Biography
Who is Ming-Na Wen?
Early life and education
Ming-Na was born on November 20, 1963, on Coloane, an island in Macau. Her mother, Lin Chan Wen, moved the family to Hong Kong before settling in New York City when the actress was four years old. Eventually, the family moved to the Pittsburgh area in Pennsylvania. There, her parents operated the Chinatown Inn restaurant, which remains in business today.
The actress attended Mt. Lebanon High School in the suburbs. She later pursued her interest in the arts at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. She graduated from the school in 1986 with a focus on theatre.
How Ming-Na became famous
Her first television credit came in 1985 with a small role on the children's program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. She gained industry attention by playing Lien Hughes on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns from 1988 until 1991. This role marked a significant milestone as she became the first Asian performer to hold a contract role on a daytime soap opera.
Shortly after, she played June Woo in the 1993 film The Joy Luck Club, which served as a major breakthrough for her career. Following this, she joined the cast of the popular medical drama series ER. She played Dr. Jing-Mei Chen, starting as a recurring character in 1994 and later becoming a series regular, appearing on the show until 2004. During this era, she also portrayed Chun-Li in the 1994 film Street Fighter.
Voice acting and Disney contributions
Ming-Na Wen is widely recognized for her voice acting work. She provided the voice for the title character in the 1998 Disney animated classic Mulan. She returned to voice the character in the sequel, Mulan II, and several video games, such as Kingdom Hearts II. Her work with Disney earned her an Annie Award and she was officially named a Disney Legend at the 2019 D23 Expo.
Beyond Disney, she voiced characters in other animated projects like The Batman, where she played Detective Ellen Yin, and Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors, where she voiced Hala the Accuser. She also appeared as a guest on the Disney Channel series Sofia the First.
Science fiction and recent projects
In recent years, she gained fame for her portrayal of Agent Melinda May in the Marvel television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which began in 2013 and concluded in 2020. She also became a well-known part of the Star Wars franchise. She played the bounty hunter Fennec Shand in the live-action series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. She also voiced the character in the animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
Her other television credits include the role of Camile Wray in Stargate Universe and appearances in series such as Young Sheldon and Two and a Half Men. In 2021, she was included in the BBC 100 Women list, and she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.
Birthday and age
Ming-Na Wen was born on November 20, 1963, which makes Ming-Na 62 years old today. That birthday falls under the Scorpio sign. Ming-Na shares the date with 30 other famous people.
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