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Dustin Nguyen
DUSTIN NGUYỄN P1.jpg
Born
Nguyễn Xuân Trí

Saigon, South Vietnam
Nationality  Vietnam
 United States
Occupation
  • Actor
  • filmmaker
  • martial artist
Years active 1985–present
Spouse(s)
Angela Rockwood
(m. 2001; div. 2012)
Bebe Pham
(m. 2012)
Children 4

Dustin Nguyen (born Nguyễn Xuân Trí) is a Vietnamese–American actor and martial artist. He is well known for his roles as Harry Truman Ioki on 21 Jump Street and as Johnny Loh on V.I.P. More recently, he played Zing in the martial arts TV show Warrior. In movies, he has starred in Little Fish, The Doom Generation, and The Rebel.

Early Life

Dustin Nguyen was born Nguyễn Xuân Trí in Saigon, South Vietnam. His parents, My Le and Xuan Phat, were both actors and artists in Vietnam. His family left Vietnam in April 1975 during a time of big changes in the country.

They first arrived in Guam and then moved to a refugee camp in Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. With help from a church, they later moved to Des Peres, Missouri, near St. Louis. After graduating from Garden Grove High School in California, Dustin studied communications at Orange Coast College. He also practices several martial arts, including Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, Eskrima, and Jeet Kune Do.

Acting Career

Dustin Nguyen started his acting career on Magnum, P.I. He played a Cambodian freedom fighter in one episode. He became a regular actor on popular shows like 21 Jump Street and VIP. He also appeared as a guest star on many other series, including General Hospital, Highlander, and seaQuest DSV. He even had a small role in the movie Charlie's Angels.

In 1993, he acted in the film Heaven & Earth. In 2005, he starred alongside famous actress Cate Blanchett in the movie Little Fish. He also appeared in the Vietnamese martial arts film The Rebel in 2007. In 2008, he played a martial artist in the Vietnamese film Huyen Thoai Bat Tu (The Legend Is Alive). He also had a small part in 22 Jump Street.

Dustin Nguyen now lives and works in Vietnam, where he continues to act and make films. He directed his first movie, Once Upon a Time in Vietnam, in which he also starred. He later acted in the Vietnamese film Gentle, which was well-received at the 2015 Busan International Film Festival. He also joined the main cast of the TV series Warrior in its second season. In 2023, he starred in The Accidental Getaway Driver, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

Personal Life

On September 3, 2001, Dustin Nguyen was involved in a car accident. His fiancée at the time, Angela Rockwood, became a paraplegic. After this, Dustin and Angela became active supporters of The Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center. They later divorced in 2012.

Dustin Nguyen now lives in Vietnam. In 2012, he married Vietnamese actress and model Bebe Pham. They have four daughters together. He can speak both English and Vietnamese very well.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1985 Sunset Strip Chinese Youth
1991 Earth Angel Peter
1992 Rapid Fire Paul Yang
1993 No Escape, No Return Tommy Cuff
Heaven & Earth Sau
1994 3 Ninjas Kick Back Glam
Vanishing Son II Hung
Vanishing Son IV
1995 Virtuosity Suburban Reporter
The Doom Generation
1998 Hundred Percent Isaac
2003 The Break
2005 Little Fish Jonny Actor
2007 Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee Troy Poon
Saigon Eclipse Kim
The Rebel Sy Actor
2009 The Legend Is Alive Long Actor
2010 Fool for Love Dung
Floating Lives Vo Actor
2011 The Gauntlet Jin-Soo
Popular Dysfunctions Comandante Chitt
2013 Once Upon a Time in Vietnam Dao Director/Actor
2014 22 Jump Street Vietnamese Jesus/Harry Truman Ioki Cameo
2015 The Man with the Iron Fists 2 Li Kung Actor
Jackpot Tu Nghia Director/Actor
Zero Tolerance Johnny Actor
Gentle Thien Actor
2016 I'll Wait Director
2017 Voodoo Doll Hung Actor
2022 Blade of the 47 Ronin Lord Nikko Actor
2023 The Accidental Getaway Driver Tây Actor

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1983 General Hospital Suki
1985 Magnum, P.I. Joe 2 episodes
1986 The A-Team Bobby Episode: "Point of No Return"
1987 Shell Game Doug Episode: "Pai Gow"
1987–1990 21 Jump Street Officer Harry Truman Ioki Main role (seasons 1–4); 82 episodes
1989 Danger Bay Duk Chin Episode: "Open Book"
1992 The Commish Robert Hue Episode: "Charlie Don't Surf"
Street Justice Episode: "Bad Choices"
Highlander Chu Lin Episode: "The Road Not Taken"
1993 Murder, She Wrote David Kuan Episode: "A Death in Hong Kong"
Highlander Jimmy Sang Episode: "Revenge of the Sword"
SeaQuest DSV Chief William Shan 4 episodes
1994–1996 Phantom 2040 Tranh 5 episodes
1995 Vanishing Son Hung Episode: "Single Flame"
VR.5 Ky Buchanan Episode: "Simon's Choice"
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues Lo Gee Episode: "Flying Fists of Fury II"
1997 Die Gang Marc Wiessner Main role; 13 episodes
1999–2002 VIP Johnny Loh Main role (seasons 3–4); 62 episodes
2003 JAG Lt. Bao Hien Episode: "Fortunate Son"
2009 The Unit Transit Officer Episode: "Chaos Theory"
2011 Gordon's Great Escape Guest Episode 2.2: "Vietnam"
2012 The Amazing Race Vietnam Host Season 1
2018 This Is Us Bao Episode: "Sometimes"
2019–2023 Warrior Zing Recurring (season 1); main role (season 2)

Producer

  • A Tourist's Guide to Love (2023)– Consulting Producer
  • The Amazing Race Vietnam 2012 (2012) – Himself
  • CinemAbility (2011) (filming) – Himself
  • 2007 AZN Asian Excellence Awards (2007) – Himself
  • The Slanted Screen (2006) – Himself
  • E! True Hollywood Story – Himself (1 episode, 2004)
  • Howard Stern – Himself (4 episodes, 1999)
  • The Howard Stern Radio Show – Himself (2 episodes, 1999)
  • Intimate Portrait – Himself (1 episode)

Awards and Recognition

In March 2009, Dustin Nguyen won the Vietnamese Cánh Diều Vàng (Golden Kite Award) for best actor. He received this award for his main role in the film Huyền Thoại Bất Tử (The Legend Is Alive).

For the same role, he also won a Golden Lotus Award that year. This award is like Vietnam's version of the Oscars. He also won China's Golden Rooster Award for Best International Actor at the Golden Rooster and Thousand Flowers International Film Festival in 2009.

In 2015, at the Milan International Film Festival, Dustin won the Leonardo da Vinci Golden Horse Award. This was for Best Supporting Actor in the Vietnamese film Gentle.

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