Rosalind Chao facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rosalind Chao
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![]() Chao in 2005
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Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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September 23, 1957
Education | Pomona College University of Southern California (BA) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1970–present |
Spouse(s) | Simon Templeman |
Children | 2 |
Rosalind Chao | |||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 趙家玲 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 赵家玲 | ||||||||||
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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.
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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 |
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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 |
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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
In Spanish: Rosalind Chao para niños