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American actress and model (born 1963) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ming-Na Wen (Chinese: 溫明娜; born November 20, 1963)[1] is an American[2] actress and model. Wen is known for her work in both film and television, as well as her work as a voice actress.
Ming-Na Wen | |||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Wen in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | November 20, 1963 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | Ming-Na | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Carnegie Mellon University (BFA) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1985–present | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouses | Kirk Aanes
(m. 1990; div. 1993)Eric Michael Zee (m. 1995) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 溫明娜 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 温明娜 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Wen’s breakthrough role was as June Woo in The Joy Luck Club (1993). Other early successes include the role of Dr. Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen in the medical drama series ER (1995–2004) and her voice role as Fa Mulan in the Walt Disney Animated Classic Mulan, as well as its sequel Mulan II, several video games and guest appearances in TV shows such as Sofia the First. Additionally, Wen made a cameo appearance in the live-action remake of Mulan (2020).
Wen is well-known for playing agent Melinda May in the Marvel series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020) and has also appeared in the Star Wars franchise as the bounty hunter Fennec Shand, appearing in The Mandalorian (2019–2020), Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021, 2024), and The Book of Boba Fett (2021–2022).
Other notable roles include that of Chun-Li in Street Fighter (1994), Detective Ellen Yin in The Batman (2004–2005), and Camile Wray in Stargate Universe (2009–2011).
Wen has won multiple awards throughout her career, including an Annie Award and a Saturn Award, in addition to a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. She was honored as a Disney Legend in 2019 and given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.
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Wen was born on November 20, 1963, on Coloane, one of the two main islands of Macau.[1] Her mother Lin Chan Wen moved to Macau in the 1950s from Suzhou, China, to escape communism.[3] Her father is of Malaysian Chinese descent.[4] She has an older brother Jonathan[5] and a younger brother Leong.
Wen's parents divorced when she was an infant, and she moved with her brother and mother to Hong Kong, where she attended a Catholic school. Her mother worked three jobs to provide for the family. Her mother remarried to Chinese American Soo Lim Yee, and when Wen was four years old, the family moved to New York City.[6] Her younger brother Leong was born there.
After five years, Wen's mother and stepfather relocated their family to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, where they bought and operated the Chinatown Inn restaurant (established in 1943), which is still in business.[1] They resided in the suburb of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and Wen attended Mount Lebanon High School.[7] She majored in theatre at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, graduating in 1986. [3]
Wen's first television role was as a royal trumpeter in the children's television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in 1985.[8] From 1988 to 1991, she played Lien Hughes, the daughter of Tom Hughes, on the soap opera As the World Turns.[citation needed]
After starring in the film The Joy Luck Club (1993),[9] Wen landed the role of Dr. Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen on the NBC drama series ER.[1] It was a recurring role during the 1994–1995 season, and she returned in 1999 as a series regular, remaining on the show until midway through Season 11 in 2004. Wen played Chun-Li in Street Fighter (1994)[9] and co-starred on the sitcom The Single Guy from 1995 to 1997.[1]
Wen provided the voice for the title character in the 1998 animated film Mulan, its direct-to-video sequel, Mulan II, and the video game Kingdom Hearts II, subsequently winning an Annie Award. She voiced Aki Ross in the animated film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and Detective Ellen Yin in the animated series The Batman. She voiced a minor character Jade in the HBO animated series Spawn.[9]
In 2004, Wen won a Hollywood Home Game on the World Poker Tour.[10] In the fall of 2005, she starred on the NBC drama series Inconceivable as the lead character Rachel Lu. The series was cancelled after two episodes. Her next TV role was an FBI agent in the Fox kidnapping drama series Vanished, which premiered in the fall of 2006, but it too was cancelled. She played a college professor in the comedy series George Lopez.
From October 8 through October 29, 2007, Wen (billed as Ming Wen) appeared in a four-episode arc of CBS's Two and a Half Men playing Charlie Sheen's love interest, a judge closer to his own age.[11] In November 2008, she guest-starred on two ABC series: Private Practice and Boston Legal. From December 5 to 6, 2008, Wen starred in a benefit production of the musical Grease with "Stuttering John" Melendez at the Class Act Theatre.[12]
Wen was cast as a regular in the Stargate Universe television series from October 2009 to May 2011 as political attaché Camile Wray.[1] Wen appears in Disney Through the Decades, a documentary short about the history of The Walt Disney Company, hosting the 1990s section.
Wen appeared on the Syfy series Eureka as the inquisitive U.S. Senator Michaela Wen,[13] beginning in season four in 2011 and then serving as a major villain in the fifth and final season in 2012.[14]
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Wen starred as Agent Melinda May in the ABC superhero drama series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which premiered on September 24, 2013.[15]
In August 2014, Wen reprised her role as Mulan for the first time since Kingdom Hearts II in the Disney Channel series Sofia the First. Wen's daughter has a recurring role on the show as Princess Jun.[16]
On December 7, 2017, Marvel Entertainment launched a new animation film franchise, Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors. Wen voiced Hala the Accuser, the main antagonist of the film, working with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. co-star Chloe Bennet.[17] That same year, she once again provided the voice of Mulan in Ralph Breaks the Internet.[18]
In 2019, it was announced that Wen would be a cast member of the Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian playing Fennec Shand.[19] She reprised the role vocally in Star Wars: The Bad Batch[20] and the live-action series The Book of Boba Fett.[19]
In 2022, Wen made an appearance on Young Sheldon as Dr. Lee, an experimental physicist responsible for mitigating conflict within a team of scientists.[21] She is set to recur on the second season of HBO Max's Hacks.[22]
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Wen's roles as Melinda May and Fennec Shand in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Book of Boba Fett, respectively, have received critical acclaim.[23] In December 2021, she was included in the list of BBC's 100 Women of 2021.[24] Wen received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.[25][26][27]
She is also well known for her work with Disney.[28] WDW Magazine writer Aaron Widmar called Wen an "incredibly talented Chinese actress, who has had a remarkable career that seems to only gain steam as it progresses — a rarity in Hollywood".[28] He went on to say that she has "broken through barriers for Asian performers".[28] In a 2014 article by a Chinese evening magazine based in Kunming, China, the Spring City Evening News wrote that "among the second-generation Chinese children who immigrated to the United States with their parents, Wen adhered to the excellent Chinese culture and etiquette."[29] She was named a Disney Legend at the 2019 D23 Expo for her outstanding contributions to the Disney company.[30][31]
In 1990, Wen married American film writer Kirk Aanes. They divorced three years later. On June 16, 1995, Wen married Eric Michael Zee[1] and together they have a daughter and a son.[32] Wen's first pregnancy was written into the ER script, with her character placing the child for adoption. Wen's daughter followed her mother's footsteps in voice acting and voices Princess Jun in the Disney Channel-animated series Sofia the First, credited as Michaela Zee.[16]
Wen is trilingual, fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.[6] She is a Buddhist.[33]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Blind Spot | Mitsuko | Television film |
| Rain Without Thunder | "Uudie" Prisoner | ||
| The Joy Luck Club | Jian-Mei "June" Woo | ||
| 1994 | Vanishing Son II | Mai | Television film |
| Vanishing Son IV | Mai | Television film | |
| Hong Kong 97 | Katie Chun | ||
| Terminal Voyage | Han | ||
| Street Fighter | Chun-Li Zang | ||
| 1997 | One Night Stand | Mimi Carlyle | |
| 1998 | Tempting Fate | Ellen Moretti | Television film |
| Mulan | Mulan (voice) | [34] | |
| 12 Bucks | Gorgeous | ||
| 2000 | Not Black or White | Herself | Short |
| 2001 | Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within | Aki Ross (voice) | [34] |
| Aki's Dream | Aki Ross (voice) | Short | |
| 2002 | A Ribbon of Dreams | Mei-Ling (voice) | |
| Teddy Bears' Picnic | Katy Woo | ||
| 2004 | Mulan II | Mulan (voice) | Video[34] |
| Perfection | Woman | Short | |
| 2008 | Prom Night | Dr. Elisha Crowe | |
| 2009 | Push | Emily Wu | |
| 2010 | BoyBand | Judy Roberts | |
| 2012 | Super Cyclone | Dr. Jenna Sparks | Video |
| 2014 | April Rain | Hillary | |
| Parallel Man: Infinite Pursuit | Agent Mackenzie Cartwright (voice) | Short[35][36] | |
| 2016 | The Darkness | Wendy Richards | |
| 2018 | Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors | Hala the Accuser (voice) | Television film[34] |
| Ralph Breaks the Internet | Mulan (voice) | [34] | |
| 2019 | Swimming | Lilian | Short |
| 2020 | Mulan | Esteemed Guest | [37] |
| Pearl | Headmistress | ||
| 2021 | DC Showcase: The Losers | Fan Long (voice) | Short film; direct-to-video[34] |
| 2023 | Glitter & Doom | Ivy | [38] |
| 2025 | Karate Kid: Legends | Li Fong's mother | Post-production[39] |
| TBA | Persephone | [40] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Mister Rogers' Neighborhood | Royal Trumpeter #3 | Episode: "1549 & 1550: Music" |
| 1987 | Another World | Abby | Episode: "Episode #1.5950" |
| 1988–1991 | As the World Turns | Lien Hughes | Regular cast |
| 1994 | All-American Girl | Amy | Episode: "Redesigning Women" |
| 1995–1997 | The Single Guy | Trudy Sloan | Main cast |
| 1995–2004 | ER | Dr. Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen | Recurring cast (season 1); main cast (seasons 6–11) |
| 1997 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Lani (voice) | Episode: "Puss in Boots" |
| 1998–1999 | Todd McFarlane's Spawn | Lisa Wu/Jade (voice) | Recurring cast[34] |
| 1999 | Oh Yeah! Cartoons | Ming Lan (voice) | Episode: "ChalkZone: Chalk Rain"[34] |
| 2002 | Hollywood Squares | Herself/Panelist | Episode: "April 29, 2002" |
| 2003 | The Bronx Bunny Show | Herself | Episode: "Episode #1.1" |
| House of Mouse | Mulan (voice) | Episode: "Salute to Sports" | |
| 2004 | World Poker Tour | Herself | Episode: "Hollywood Home Game III" |
| The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | Peggy Tsu (voice) | Episode: "The Great Egg Heist"[34] | |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Li Mei | Episode: "Debt" | |
| 2004–2005 | The Batman | Ellen Yin (voice) | Recurring cast (seasons 1–2)[34] |
| 2005 | Inconceivable | Rachel Lu | Main cast |
| Robot Chicken | Mary-Kate Olsen (voice) | Episode: "Kiddie Pool" | |
| 2006 | George Lopez | Professor Tracy Lim | Recurring cast (season 5) |
| Vanished | Agent Lin Mei | Main cast | |
| 2007 | American Masters | Narrator (voice) | Episode: "Novel Reflections: The American Dream" |
| 2007–2010 | Two and a Half Men | Judge Linda Harris | Recurring cast (season 5); guest (season 7) |
| 2008 | Private Practice | Kara Wei | Episode: "Let It Go" |
| Boston Legal | Ming Wang Shu | Episode: "Roe" | |
| 2008–2014 | Phineas and Ferb | Dr. Hirano (voice) | Recurring cast (seasons 1 & 4); guest (season 2)[34] |
| 2009 | Ni Hao, Kai-Lan | Gui Nai Nai (voice) | Episode: "Kai-Lan's Trip to China" |
| 2009–2011 | Stargate Universe | Camile Wray | Main cast |
| 2011–2012 | Eureka | U.S. Senator Michaela Wen | Recurring cast (seasons 4–5) |
| 2011 | Celebrity Ghost Stories | Herself | Episode: "Keshia Knight Pulliam, Ming-Na, Chi McBride, Mia Tyler" |
| 2012 | Adventure Time | Finn's Mom (voice) | Guest (season 4); recurring cast (season 5)[34] |
| 2013 | Nashville | Calista Reeves | Episode: "You Win Again" |
| 2013–2020 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Agent Melinda May | Main cast |
| 2014–2018 | Sofia the First | Mulan/Vega (voice) | Guest (season 2); recurring cast: (season 4) |
| 2015 | Hollywood Game Night | Herself/Celebrity Player | Episode: "Cedric Gives Niecy a Hand" |
| 2017 | We Bare Bears | Ranger Zhao (voice) | Episode: "Ranger Games" |
| 2017–2018 | Milo Murphy's Law | Savannah (voice) | Recurring cast (season 1); guest (season 2)[34] |
| 2017–2019 | Fresh Off the Boat | Stephanie/Elaine | Guest (season 3); recurring cast (season 5) |
| 2018 | Iron Chef America | Herself/ICA Judge | Episode: "Guarnaschelli vs. Williams" |
| Celebrity Family Feud | Herself | Episode: "Jeff Dunham vs Ming-Na Wen and Taye Diggs vs Caroline Rhea" | |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | Phyla-Vell (voice) | Recurring cast (season 3)[34] | |
| America 2.0 | Helen Chan | Recurring cast | |
| 2018–2019 | Hot Streets | Soo Park (voice) | Recurring cast (seasons 1–2)[34] |
| 2019 | Marvel Rising | Hala the Accuser (voice) | Episode: "Heart of Iron" |
| Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart | Tanya Keys (voice) | Episode: "Meet Tanya Keys" | |
| 2019–2020 | The Mandalorian | Fennec Shand | Guest (season 1); recurring cast (season 2) |
| 2020 | Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens | Aunt Sandra | Episode: "Vagarina" |
| 50 States of Fright | Susan | Episode: "America's Largest Ball of Twine (Kansas) – Part 1-3" | |
| 2021 | Yasuke | Natsumaru (voice) | Main cast[41][34] |
| Pretty Smart | Jayden's Mom | Episode: "OMG! Jayden's mom is back!" | |
| 2021–2022 | The Book of Boba Fett | Fennec Shand | Main cast[42] |
| 2021, 2024 | Star Wars: The Bad Batch | Fennec Shand (voice) | 3 episodes[43][34] |
| 2022 | Young Sheldon | Dr. Carol Lee | Episode: "A Free Scratcher and Feminine Wiles"[44] |
| Hacks | Janet Stone | 2 episodes | |
| 2023–2024 | Velma | Carroll (voice) | Recurring cast |
| 2023 | Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai | Fong Wing (voice) | Main cast[45][34] |
| Mech Cadets | Dolly Yu (voice) | Main cast[46][34] | |
| Blue Eye Samurai | Madame Kaji (voice) | Recurring cast[47] | |
| 2024 | Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft | Eva Tong (voice) | Episode: "Living Midnight"[34] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Parallel Man: Infinite Pursuit | Major Mackenzie Cartwright | Voice, short film |
| Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Double Agent | Herself | "Infiltrating the Set" | |
| 2016 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Academy | Herself | Episodes: "Skydive Challenge", "Commencement" |
| Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot | Agent Melinda May | 2 episodes | |
| 2020 | 50 States of Fright | Susan | Episode: "Ball of Twine" |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Street Fighter: The Movie | Chun-Li | |
| 1999 | Disney's Story Studio: Mulan | Mulan | |
| 2006 | Kingdom Hearts II | [34] | |
| 2015 | Disney Infinity 3.0 | ||
| 2016 | Lego Marvel's Avengers | Agent Melinda May | |
| Disney Magic Kingdoms | Mulan | ||
| 2023 | Disney Speedstorm | ||
| 2024 | Disney Dreamlight Valley |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Annie Award | Outstanding Achievement in Voice Acting, Female | Mulan | Won |
| 1999 | Online Film & Television Association Award | Best Family Actress | Won | |
| Best Voice-Over Performer | Nominated | |||
| 2001 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | ER | Nominated |
| 2014 | People's Choice Award | Favorite Actress in a New TV Series | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Nominated |
| 2015 | TVLine's Performer of the Week | Performance in "Melinda" | Won | |
| 2016 | Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite TV Actress – Family Show[48] | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Disney Legend | Film, Television, & Animation — Voice | Herself | Honoree |
| 2021 | 1st Hollywood Critics Association TV Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series, Drama[49] | The Mandalorian | Nominated |
| BBC's 100 Women | Entertainment & Sport[24] | Herself | Honoree | |
| 2022 | 2nd Hollywood Critics Association TV Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series, Drama[50] | The Book of Boba Fett | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | Best Actress in a Streaming Presentation[51][52] | Won | ||
| Hollywood Walk of Fame | Television[53] | Herself | Honoree | |
| 2023 | Carnegie Mellon University Alumni Award | Alumni Achievement Awards[54] | Honoree | |
| Gold House | Gold Generation Award[55] | The Joy Luck Club | Won[a] | |
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