Rae Dawn Chong facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rae Dawn Chong
Chong in 2013
Born	(1961-02-28) February 28, 1961 (age 64) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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)	Tommy Chong (father)

Rae Dawn Chong (born February 28, 1961) is an actress from Canada and the United States. She started her acting career in movies in 1978. Her first big film was a musical drama called Stony Island.

In 1981, she starred in the fantasy film Quest for Fire. For this role, she won an important award called the Genie Award for Best Actress. Rae Dawn Chong has also appeared in many other popular films. These include The Color Purple (1985) and Commando (1985). She is the daughter of famous comedian and actor Tommy Chong.

About Rae Dawn Chong's Early Life

Rae Dawn Chong was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on February 28, 1961. Her father is the actor and comedian Tommy Chong. Her father has both Chinese and Scots-Irish family roots. Her birth mother, Gail Lewis, was of Black Canadian descent.

Rae Dawn has a sister named Robbi Chong, who is also a model and actress. Several of her other siblings have also become actors. Rae Dawn shared that her grandfather faced challenges because of his Chinese heritage. He moved from a small village in China in the 1930s. He lived with his aunt in Vancouver, where many Chinese immigrants lived in a small area. This was due to unfair treatment at the time.

Her grandfather spoke Cantonese, but he did not teach it to his children or grandchildren. Rae Dawn said her grandfather felt "racial shame" for a while. This made it hard for her family to learn about their Chinese culture. However, later in his life, her grandfather became proud of his background.

Rae Dawn Chong's Acting Career

Rae Dawn Chong started her career with a few television roles. Her second major film was Quest for Fire in 1981. She won the Genie Award for Best Actress for this role in 1983. This award recognized her excellent performance.

She also had important roles in films like Choose Me (1984) and Beat Street (1984). She appeared with her father, Tommy Chong, in two movies: Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers (1984) and Far Out Man (1990). In 1985, she was in Mick Jagger's music video for the song "Just Another Night".

An interesting fact about Rae Dawn Chong's career is how she discovered actor Chris Pratt. When he was 19, Chris Pratt was working at a restaurant in Maui. Rae Dawn Chong saw him there and thought he had talent. She then cast him in her first movie as a director. This was a short horror film called Cursed Part 3, made in 2000.

On television, Rae Dawn Chong starred in the science fiction show Mysterious Ways from 2000 to 2002. She also appeared in the first season of the comedy-drama series Wild Card. In recent years, she has acted in independent films. She also had roles in TV shows like Better Things (2016) and 9-1-1 (2018-19). In 2021, she played Betty Currie in the FX series Impeachment: American Crime Story.

In 2021, Rae Dawn Chong received the "Invisible Woman Award" from the Women Film Critics Circle. This award honors actresses whose important impact on a film has been overlooked. She received it for her role in the drama film The Sleeping Negro. In 2022, she played Florence de Pointe du Lac in the AMC series Interview with the Vampire.

Rae Dawn Chong's Family Life

Rae Dawn Chong has been married three times. She first married Owen Baylis, and they had a son named Morgan. They later divorced. In 1989, she married actor C. Thomas Howell, who was her co-star in the movie Soul Man. They divorced in 1990. In 2011, Rae Dawn married Nathan Ulrich. They divorced in 2014.

Rae Dawn Chong's Film Roles

Rae Dawn Chong has appeared in many films throughout her career. Here are some of her notable movie roles:

Rae Dawn Chong's Television Roles

Rae Dawn Chong has also been in many television shows. Here are some of her TV appearances:

See also

In Spanish: Rae Dawn Chong para niños