At age 17, Tom landed a spot with a touring company of A Chorus Line and was cast in the Broadway production of the show less than a year later in the role of Connie.^[4] She won an Obie Award for her Off-Broadway acting and was cast in the Broadway shows Hurlyburly and Doonesbury. In Chicago, she starred in the Goodman Theater's production of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore.^[5]

Film

Tom has played several small roles in films including Nothing Lasts Forever, Wall Street, See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and Blue Steel. Her biggest role up until that point was as a waitress in the Robin Williams/Tim Robbins film Cadillac Man. This role led to being a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Tom's lead role in the film The Joy Luck Club in 1993 led to roles in other films such as When a Man Loves a Woman and North.

Since the mid-1990s, Tom has focused primarily on voiceover roles. She has appeared in a few live-action films, including the 2003 comedy Bad Santa and the 2004 film In Good Company.

Television

Lauren Tom's first role in television was that of Miko Wakamatsu on The Facts of Life. She subsequently appeared on The Equalizer, Vengeance Unlimited, Catfish With Black Bean Sauce, thirtysomething, Quantum Leap, Chicago Hope, Homicide: Life on the Street, Grace Under Fire, Friends, The Nanny, The Middle, DAG, The Division, Monk, My Wife and Kids, Barbershop: The Series, Grey's Anatomy, The Closer, and Men in Trees. She also had a supporting role on the 8th and 9th season of the drama series Supernatural as prophet Kevin Tran's mother, Linda Tran. In 2018, she appeared in the second season of the Amazon Prime drama series Goliath. She also appeared in the 2nd season of Friends as Julie.

Voice acting

Tom in 2010 at San Diego Comic-Con

Tom began vocal work in the animated series Superman: The Animated Series playing Angela Chen. From there on, she voiced Dana Tan in Batman Beyond and had minor roles on Pinky and the Brain, Extreme Ghostbusters, and The Zeta Project before landing her regular roles on King of the Hill, where she voiced Minh and Connie Souphanousinphone and later Futurama, where she voices Amy and Inez Wong.

Since first playing the character on stage in the 1983 Doonesbury musical, Tom has periodically voiced the character Honey Huan in media related to Doonesbury, most notably in a series of animated shorts satirizing the 2000 U.S. presidential election.

She has also lent her voice to All Grown Up!, Rocket Power, Max Steel, Handy Manny as Mrs. Lee and Nelson, Samurai Jack, Johnny Bravo, Justice League Unlimited, Kim Possible, and Legion of Super Heroes.

She has also voiced the villains Gizmo and Jinx on Teen Titans, Yan Lin, Susan, Alchemy on W.I.T.C.H., Tasumi on The Replacements, Jake's mom, Counselor Chang on American Dragon: Jake Long, and as Joo Dee on Avatar: The Last Airbender. She also guest-starred in The Penguins of Madagascar as Chuck Charles's co-anchor, Bonnie Chang, in "Gator Watch" and "All Tied Up With a Boa".

In 2010, she provided the voice of Song, Bai Li, and Ming on the animated series Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness and played the role of Jessica in the animated film Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare.

Other animated films Tom has voiced in include Mulan II, Kim Possible: The Secret Files, Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama, Kung Fu Panda 2, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, and the four Futurama television films: Bender's Big Score, The Beast with a Billion Backs, Bender's Game, and Into the Wild Green Yonder.

She voiced Li Li Stormstout in World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria^[6] and played Hayaku on an episode of Turbo FAST.

Personal life

Tom was previously married to Glenn Lau-Kee. She has since married actor Curt Kaplan in October 1999, with whom she has two sons.^[1][7]

Filmography

Tom in 2009

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	Nothing Lasts Forever	Eloy
1987	Magic Sticks	Redhead
	Wall Street	Lady Broker
1989	Rooftops	Audry
	See No Evil, Hear No Evil	Mitzie
1990	Blue Steel	Marjolene Ping the Female Reporter
	Cadillac Man	Helen
1992	Man Trouble	Adele Bliss
1993	The Joy Luck Club	Lena St. Clair
	Mr. Jones	Amanda Chang
1994	When a Man Loves a Woman	Amy
	North	Mrs. Ho
1998	With Friends Like These...	Yolanda Chin
	Susan's Plan	Carol
	SubZero	Mariko	Voice, direct-to-video
1999	Catfish in Black Bean Sauce	Mai
2000	Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker	Dana Tan	Voice, direct-to-video[8]
2001	Jack the Dog	Angel
2003	Manhood	Bambi
	Bad Santa	Lois
2004	Teacher's Pet	Younghee	Voice[8]
	In Good Company	Obstetrician
2005	Mulan II	Su	Voice, direct-to-video[8]
2006	God's Waiting List	Sylvia
2007	Futurama: Bender's Big Score	Amy Wong	Voice, direct-to-video
2008	Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs	Amy Wong, Inez Wong	Voice, direct-to-video
	Futurama: Bender's Game	Amy Wong	Voice, direct-to-video
2009	Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder	Amy Wong, Inez Wong, Trixie	Voice, direct-to-video
2010	Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare	Jessica	Voice, direct-to-video[8]
2011	Kung Fu Panda 2	Market Sheep	Voice[8]
2015	Chasing Eagle Rock	Roxanne
	Justice League: Gods and Monsters	Lara	Voice, direct-to-video
2017	Scooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown	Sharon	Voice, direct-to-video[8]
2021	Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans	Nomura	Voice, direct-to-video[8]
2023	One True Loves	Ann

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	The Facts of Life	Miko	2 episodes
1984	ABC Afterschool Special	Sarah	Episode: "Mom's on Strike"
1985	CBS Schoolbreak Special	Kim	Episode: "The Exchange Student"
	The Equalizer	Mrs. Tom	Episode: "China Rain"
	Spenser: For Hire		Episode: "Children of a Tempest Storm"
	The Cosby Show	Mrs. Gwynne	Episode: "Denise's Friend"
1990	Angel of Death	Julie	Television film
	thirtysomething	Gail	Episode: "The Distance"
1991	Lenny	Nurse	Episode: "G.I. Joe"
	Quantum Leap	Sophie	Episode: "Southern Comforts"
	Palace Guard		Episode: "Eye of Newt"
	Anything but Love		Episode: "First Lady Sings the Blues"
1994	704 Hauser	Margaret	Episode: "Triskaidekaphobia"
	Homicide: Life on the Street	Emma Zoole	2 episodes
	Chicago Hope	Nurse Julia	2 episodes
1995	The Puzzle Place	Julie's Mom	Episode: "Family Fun"
	Kidnapped: In the Line of Duty	Lily Yee	Television film
	Escape to Witch Mountain	Claudia Ford	Television film
	The Nanny	Kim	Episode: "The Chatterbox"
	If Not for You	Claire	Episode: "Pilot"
1995–1996	Friends	Julie	7 episodes
1996–1999	Superman: The Animated Series	Angela Chen	Voice, 14 episodes[8]
1997	The Blues Brothers Animated Series	Soon-He, Mrs. Fun	Voice, 3 episodes
	Tell Me No Secrets	Connie Ching	Television film
	Murder Live!	Marge Fong	Television film
	Tracey Takes On...	Weng	Episode: "Race Relations"
	Pinky and the Brain	Shopper	Voice, episode: "Brain Acres"[8]
	The New Batman Adventures	Ice Maiden #3	Voice, episode: "Cold Comfort"[8]
1997–1998	Grace Under Fire	Dot	12 episodes
1997–2010, 2025	King of the Hill	Connie, Minh, various	Voice, 98 episodes
1998	Adventures from the Book of Virtues	Mother	Voice, episode: "Charity"
	Dexter's Laboratory	Teacher	Voice, episode: "Last But Not Beast"
	Vengeance Unlimited	Samantha	Episode: "Dishonorable Discharge"
1999	Early Edition	Amy Hunter	Episode: "Play It Again, Sammo"
1999–2004	Rocket Power	Trish, Sherry, various	Voice, 21 episodes
1999	Y2K	Ann Lee	Television film
1999–2001	The Kids from Room 402	Jordan	Voice
	Batman Beyond	Dana Tan, Kai-Ro, Agent Lee	Voice, 22 episodes[8]
1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2023–present	Futurama	Amy Wong, Inez Wong, various	Voice, main role
2000	Teacher's Pet	Younghee, additional voices	Voice
	The Weekenders	Candace	Voice, episode: "Real Fake"[8]
	Pepper Ann	Alice Kane	Voice, 2 episodes
2000–2001	DAG	Ginger Chin	17 episodes
2001	Max Steel	Laura Chen	Voice, episode: "Strangers"
	Johnny Bravo	Ting	Voice, episode: "Enter the Chipmunk"[8]
	No P in the O.O.L.	Numbuh 3	Voice, television film
2001–2002	The Zeta Project	Agent Lee	Voice, 8 episodes[8]
	Lloyd in Space	Trixie, Sirenia	Voice, 3 episodes
2002	ChalkZone	Flunke, Robin	Voice, 1 episode
	The Division	Nora Chen	6 episodes
	What's New, Scooby-Doo?	Various	Voice, 4 episodes[8]
2002–2005	Kim Possible	Yoshiko	Voice, 4 episodes
2002–2003	Totally Spies!	Carla “Lady Dragon” Wong, Keiko, Sunny Day	Voice, 3 episodes
2002–2004	Fillmore!	Karen Tehama, various	Voice, 16 episodes[8]
	My Wife and Kids	Hostess/ Annie Hoo	4 episodes
2002–2008	Codename: Kids Next Door	Kuki Sanban / Numbuh 3, additional voices	Voice, main role (78 episodes)[8]
2003	All Grown Up!	Bean	Voice, episode: "Interview with a Campfire"
	Monk	Mrs. Ling	Episode: "Mr. Monk and the 12th Man"
	Duck Dodgers	Dr. Yoshimi	Voice, episode: "The Spy Who Didn't Love Me"[8]
	Samurai Jack	Samurai Jack's mother, Kuni, Yamako	Voice, 3 episodes[8]
	Line of Fire	Korean Jury Member	Episode: "This Land Is Your Land"
	Justice League	Chung	Voice, episode: "Eclipsed"[8]
2003–2005	Teen Titans	Gizmo, Jinx	6 episodes
2003–2006	Clifford's Puppy Days	Shun, Lucy	Voice[8]
2004	The Infinite Darcy	Darcy Chang	Voice
	30 Days Until I'm Famous	Carla	Television film
	W.I.T.C.H.	Yan Lin	Voice, 51 episodes
2005	Kim Possible: So the Drama	Yoshiko	Voice, television film
	Danger Rangers	Various	Voice, episode: "Fires & Liars"[8]
	Barbershop	Dana	4 episodes
	Threshold	Janet Tam	Episode: "The Order"
2005–2006	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Joo Dee, additional voices	Voice, 3 episodes[8]
	Justice League Unlimited	Dr. Light, Dana Tan	Voice, 3 episodes[8]
2005–2007	American Dragon: Jake Long	Susan Long, Counselor Chang	Voice, 25 episodes
2006	Courting Alex	Jan	Episode: "Everything I Know About Men"
	Let Go	Beverly	Television film
	Grey's Anatomy	Audrey	Episode: "Begin the Begin"
	In from the Night	Dr. Myra Chen	Television film
	Codename: Kids Next Door - Operation: Z.E.R.O.	Kuki Sanban / Numbuh 3	Voice, television film
	The Closer	Dr. Tann	Episode: "Borderline"
2006–2008	Men in Trees	Mai Washington	26 episodes
2006–2009	The Replacements	Tasumi	Voice, 43 episodes
2007	Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure	Kuki Sanban / Numbuh 3	Voice, television film[8]
	The Grim Adventures of the KND	Numbuh 3	Voice, television film
2007–2008	Legion of Super Heroes	Zyx, White Witch	Voice, 2 episodes[8]
2008	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Bae Chin	Episode: "Say Uncle"
2009	Without a Trace	Kim Tan	Episode: "Devotion"
	Hawthorne	Mrs. Tanaka	Episode: "The Sense of Belonging"
2010–2011	The Penguins of Madagascar	Bonnie Chang	Voice, 2 episodes
2010	Phineas and Ferb	Additional Voices	Episode: "Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs to You!"
	Fish Hooks	Barb	Voice, episode: "Bea Becomes an Adult Fish"[8]
2010–2013	Pound Puppies	Agent Ping, Dinky	Voice[8]
2011	Curious George	Mei	Voice
	Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness	Song, Ming, Bai Li	Voice[8]
2012	Napoleon Dynamite	Tokiko	Voice, episode: "Scantronica Love"
2012–2014	Supernatural	Mrs. Linda Tran	3 episodes
2013	The Newsroom	Kathy Ling	2 episodes
2013–present	Teen Titans Go!	Gizmo, Jinx	Voice, recurring role[8]
2013–2014	It's a Small World: The Animated Series	Marmura, Ling	Voice
2014–2016	Turbo FAST	Hayaku, Translator	Voice, 2 episodes[8]
2014	The Simpsons	Amy Wong	Voice, episode: "Simpsorama"
2015	Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero	Sashi's Mom	Voice, episode: "Flurgle Burgle"[8]
	Pretty Little Liars	Rebecca Marcus	3 episodes
	DC Super Hero Girls	Aliki, Margot, Professor Minerva	Voice, 6 episodes[8]
2016	Future-Worm!	Various Characters	3 episodes
	Transformers: Rescue Bots	Meili Szeto, Citizen #2	Voice, episode: "Upgrades"[8]
2016–2018	Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia	Mary Wang, Nomura	Voice, 17 episodes[8]
2017–2019	Andi Mack	Celia Mack	Main role
2018	Mighty Magiswords	Toni Sento	Voice, episode: "Let's Team Up Because We Aren't Bad Friends"[8]
	Big City Greens	Various	Voice
2018–2022	Disenchantment	Stacy LeBlatt, Miri the Mop Girl, Trixy, Mermaid Queen, additional voices	Voice, 11 episodes
2018–2019	The Loud House	Cici, Ms. Pham, Burping Burger Mom	Voice, 2 episodes[8]
	3Below: Tales of Arcadia	Mary Wang	Voice, 9 episodes[8]
	Goliath	Applebees	5 episodes
2019	Pinky Malinky	Bus Driver, Tina	Episode: "Gym"[8]
2019–2021	Young Justice	Traci Thirteen, Celia Woodward, Penny Randall	Voice, 8 episodes[8]
2019	The Rookie	Mrs. Chen	Episode: "Tough Love"
2020	Last Man Standing	Fiona	Episode: "Keep the Change"
2020–2022	Star Trek: Lower Decks	U.S.S. Vancouver Captain Areore Female	Voice, 2 episodes
2021	Rick and Morty	Various	Voice, 2 episodes
2021–present	What If...?	Jiayi	Voice, "What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings?"[8]
2021–2023	DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms	May Wong	Voice[8]
2023	My Adventures with Superman	Leader Lois	Voice, episode: "Kiss Kiss Fall In Portal"
	Hailey's On It!	Steal Teal, Aurora Fedora, Felicia, additional voices	5 episodes[8]
2024	Interior Chinatown	Betty

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	King of the Hill	Connie Souphanousinphone
2002	Superman: Shadow of Apokolips	Angela Chen, Mercy Graves	[8]
2003	Command & Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour
2004	World of Warcraft
2005	Codename: Kids Next Door – Operation: V.I.D.E.O.G.A.M.E.	Kuki Sanban (Numbuh 3)	[8]
	Teen Titans	Jinx, Gizmo	[8]
2009	FusionFall	Numbuh 3
2012	World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria	Li Li Stormstout
2015	Heroes of the Storm	Li Li
2016	World of Warcraft: Legion	Li Li Stormstout
2017	Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow	Amy Wong, Inez Wong, Jrrr	Mobile game; uncredited
2018	Lego DC Super-Villains	Gizmo, Jinx, Dr. Poison
2020	Ghost of Tsushima	Lady Masako Adachi	Voice and motion capture[8]

Stage

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1975	A Chorus Line	Connie	Tour; Shubert Theatre, Broadway
1983	Doonesbury	Ching 'Honey' Huan Dance captain	Original cast; Biltmore Theater, Broadway
1984	Hurlyburly	Donna	Ethel Barrymore Theater, Broadway
1988	American Notes	Pauline	The Public Theater, Off-Broadway Received an Obie Award
1990	'Tis Pity She's a Whore	Annabella	Goodman Theater, Chicago

References

1. Lee, Jonathan H. X. (2018). Asian American History Day by Day: A Reference Guide to Events. Abc-Clio. p. 277. ISBN 978-0-313-39928-2.
2. Tom, Lauren (August 1, 2013). Lauren Tom (Untold Stories). Chinese American Museum. Event occurs at 00:03. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
3. Pryor, Tim (October 1993). "Lauren Tom: China Girl". Detour. Archived from the original on July 5, 2007.
4. Trachtenberg, Michael (May 2001). "House of the Spirits". In Style Magazine. Archived from the original on 2010-02-10. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
5. Bommer, Lawrence (1990-03-09). "Updated 'Tis Pity' Set In Mussolini's Italy". Chicago Tribune.
6. Tom, Lauren [@LaurenTom9000] (3 October 2012). "@erictbar @LaurenTom9000 Yep! Glad you had fun with the Monk! :)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
7. Tom, Lauren [@LaurenTom9000] (June 17, 2018). "#HappyFatherDay to @Curtkap Funny, smart, handsome and a fantastic dad to our boys. #hockeydad #footballcoach #myrock Circa 2015. And Happy Father's Day to all dads everywhere. Thanks for all you do!" (Tweet). Retrieved February 12, 2022 – via Twitter.
8. "Lauren Tom (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved October 14, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.

External links

• Biography portal
• Television portal

• Official website
• Lauren Tom at IMDb 
• Lauren Tom at AllMovie
• Lauren Tom at the Internet Broadway Database