Rae Dawn Chong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rae Dawn Chong
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Chong in 2013
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| Born | February 28, 1961 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Owen Baylis
(div. 1982)C. Thomas Howell
(m. 1989; div. 1990)Nathan Ulrich
(m. 2011; div. 2014) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) |
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Rae Dawn Chong (born February 28, 1961) is a Canadian-American actress who has appeared in many popular movies and television shows. She is well known for her roles in films like Quest for Fire, The Color Purple, and Commando. She is also the daughter of the famous actor and comedian Tommy Chong.
For her role in the 1981 movie Quest for Fire, she won a Genie Award, which is a major Canadian film award. Throughout her career, she has starred in a variety of movies, from dramas to action films.
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Early Life and Family
Rae Dawn Chong was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Her father is the actor Tommy Chong, who is known for being part of the comedy duo Cheech & Chong. Her father's family background is Chinese and Scots-Irish, and her mother, Maxine Sneed, had Black Canadian roots.
Chong grew up in a family of performers. Her younger sister, Robbi Chong, is a model and actress. She also has several half-siblings, and some of them, like her adopted brother Marcus Chong, have also become actors.
Chong has spoken about her family's history. She shared that her grandfather came from a small village in China to live in Vancouver, Canada, in the 1930s. At that time, life was difficult for Chinese immigrants. She said her grandfather did not teach his children or grandchildren the Cantonese language, but later in his life, he began to embrace his Chinese heritage.
Acting Career
Chong began her career with a few roles on television. Her big break in movies came with the 1981 film Quest for Fire. Her performance as Ika, a prehistoric woman, was so good that she won the Genie Award for Best Actress in 1983.
Movie Roles in the 1980s and 1990s
After her award-winning role, Chong starred in several other well-known movies. In 1984, she appeared in the hip-hop movie Beat Street and the comedy Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers with her father.
The year 1985 was very busy for her. She acted alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the action movie Commando and played the character Squeak in the famous drama The Color Purple, which was directed by Steven Spielberg. That same year, she was also featured in the music video for Mick Jagger's song "Just Another Night."
Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, she continued to act in many films, including Soul Man (1986), The Principal (1987), and Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990).
An interesting fact from her career is that she helped discover actor Chris Pratt. In 2000, Pratt was working as a waiter in Maui when Chong noticed him. She cast him in a short movie she was directing, which helped start his acting career.
Television and Recent Work
Besides movies, Chong has also had a successful career in television. From 2000 to 2002, she starred in the science fiction series Mysterious Ways. She also had a main role in the first season of the comedy-drama Wild Card.
In more recent years, she has appeared in popular TV shows like Better Things and 9-1-1. In 2021, she played Betty Currie, the personal secretary to President Bill Clinton, in the series Impeachment: American Crime Story. The following year, she played Florence de Pointe du Lac in the AMC series Interview with the Vampire.
In 2021, she received the "Invisible Woman Award" from the Women Film Critics Circle for her role in the movie The Sleeping Negro. This award honors actresses whose powerful performances may have been overlooked.
Personal Life
Rae Dawn Chong married a stockbroker named Owen Baylis, and they had a son together named Morgan. They later divorced in 1982.
In 1989, she married actor C. Thomas Howell, who was her co-star in the movie Soul Man. They divorced in 1990. She was later married to Nathan Ulrich from 2011 to 2014.
See also
In Spanish: Rae Dawn Chong para niños
