Ali Wong
American comedian and actress (born 1982) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexandra Dawn Wong (born April 19, 1982) is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. She is best known for her Netflix stand-up specials Baby Cobra (2016), Hard Knock Wife (2018), Don Wong (2022), and Single Lady (2024). She starred in the romantic comedy film Always Be My Maybe (2019) and was also a writer and producer for the movie. Wong has won three Golden Globe Awards throughout her career and two Primetime Emmy Awards for her role in the Netflix dark comedy series Beef, becoming the first Asian woman to win a lead acting Emmy. She was named as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in 2020 and 2023.[1][2]
Ali Wong | |
|---|---|
Wong being interviewed by Wired in 2023 | |
| Born | Alexandra Dawn Wong April 19, 1982 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of California, Los Angeles (BA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Spouse |
Justin Hakuta
(m. 2014; div. 2022) |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | aliwong |
Wong was a cast member on the ABC show American Housewife and appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, Black Box, and Are You There, Chelsea? She was a writer for the first three seasons of the sitcom Fresh Off the Boat. She also voiced the title character Roberta "Bertie" Songthrush on the animated series Tuca & Bertie and Ali on the animated series Big Mouth.
Early life
Alexandra Dawn Wong was born in the neighborhood of Pacific Heights,[3][4] which is next to Nob Hill, San Francisco on April 19, 1982.[5] She is the youngest of four children in her family.[6] Her Vietnamese mother, Tam "Tammy" Wong, moved from Huế, Vietnam in 1960 to work as a social worker in the U.S.[7][8] Her Chinese-American father, Adolphus Wong (1937–2011), was an anesthesiologist who worked for Kaiser Permanente for 30 years.[9]
In 2000, Wong graduated from San Francisco University High School near the Richmond district of San Francisco [10][11] where she was student body class president.[12] She went to UCLA, majoring in Asian American studies. During her junior year, she studied in Hanoi, Vietnam.[13][14][15] After college, she continued her education in Vietnam through a Fulbright program.[16][17]
Career
Summarize
Perspective
After graduating from college, Wong first tried stand-up comedy when she was 23. She soon moved to New York City to pursue comedy and began performing as often as nine times in one night.[18]
In 2011, Variety named her one of the "10 Comics to Watch".[19] Soon after, she appeared on The Tonight Show, John Oliver's New York Stand Up Show and Dave Attell's Comedy Underground Show. She was also cast as series regular in the NBC comedy series Are You There, Chelsea? and appeared on Chelsea Lately.[20] Next, she was in VH1's Best Week Ever,[21] and MTV's Hey Girl in 2013.[22] Additionally, she starred in Oliver Stone's Savages,[19] and as Kate in the film Dealin' with Idiots.[23]
In 2014, Wong played Dr. Lina Lark in the ABC medical drama series Black Box, opposite Kelly Reilly and Vanessa Redgrave.[24][25] She guest-starred in three episodes of Inside Amy Schumer. Wong worked as a writer on Fresh Off the Boat, which premiered in 2015.[26][27] Randall Park, who was a main cast member, had suggested Wong for the writing role.[14] On Mother's Day 2016,[28] Netflix released a stand-up special called Baby Cobra; the special was filmed at the Neptune Theater in Seattle in September 2015, when Wong was seven months pregnant with her first child.[29][18][30][31] According to New York Magazine, "The special's arrival on Netflix is the sort of star-making moment that unites the tastes of the unlikeliest fans".[32]
On September 11, 2016, Wong spoke at, and walked the runway during New York Fashion Week for Opening Ceremony's show.[33] Also in 2016, Wong starred in the ABC sitcom American Housewife until its cancellation in 2021.[34][35] In 2018, Wong's second Netflix special, Hard Knock Wife, was released. It was filmed in 2017 at the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto when she was seven months pregnant with her second child.[36][37] In the same year, she voiced the character Citrus Twisty, a soda genie, in an episode of OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes.[38]
Wong starred with Randall Park in the 2019 Netflix film Always Be My Maybe, a film directed by Nahnatchka Khan, and written by Wong, Park, and Michael Golamco.[39] From 2019 to 2022, Wong voiced Bertie in the Netflix/Adult Swim animated sitcom Tuca & Bertie.[40][41] On October 15, 2019, Wong published a book entitled Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets and Advice for Living Your Best Life.[42][43] She described it as a life guide for her daughters to read when they become adults.[44] The book won the 2019 Goodreads Choice Award for Humor.[45] In February 2022, Wong released her third Netflix stand-up special, Don Wong.[46]
Wong co-starred with Steven Yeun in the 2023 Netflix drama-comedy series Beef,[47] and was credited as an executive producer alongside Yeun. For her performance in Beef, Wong received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film. She was the first actress of Asian descent to win a Golden Globe in the category.[48][49][50] Wong won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie making her the first actress of Asian descent to win a lead acting Emmy Award.[51][52][53]
In October 2024, Wong was featured on the YouTube talk show Hot Ones.[54]
Personal life
Wong met entrepreneur Justin Hakuta, the son of inventor Ken Hakuta, at the wedding of mutual friends in 2010.[55] At the time, Hakuta was a Fulbright Scholar and a student at Harvard Business School.[56] They married in 2014 and have two daughters.[57][58] In April 2022, Wong and Hakuta announced they had separated.[59][60] Wong has said that they remain "best friends".[56][61] In December 2023, Wong filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences".[62]
Wong briefly dated actor Bill Hader in late 2022.[63] In April 2023, they reportedly resumed their relationship. They were seen together at the 75th Emmy Awards on January 15, 2024.[64][65]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Savages | Claire | [66] | |
| 2013 | Dealin' with Idiots | Katie | [67] | |
| 2016 | The Angry Birds Movie | Betty Bird (voice) | [68] | |
| 2017 | The Lego Ninjago Movie | General Olivia (Voice) | [69] | |
| Father Figures | Ali | [70] | ||
| The Hero | Herself | [71] | ||
| 2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Felony (voice) | [72] | |
| 2019 | Always Be My Maybe | Sasha Tran | Also writer and producer | [73] |
| 2020 | Birds of Prey | Ellen Yee | [74] | |
| Onward | Gore (voice) | [75] | ||
| Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe | Super Super Big Doctor (voice) | [76] | ||
Television
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Breaking In | Ana Ng | 3 episodes | [77] |
| 2012 | Are You There, Chelsea? | Olivia | 12 episodes | [78] |
| 2014 | Black Box | Dr. Lina Lark | 13 episodes | [79] |
| 2014–2015 | Inside Amy Schumer | Various characters | 3 episodes | [80] |
| 2015 | BoJack Horseman | Maddy (voice) | Episode: "Escape from L.A." | [81] |
| 2016 | Animals | Dana (voice) | Episode: "Rats" | [82] |
| 2016–2021 | American Housewife | Doris | Series regular | [83] |
| 2017 | Fresh Off the Boat | Margot | Episode: "The Flush" | [84] |
| 2018 | Ask the StoryBots | The Brain | Episode: "How Do Ears Hear?" | [85] |
| OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes | Twisty (voice) | Episode: "Soda Genie" | [86] | |
| 2019–2022 | Tuca & Bertie | Bertie (voice) | Main role and executive producer | [87] |
| 2019–2023 | Big Mouth | Ali (voice) | 17 episodes | [88] |
| 2020 | Love, Victor | Ms. Thomas | Recurring role | [89] |
| 2022 | Human Resources | Becca Lee (voice) | 5 episodes | [90] |
| Paper Girls | Adult Erin | 5 episodes | [91] | |
| 2023 | Beef | Amy Lau | Main role and executive producer | [92] |
| 2024 | Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld | Jentry Chau (voice) | Lead role and executive producer | [93] |
| Monsters at Work | Jill (voice) | 5 episodes | [94] | |
As herself
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Chelsea Lately | 9 episodes | [95] |
| 2013 | Hey Girl | 5 episodes | [96] |
| Best Week Ever | 16 episodes | [97] | |
| 2016 | Ali Wong: Baby Cobra | Netflix comedy special | [98] |
| 2017 | Bill Nye Saves The World | Episode: "Sex, Drugs and Superbugs" | [99] |
| 2018 | Ugly Delicious | Episode: "Stuffed" | [100] |
| Ali Wong: Hard Knock Wife | Netflix comedy special | [101] | |
| 2022 | Celebrity IOU | "Ali Wong's Renovation Surprise" | [102] |
| Ali Wong: Don Wong | Netflix comedy special | [103] | |
| 2023 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Guest judge; Episode: "Two Queens, One Joke" | [104] |
| RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked | |||
| 2024 | Ali Wong: Single Lady | Netflix comedy special | [105] |
Book
| Year | Title | Publisher | Identifier | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Dear Girls | Random House | Paperback: ISBN 978-0-525-50885-4 Hardcover: ISBN 978-0-525-50883-0 |
[106] |
Accolades
Notes
References
External links
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