BD Wong
Bradley Darryl Wong (born October 24, 1960)[1] is an American actor. Wong won a Tony Award for his performance as Song Liling in M. Butterfly, becoming the only actor in Broadway history to receive the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Clarence Derwent Award, and Theatre World Award for the same role. He was nominated for a Critic's Choice Television Award for his role as Whiterose in Mr. Robot, for which he also earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
BD Wong | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wong in 2008 | |||||||
| Born | Bradley Darryl Wong October 24, 1960 San Francisco, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Occupation | Actor | ||||||
| Years active | 1983–present | ||||||
| Spouse | Richert Schnorr (m. 2018) | ||||||
| Partner | Richie Jackson (1988–2004) | ||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 黃榮亮 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 黄荣亮 | ||||||
| |||||||
Wong is known for such roles as Howard Weinstein in the film Father of the Bride, Dr. George Huang on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Father Ray Mukada on Oz, Dr. John Lee on Awake, Dr. Henry Wu in the Jurassic Park franchise, Hugo Strange in Gotham, and Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme in the film Seven Years in Tibet. Wong is the host of the HLN medical documentary series Something's Killing Me with BD Wong. He has also done extensive voiceover work and stage acting. Wong voiced Captain Li Shang from the Disney animated film Mulan as well as its 2004 direct-to-video sequel, Mulan II, and the 2005 video game Kingdom Hearts II.
Early life and education
Wong was born and raised in San Francisco, to Roberta Christine Wong (née Leong), a telephone-company supervisor, and William D. Wong, a postal worker. He has one older brother and one younger brother.[2] He is of Chinese descent, with family from Hong Kong.[3]
Wong attended Lincoln High School, where he discovered his love of acting and starred as the lead in numerous school plays, before attending San Francisco State University. He received an honorary doctorate from San Francisco State University on May 27, 2022.
Career
Wong gained wide attention as a result of his Broadway debut in M. Butterfly opposite John Lithgow. The play won multiple awards, including several for Wong, who at that time ceased using his full name in favor of his initials. He has since ceased the use of punctuation in his initials.
He is notable as the only actor to be honored with the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award,[4] Outer Critics Circle Award, Clarence Derwent Award, and Theatre World Award for the same role.[5] In addition to his long-running stint on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as FBI psychiatrist Dr. George Huang, he has had recurring roles in All American Girl and played Father Ray Mukada on all six seasons of Oz, with guest appearances on The X-Files and Sesame Street.
On the big screen, he has appeared in The Freshman (1990), the 1991 remake of Father of the Bride and its 1995 sequel, Father of the Bride Part II, Jurassic Park (1993), Executive Decision (1996), and Slappy and the Stinkers (1997). He also provided the voice of Captain Li Shang in Disney's Mulan (1998), its direct-to-video sequel, and the video game Kingdom Hearts II. He returned to Broadway as Linus in a revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, alongside Anthony Rapp, Roger Bart, and Kristin Chenoweth, and the 2004 revival of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures.
In 1990 Wong objected to Actor's Equity that the plan to use Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce in the role of The Engineer in the Broadway run of Miss Saigon, which Pryce had played since the beginning of the show's 10-year extended run in London, would take jobs away from actors of Asian descent. Although the union barred Pryce from acting the role in response to Wong's complaint, vociferous opposition from Charlton Heston and a threat by the musical's creator and producer, Cameron Mackintosh, to cancel the American production entirely, induced the union to reverse course.[citation needed] Pryce went on to win a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for the role.
In 2008, Wong starred in the one-man show Herringbone, in which he portrayed 12 roles, at McCarter Theatre at Princeton University. He brought the show to the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego the following year. In 2012, Wong starred in Herringbone to benefit Dixon Place in New York for two performances. The production, recorded live for a 2014 CD release, was his first appearance in New York of the material, timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the original New York production.
In 2014, Wong starred in the U.S. premiere of James Fenton's acclaimed adaptation of The Orphan of Zhao, a classic Chinese legend that has its roots in the fourth century BC, directed by Carey Perloff at American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.). The Orphan of Zhao is an epic story of self-sacrifice and revenge. In the aftermath of a political coup, a country doctor is forced to sacrifice his son in order to save the last heir of a noble and massacred clan. The Orphan of Zhao was a co-production with La Jolla Playhouse.
Wong announced his departure from the cast of Law & Order: SVU in July 2011, to join another NBC police drama, Awake, in which he portrayed Dr. Johnathan Lee, a confrontational therapist of an LAPD detective (portrayed by Jason Isaacs) who lived in two realities.[6] Wong guest-starred in a thirteenth season episode of Law & Order: SVU titled "Father Dearest" (which aired May 2, 2012).[7]
In 2015, he was named Artist-in-Residence at La Jolla Playhouse. Wong guest-starred on NCIS: New Orleans Episode 1.13 titled "The Walking Dead" (which aired February 3, 2015), where he portrayed Navy Lieutenant Commander Dr. Gabriel Lin.
Wong also played the enigmatic Whiterose, head of the hacker collective Dark Army, who lives a double life as Zhang, the Chinese Minister of State Security, on USA Network's Mr. Robot. He was credited as a recurring role for the show's second season and promoted to main cast for the third season, which debuted October 11, 2017.
On August 13, 2017, Wong began hosting the new HLN series Something's Killing Me with BD Wong. The documentary explores strange and unexplainable, real medical ailments and attacks that may be gradual or descend rapidly. But in either case, if a cause and cure are not found immediately, these real-life patients will die.[8]
Charity work
Wong donates his time and resources to a number of LGBT and arts-related charities, such as the Ali Forney Center, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Materials for the Arts,[9] and Rosie's Theater Kids, of which he is also a board member.[10]
Personal life
Wong is openly gay. He began a long-term relationship with talent agent Richie Jackson in 1988.[11]
In 2000, the couple had twin sons, Boaz Dov and Jackson Foo Wong through a surrogate mother using Wong’s sperm and an egg donated by Jackson’s sister. Boaz Dov died 90 minutes after birth.
In 2003, Wong wrote a memoir about his experiences with surrogacy titled Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man (ISBN 9780060529536).
In 2004, Wong and Jackson ended their relationship.[11] Wong co-parents his son with his ex-partner Jackson and Jackson's husband, Jordan Roth.[12] His son Jackson Foo is openly gay, having come out at age 15.[13]
On October 7, 2018, Wong married Richert John Frederickson Schnorr, his partner of eight years, in Brooklyn, New York City.[14]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Karate Kid Part II | Boy on Street | Credited as Bradd Wong |
| 1989 | Family Business | Jimmy Chiu, Adam's MIT Prof | |
| 1990 | The Freshman | Edward | |
| 1991 | Mystery Date | James Lew | |
| Father of the Bride | Howard Weinstein | ||
| 1992 | The Lounge People | Billy | |
| 1993 | Jurassic Park | Dr. Henry Wu | |
| 1994 | The Ref | Dr. William Wong, Marriage Counselor | Aka Hostile Hostages (uncredited)[15][16] |
| Men of War | Po | ||
| 1995 | Kalamazoo | Justin | |
| Father of the Bride Part II | Howard Weinstein | ||
| 1996 | Executive Decision | Sergeant Louie Jung | |
| Joe's Apartment | Cockroach | Voice | |
| 1997 | Seven Years in Tibet | Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme | |
| 1998 | Slappy and the Stinkers | Morgan Brinway | |
| Mulan | Captain Li Shang | Voice | |
| The Substitute 2: School's Out | Warren Drummond | Straight-to-video | |
| 2002 | The Salton Sea | Bubba | |
| 2004 | Mulan II | Shang | Direct-to-video Voice |
| 2005 | Stay | Dr. Edmund Ren | |
| 2006 | Ira & Abby | Party Guest | |
| 2012 | White Frog | Oliver Young | |
| 2015 | Focus | Liyuan Tse | |
| Jurassic World | Dr. Henry Wu[17] | ||
| 2017 | The Space Between Us | Tom Chen | |
| 2018 | Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom | Dr. Henry Wu[17] | |
| Bird Box | Greg | ||
| 2022 | Jurassic World Dominion | Dr. Henry Wu | |
| Blue's Big City Adventure | Director |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | No Big Deal | Miss Karnisian's Class | TV film as Bradd Wong |
| 1986 | Simon & Simon | Counterboy – Photo Shop Clerk | Episode: "Mobile Home of the Brave" |
| 1987 | Double Switch | Waiter | TV film |
| 1988 | Crash Course | Kichi | TV film as Bradd Wong aka Driving Academy |
| 1990 | Goodnight Sweet Wife: A Murder in Boston | Kim Tan | TV film aka The Charles Stuart Story |
| 1991 | Alive from Off Center | Actor | Episode: "Dances in Exile" |
| 1993 | And the Band Played On | Kico Govantes | HBO TV film |
| 1994–1995 | All-American Girl | Dr. Stuart Kim | 18 episodes |
| 1994 | ABC Afterschool Specials | Johnny Angel | Episode: "Magical Make-Over" |
| 1995 | Dazzle | Teng | TV film |
| Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | The Wolf Aladdin/The Genie | Episodes: "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Aladdin" | |
| Bless This House | Johnny Chen | Episode: "Neither a Borrower Nor a Landlord Be" | |
| 1996 | The X-Files | Det. Glen Chao | Episode: "Hell Money" |
| 1997–2003 | Oz | Father Ray Mukada | 47 episodes |
| 1998 | Reflections on Ice: Michelle Kwan Skates to the Music of Disney's 'Mulan' | Captain Li Shang | TV film |
| 1999 | Chicago Hope | Dr. Kai Chang | Episode: "Upstairs, Downstairs" |
| 2000 | Welcome to New York | Dennis | Episode: "Jim Gets a Wig" |
| 2002 | Kim Possible | Agent Will Du | Voice Episode: "Number One" |
| 2001–2015 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Dr. George Huang | 143 episodes, recurring cast Seasons 2–3, Series regular, Seasons 4–12, Guest star Seasons 13-15, & 17 |
| 2004 | Century City | U.S. Attorney Matthew Chin | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2007 | Marco Polo | Pedro | TV film |
| 2012 | Awake | Dr. John Lee | Series regular, 11 episodes |
| 2014 | The Normal Heart | Buzzy | HBO film |
| 2015 | NCIS: New Orleans | Navy Lieutenant Commander Dr. Gabriel Lin | Episode: "The Walking Dead" |
| 2015–2018 | Madam Secretary | Brent Rosen | Episodes: "The Kill List", "Refuge" |
| 2015 | Nurse Jackie | Doctor Wu | Episode: "Are You with Me, Doctor Wu?" |
| 2015–19 | Mr. Robot | Whiterose/Minister Zhi Zhang | 22 episodes Recurring cast Seasons 1–2; series regular Seasons 3-4 Nominated—Critics' Choice Award for Best Guest Actor/Actress in a Drama Series Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series |
| 2016–2019 | Gotham | Professor Hugo Strange[18] | 16 episodes |
| 2016 | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | Scientist | Episode: "Scientific Studies" |
| 2017–present | Something's Killing Me with BD Wong | Host/Presenter | Episodes: 6 in 2017 |
| 2017 | DuckTales | Toad Liu Hai | Voice Episode: "The House of the Lucky Gander!" |
| 2018 | American Horror Story: Apocalypse | Baldwin Pennypacker | 3 episodes |
| 2019–2020 | The Flash | Godspeed | Voice 2 episodes |
| 2021–2022 | Around the Sun (audio drama) | Dr. Lee | Voice 2 episodes |
| 2020–present | Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens | Wally | Recurring role 7 episodes |
| 2023 | Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai | Hon Wing (voice) | 10 episodes[19] |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Kingdom Hearts II | Captain Li Shang | English version |
| 2007 | Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ | ||
| 2015 | Lego Jurassic World | Henry Wu | |
| 2018 | Jurassic World Evolution | ||
| 2021 | Jurassic World Evolution 2 |
Theater
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–1990 | M. Butterfly | Song Liling | Broadway debut Clarence Derwent Award for Most Promising Male Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Debut Performance Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Theatre World Award Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play |
| 1993 | Face Value | Randall Lee | |
| 1999 | You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown | Linus | |
| 2004–05 | Pacific Overtures | Reciter | |
| 2012 | Herringbone | Various characters | One-man show[20] |
| 2019 | The Great Leap | Wen Chang |
Theme Parks
| Year | Name | Role | Theme Park | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Jurassic World: The Ride | Dr. Henry Wu | Universal Studios Hollywood | |
| 2021 | VelociCoaster | Universal's Islands of Adventure | ||
| TBA | DuckTales World Showcase Adventure[21] | Toad Liu Hai | EPCOT | Upcoming; exact release date not set. |
Audiobooks
| Year | Title | Author | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Shadow of a Broken Man | George C. Chesbro | Random House Audio |
| 1991 | The Fear in Yesterday's Rings | George C. Chesbro | Random House Audio |
| 1997 | Ticktock | Dean Koontz | Random House Audio |
| 2002 | Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress | Dai Sijie | Random House Audio |
| 2019 | The Red Scrolls of Magic | Cassandra Clare, Wesley Chu | Simon & Schuster Audio |
| 2020 | The Lost Book of the White | Cassandra Clare, Wesley Chu | Simon & Schuster Audio |
| 2022 | To Paradise | Hanya Yanagihara | Random House Audio |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actor in a Play | M. Butterfly | Won |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Won | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Debut Performance | Won | ||
| Theatre World Award | Won | |||
| Clarence Derwent Award | Most Promising Male Performer | Won | ||
| 2003 | Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Shanghai Moon | Nominated |
| GLAAD Media Award | Davidson/Valentini Award | Won | ||
| 2013 | Best Shorts Competition | Voice-Over Talent | The No Name Painting Association | Won |
| 2016 | Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series | Mr. Robot | Nominated |
| 2017 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | |
References
- ^ Wong, BD [@wongbd] (October 24, 2011). "I got a bday tweet from the Beev! "@TheJerryMathers: Hope you have a great 51st birthday. I hope you do something fun to celebrate."" (Tweet). Retrieved May 7, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Guthmann, Edward (June 3, 2014). "BD Wong returns to his hometown for 'Orphan of Zhao'". SFGATE. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ Nagengast, Kate (December 2, 2008). "'Law and Order' actor BD Wong to speak at Fountain Street Church". MLive.com. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
- ^ "53rd Drama Desk Awards". Drama Desk. 2008. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
- ^ "Theatre World Award Recipients". Theatre World Awards. from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (July 17, 2011). "Fall TV Scoop: B.D. Wong Reveals His SVU Fate". TVLine. Mail.com Media. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
- ^ "(#1321) "FATHER DEAREST"". The Futon Critic. April 20, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
- ^ Mathews, Liam (August 18, 2017). "Something's Killing Me Host BD Wong on Shocking Real-Life Medical Mysteries". TVGuide. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam (October 29, 2009). . Playbill. Archived from the original on March 23, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
- ^ "Tony Award Winner Jessie Muller performs with Rosie's Theater Kids – Times Square Chronicles". August 19, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- ^ a b Stone, Christopher (November 16, 2005). . AfterElton. Archived from the original on April 19, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
- ^ Voss, Brandon (June 2, 2016). "The Triumphs and Challenges of Gay Parenting in the Modern Age". Playbill.
- ^ Artavia, David (December 21, 2019). "Gay TV Producer Richie Jackson Pens a Memoir for His Gay Son". advocate.com. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- ^ "BD Wong, Richert Schnorr". The New York Times. October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ Turan, Kenneth (March 9, 1994). "MOVIE REVIEWS : 'The Ref ': Razor-Sharp : Anchored by expert performances and a biting script and direction, the Touchstone release carries a mean verbal stiletto". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ "The Ref". TV Guide. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ a b Tilly, Chris (March 18, 2014). "Dr. Henry Wu Returns in Jurassic World". IGN.
- ^ Melrose, Kevin (October 30, 2015). "Jurassic World's BD Wong Joins Gotham As Hugo Strange". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ Zorrilla, Mónica Marie (February 16, 2021). "'Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai' Adds Ming-Na Wen, BD Wong, Matthew Rhys to Cast (Exclusive)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (May 21, 2012). "Herringbone, With Tony Winner BD Wong, Plays NYC May 21–22; Performances Will Be Recorded". Playbill.
- ^ Corless, Tom (December 3, 2019). "CONFIRMED: Disney's DuckTales World Showcase Adventure Replacing Agent P Game at Epcot". WDW News Today.
External links
- BD Wong at the Internet Broadway Database
- BD Wong at IMDb
- BD Wong at the Internet Off-Broadway Database