Camille Chen
Camille Chen (born September 1, 1979) is a Taiwanese-born American actress.
Camille Chen | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 1, 1979[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Known for | portraying Samantha Li in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip |
| Website | www |
Early life, education, and career
Born in Taiwan but raised in the U.S.,[2] Chen attended the University of Texas at Austin and then began her career in show business, doing voiceover work for the English version of anime television series such as Lost Universe and the Devil.
Chen's first feature film roles were uncredited appearances as Miss New Hampshire in the 2000 film, Miss Congeniality, and as a cheerleader in the 2002 film, The New Guy.
Later career
From 2006 to 2007, Chen had a regular recurring role as Samantha Li on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.[3] She guest-starred on the 2009 episode of Law & Order, "Just a Girl in the World" as Emma Kim, first thought to be the target of a serial killer, but later discovered to be the murderer herself.[4] On stage, Chen portrayed "Christmas Eve" in a 2012 Los Angeles production of Avenue Q.[5]
In 2016, Chen starred in Poor Todd, an independent pilot selected by the New York Television Festival for its Independent Pilot Competition.[6] In 2017, she had a prominent guest-starring role in an episode of the TV series Teachers, playing Mrs. Chan, "a priggish mother of two and president of the parent group Two Million Moms".[7]
In a 2017 interview by The Guardian, she addressed barriers facing Asian actors:
Camille Chen... said she had been getting auditions for a wide range of parts and that her ethnicity had become an advantage as more industry leaders recognized the importance of diversity. But despite the significant progress – when she started her career 13 years ago, she felt she had no choice but to go up for the masseuses and prostitutes – Chen acknowledged that she never got to audition for principal characters in films. "I wish they would open their minds to having Asian Americans lead."[8][9]
Chen's performance as a "tactless doctor"[10] in a bit part in the 2018 film Game Night was reviewed in The Village Voice as "a deadpan gift",[11] in a scene described by The Hollywood Reporter as "one of Game Night's funnier scenes",[10] and by The New Yorker as making "memorable impressions".[12] Also in 2018, she guest-starred in multiple episodes of Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. as robbery-homicide department secretary Grace Kim.[13] She had a starring role in the independent pilot "I Was a Teenage Pillow Queen", premiered in September 2018 at the Tribeca TV Festival,[14] and in November 2018, she guest-starred in two episodes of Single Parents.[15] In January 2019, Chen guest-starred on an episode of God Friended Me.[16]
She has also appeared in about two dozen advertising campaigns, including some prominent commercial roles.[17]
In 2020, Chen appeared as a guest on the Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip marathon fundraiser episode of The George Lucas Talk Show.[18][better source needed] In 2021, she guest starred on the series finale of Rebel.[19]
Work
Feature films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The New Guy | Cheerleader | |
| 2003 | Hallow's End | Lily Moore | |
| 2003 | Sexless | Carissa | also makeup artist |
| 2003 | Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over | Processor | |
| 2018 | Game Night | Dr. Chin | [10][11] |
| 2019 | Yesterday | Wendy | [20] |
Short films
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Jason and the High Cost of Electricity | Weathergirl |
| 2002 | Triple Threat | Jenika |
| 2004 | Elegy | Hua Lee |
| 2005 | Passages | Gina |
| 2005 | Heavenly Beauties | Asian Beauty |
| 2006 | Spilled | Laura Lee |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Barbershop: The Series | Michelle | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | Without a Trace | Waitress | Episode: "Freefall" |
| 2006-7 | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | Samantha Li | Series regular |
| 2007 | Derek and Simon: The Show | Camille | 1 episode |
| 2007 | Ghost Whisperer | Jenna Chen | 1 episode |
| 2009 | Numb3rs | Zi-Zi | 1 episode |
| 2009 | Meteor | Lieutenant Quigley | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Law & Order | Emma Kim | Episode: "Just a Girl in the World" |
| 2010 | Private Practice | Lucia | 1 episode |
| 2010 | Eagles in the Chicken Coop | Pamela Holdsbar | 1 episode |
| 2010 | Grey's Anatomy | Kerry Schultz | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Californication | Heather Tracy | 1 episode |
| 2011 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Alice Katsu | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Dr. Maya Zhuang | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Royal Pains | Anna | 1 episode |
| 2012 | Touch | Serena | 1 episode |
| 2013 | American Horror Story: Asylum | April Mayfield | 1 episode |
| 2013 | Grimm | Jenna Marshall | Episode: "Nameless" |
| 2014 | Garfunkel & Oates | Caroline | 1 episode |
| 2015 | Backstrom | Celia Gu | 1 episode |
| 2016 | 2 Broke Girls | Evie | 1 episode |
| 2017 | House Hunters Renovation | Herself | Season 10, Episode 3 |
| 2017 | Lucifer | Sheila Vestal | Episode: "The One With The Baby Carrot" |
| 2017 | Teachers | Mrs. Chan | 1 episode |
| 2018 | Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. | Grace Kim | 4 episodes |
| 2018 | Single Parents | Lex | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | God Friended Me | Heidi James | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Carol's Second Act | Sharon | 1 episode |
| 2020 | The George Lucas Talk Show | Herself | Stu-D2 1138 on the Binary Sunset Sith (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip marathon) |
| 2021 | Rebel | Naomi Lee | 1 episode |
Voice
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Lost Universe | Nina Mercury/Little Girl |
| 1998 | Devil Lady | Kazumi Takiura |
| 1999 | Eden's Bowy | Elisiss |
| 2002 | Jing: King of Bandits | Fino |
Select television commercials
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Wendy's | one of the girls at the pool with Wendy |
| 2013 | Motorola - Moto X | Sophie, the phone-accessorizing girl |
| 2013 | State Farm | girl buying a new purse who doesn't have State Farm |
| 2015 | Experian | lady negotiating for the best furniture deal |
| 2016 | McDonald's | Mom with daughter |
| 2019 | Red Baron | Mom trying to prepare dinner |
| 2022 | GEICO | Motorcycle Rider/Rebel |
| 2022 | Verizon | Mother in family of 4 |
References
- ^ . Yahoo TV. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012.
- ^ . thewildeast.net. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ^ Tseng, Ada (December 6, 2006). "It's About to Shine Brighter on Studio 60". international.ucla.edu.
- ^ "Just a Girl in the World". Law & Order. Season 20. Episode 2. October 2, 2009.
- ^ "'Avenue Q' in Fullerton lives in harsh reality". Orange County Register. July 17, 2012.
- ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (August 15, 2016). "New York Television Festival Announces Independent Pilot Competition Selections". Variety.
- ^ Porch, Scott (March 14, 2017). "How Caitlin, Cate, Kate, Katy, Kathryn (Who Goes by Katie) and Katie Got a Show on TV Land Called 'Teachers' — and Why You Should Be Watching It". Decider.
- ^ Levin, Sam (April 11, 2017). "'We're the geeks, the prostitutes': Asian American actors on Hollywood's barriers". The Guardian.
- ^ Yuen, Nancy Wang (April 25, 2021). "Here's why Chloé Zhao's win matters for Asian women in Hollywood". CNN.
- ^ a b c Frosch, Jon (February 20, 2018). "'Game Night': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ a b ""Game Night" Is the Comedy Knockout We've Been Waiting For". www.villagevoice.com. February 21, 2018.
- ^ Brody, Richard (February 22, 2018). ""Game Night" and the Obsolete Exertions of Improv Comedy". The New Yorker.
- ^ "Guest Stars Announced For 'Unsolved: The Murders Of Tupac And The Notorious B.I.G.' - Blog - Unsolved". USA Network. October 24, 2017.
- ^ Travers, Ben (August 22, 2018). "Tribeca TV Festival 2018 Lineup: 'Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown' Premiere, Meryl Streep with Tracey Ullman, and More". IndieWire.
- ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (November 26, 2018). "SNL Vet Vanessa Bayer Joins ABC's Single Parents as Taran Killam's Ex".
- ^ craigbyrne (January 6, 2019). "God Friended Me Preview: "Ready Player Two"".
- ^ "Camille Chen TV Commercials". www.ispot.tv.
- ^ The George Lucas Talk Show - 'Stu-D2 1138 on the Binary Sunset Sith' Studio 60 Marathon at IMDb
- ^ "Scoop: Coming Up on the Series Finale of REBEL on ABC - Thursday, June 10, 2021". Broadway World. May 24, 2021.
- ^ Palmer, Jason (February 14, 2019). "Richard Curtis & Danny Boyle unite for new Beatles inspired rom-com Yesterday". Entertainment Focus.