Russell Girard Wong (Chinese: 王盛德; pinyin: Wáng Shèngdé; born
March 1, 1963) is an American actor of film and television. He was one
of the first actors of Chinese descent to hold a leading role in a
primetime American television series, portraying Jian-Wa in Vanishing
Son, first in a series of a made-for-television films followed by a
13-episode syndicated series. He has appeared in numerous films and
series including Abel Ferrara's China Girl, New Jack City, The Joy
Luck Club, Takedown, The Monkey King, Romeo Must Die, and The Mummy:
Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.The sixth of seven children, Wong was born
in Troy, New York; the son of Connie Van Yserloo, an American artist
of French and Dutch descent and Chinese American restaurateur William
Wong. His family moved to Albany when he was a baby, where his father
ran a restaurant. When Wong was seven years old, his parents divorced,
and he moved with his mother to California, settling near Yosemite. In
1981, Wong graduated from Mariposa County High School, and that fall
enrolled at Santa Monica City College.Wong supported himself as a
photographer and as a dancer (appearing in rock videos with David
Bowie, Donna Summer, and Janet Jackson, among others) before scoring
his first screen roles in 1985, appearing in a Hong Kong musical
called Ge wu sheng ping (aka Musical Dancer) and in a screen
adaptation of James Clavell's best-seller Tai-Pan (as Gordon Chen). A
number of television and film roles followed, including an appearance
as Narong Bansari on an episode of the 80s crime show The Equalizer,
but Wong began breaking into better roles in 1989, when he made a
memorable guest appearance on the drama series 21 Jump Street (as
Locke in the episode "The Dragon and the Angel") and won a leading
role in Wayne Wang's acclaimed independent romantic comedy Eat a Bowl
of Tea as Ben Loy. He also played a rising Chinese American gangster
named Yung Gan in Abel Ferrara's China Girl, a Romeo and Juliet love
story film about the conflicts between Chinese gangsters and the
Italian mob in New York.Supporting roles in China Cry (as Lam Cheng
Shen), China White (as Bobby Chow) and New Jack City (as Park) were to
follow, and Wong found himself working with Wayne Wang again when he
was cast as Lin Xiao in the film adaptation of Amy Tan's best-selling
novel The Joy Luck Club.
March 1, 1963) is an American actor of film and television. He was one
of the first actors of Chinese descent to hold a leading role in a
primetime American television series, portraying Jian-Wa in Vanishing
Son, first in a series of a made-for-television films followed by a
13-episode syndicated series. He has appeared in numerous films and
series including Abel Ferrara's China Girl, New Jack City, The Joy
Luck Club, Takedown, The Monkey King, Romeo Must Die, and The Mummy:
Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.The sixth of seven children, Wong was born
in Troy, New York; the son of Connie Van Yserloo, an American artist
of French and Dutch descent and Chinese American restaurateur William
Wong. His family moved to Albany when he was a baby, where his father
ran a restaurant. When Wong was seven years old, his parents divorced,
and he moved with his mother to California, settling near Yosemite. In
1981, Wong graduated from Mariposa County High School, and that fall
enrolled at Santa Monica City College.Wong supported himself as a
photographer and as a dancer (appearing in rock videos with David
Bowie, Donna Summer, and Janet Jackson, among others) before scoring
his first screen roles in 1985, appearing in a Hong Kong musical
called Ge wu sheng ping (aka Musical Dancer) and in a screen
adaptation of James Clavell's best-seller Tai-Pan (as Gordon Chen). A
number of television and film roles followed, including an appearance
as Narong Bansari on an episode of the 80s crime show The Equalizer,
but Wong began breaking into better roles in 1989, when he made a
memorable guest appearance on the drama series 21 Jump Street (as
Locke in the episode "The Dragon and the Angel") and won a leading
role in Wayne Wang's acclaimed independent romantic comedy Eat a Bowl
of Tea as Ben Loy. He also played a rising Chinese American gangster
named Yung Gan in Abel Ferrara's China Girl, a Romeo and Juliet love
story film about the conflicts between Chinese gangsters and the
Italian mob in New York.Supporting roles in China Cry (as Lam Cheng
Shen), China White (as Bobby Chow) and New Jack City (as Park) were to
follow, and Wong found himself working with Wayne Wang again when he
was cast as Lin Xiao in the film adaptation of Amy Tan's best-selling
novel The Joy Luck Club.
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