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Rosalind Chao facts for kids

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Rosalind Chao
Rosalind Chao in 2005.jpg
Chao in 2005
Born (1957-09-23) September 23, 1957 (age 67)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education Pomona College
University of Southern California (BA)
Occupation Actress
Years active 1970–present
Spouse(s) Simon Templeman
Children 2
Rosalind Chao
Traditional Chinese 趙家玲
Simplified Chinese 赵家玲
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Zhào Jiālíng
Wade–Giles Chao4 Chia1-ling2
IPA [ʈʂâu̯ tɕi̯á.lǐŋ]

Rosalind Chao (born September 23, 1957) is an American actress. She is famous for playing many different characters on TV and in movies. You might know her as Soon-Lee Klinger from the show AfterMASH, or as Rose Hsu Jordan in the movie The Joy Luck Club.

She also played Keiko O'Brien in the Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine TV series. More recently, she was Dr. Kim on The O.C. and Hua Li, Mulan's mother, in the 2020 live-action movie Mulan. In 2024, she starred as Ye Wenjie in the Netflix show 3 Body Problem.

Growing Up and School

Rosalind Chao was born in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in a town called Anaheim. Her parents were performers in a special kind of Chinese opera called Peking opera.

After moving to Anaheim, her parents opened a successful pancake restaurant near Disneyland. Rosalind helped out at the restaurant from a young age.

She went to Pomona College and then the University of Southern California. There, she studied broadcast journalism and finished her degree in 1978. She even worked as a tour guide at Disneyland! For a while, she thought about becoming a journalist.

Acting Career

Rosalind's parents really encouraged her to act. She started acting when she was only five years old. She performed with her parents' Peking opera group, which traveled around California. During the summer, she even went to Taiwan to learn more about acting.

When she was a child, she appeared on a TV show called Here's Lucy in 1970. She played the daughter of a laundry owner.

Even though she studied journalism, Rosalind decided to go back to acting after working as an intern at a radio station.

Breakthrough Roles

Rosalind's big break came when she played Soon-Lee in the last episodes of the TV show M*A*S*H. Her character, Soon-Lee, was a refugee from South Korea. She married a main character, Maxwell Klinger, in the show's final episode in 1983. This episode was watched by more people than almost any other TV show at the time! Rosalind then continued her role as Soon-Lee in the show's follow-up, AfterMASH.

She also became well-known for playing Keiko O'Brien, a scientist who studies plants from other planets, in the Star Trek TV shows. These included Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

In 2018, Rosalind was chosen to play Mulan's mother, Hua Li, in the live-action Mulan movie. In 2019, she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This group is famous for giving out the Oscars! She was recognized for her work in movies like The Joy Luck Club and I Am Sam.

Family Life

Rosalind Chao met her husband, Simon Templeman, while they were working together in theater. They have two children, a son and a daughter.

Movies and TV Shows

Rosalind Chao has been in many movies and TV shows over the years. Here are some of them:

Movies

Year Movie Role
1993 The Joy Luck Club Rose
1998 What Dreams May Come Leona
2001 I Am Sam Lily
2003 Freaky Friday Pei-Pei
2020 Mulan Hua Li

Television Shows

Year Show Role
1983 M*A*S*H Soon-Lee
1983–85 AfterMASH Soon-Lee Klinger
1991–92 Star Trek: The Next Generation Keiko O'Brien
1993–99 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Keiko O'Brien
2003–06 The O.C. Dr. Kim
2024 3 Body Problem Ye Wenjie

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Rosalind Chao para niños

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