Alexandra Dawn Wong (born April 19, 1982) is an American comedian and actress. She is best known for her

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

stand-up specials ''Baby Cobra'' (2016), ''Hard Knock Wife'' (2018), ''Don Wong'' (2022), and ''Single Lady'' (2024). The last of these won her a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

. She won another Golden Globe and two

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

s for her starring role in the Netflix dark comedy series ''

Beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

'' (2023), becoming the first Asian woman to win a lead acting Emmy. She was named one of ''Time''s 100 most influential people in 2020 and 2023. Wong was a cast member on the ABC show ''

American Housewife ''American Housewife'' is an American television sitcom created and written by Sarah Dunn and executive produced with Aaron Kaplan, Kenny Schwartz, Rick Wiener, and for the pilot only Ruben Fleischer. The show, which premiered on ABC on October ...

'' (2016–2021) and served as a writer for two episodes of the sitcom ''

Fresh Off the Boat ''Fresh Off the Boat'' is an American television sitcom created by Nahnatchka Khan and produced by 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. It is loosely inspired by the life of chef and food personality Eddie Huang and his 2013 autobiography ...

'' in 2015. She has voiced characters on the animated series '' Tuca & Bertie'' (2019–2022) and '' Big Mouth'' (2019–2023). She has also written and starred in the romantic comedy film '' Always Be My Maybe'' (2019).

Early life

Alexandra Dawn Wong was born in the neighborhood of

Pacific Heights Pacific Heights (often referred to as Pac Heights) is a wealthy neighborhood in San Francisco, California, United States. It has panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, the Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz, Presidio of San Fr ...

, San Francisco, on April 19, 1982. She is the youngest of four children in her family. Her

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...

mother, Tam "Tammy" Wong, moved from

Huế Huế (formerly Thừa Thiên Huế province) is the southernmost coastal Municipalities of Vietnam, city in the North Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam, approximately in the center of the country. It borders Quảng ...

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

(now

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

) in 1960 to work as a social worker in the U.S. Her Chinese-American father, Adolphus Wong (1937–2011), was an

anesthesiologist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative medicine, perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critica ...

who worked for

Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente (; KP) is an American integrated delivery system, integrated managed care consortium headquartered in Oakland, California. Founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield, Sidney R. Garfield, the ...

for 30 years. In 2000, Wong graduated from San Francisco University High School in San Francisco where she was student body class president. She went to

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, majoring in

Asian American studies Asian American Studies is an academic field originating in the 1960s, which critically examines the history, issues, sociology, religion, experiences, culture, and policies relevant to Asian Americans. It is closely related to other Ethnic Studies ...

. During her junior year, she studied in

Hanoi, Vietnam Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

. After college, she continued her education in Vietnam through a

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

program.

Career

After graduating from college, Wong first tried stand-up comedy when she was 23. She soon moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to pursue comedy and began performing as often as nine times in one night. In 2011, '' Variety'' named her one of the "10 Comics to Watch". Soon after, she appeared on ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...

'', ''John Oliver's New York Stand Up Show'' and

Dave Attell David Attell (born January 18, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer best known as the host of Comedy Central's '' Insomniac with Dave Attell.'' Early life Attell was born in the New York City borough of Queens to a Jewish fa ...

's ''Comedy Underground Show''. She was also cast as series regular in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

comedy series ''

Are You There, Chelsea? ''Are You There, Chelsea?'' (formerly known as ''Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea'') is an American television sitcom created by Dottie Zicklin and Julie Ann Larson for NBC. It is based on Chelsea Handler's 2008 best-selling book '' Are ...

''and appeared on ''

Chelsea Lately ''Chelsea Lately'' is an American late-night comedy talk show created by Brody Stevens and hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler. The show was produced by Handler's production company (Borderline Amazing Productions), and taped its later years a ...

''. Next, she was in

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

's ''Best Week Ever'', and

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

's ''Hey Girl'' in 2013. Additionally, she starred in

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born ) is an American filmmaker. Stone is an acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from the Vietnam War and American politics to musical film, musical Biographical film, biopics and Crime film, crime dramas. He has ...

's '' Savages'', and as Kate in the film '' Dealin' with Idiots''. In 2014, Wong played Dr. Lina Lark in the ABC medical drama series ''

Black Box In science, computing, and engineering, a black box is a system which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings. Its implementation is "opaque" (black). The te ...

'', opposite

Kelly Reilly Jessica Kelly Siobhán Reilly (born 18 July 1977) is an English actress. She first appeared on screen in 1995 on the series ''The Biz (TV series), The Biz''. Her other television work includes starring roles in the British crime drama ''Above S ...

and

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress. In her career spanning over six decades, she has garnered List of awards and nominations received by Vanessa Redgrave, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony A ...

. She guest-starred in three episodes of '' Inside Amy Schumer''. Wong worked as a writer on ''

,'' which premiered in 2015.

Randall Park Randall Park (born March 23, 1974) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his roles as Agent Jimmy Woo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, FBI Special Agent Edwin Park in the Netflix series '' The Residence'' (2025), Louis Hu ...

, who was a main cast member, had suggested Wong for the writing role. On

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in Mar ...

2016,

released a stand-up special called ''Baby Cobra''; the special was filmed at the Neptune Theater in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

in September 2015, when Wong was seven months pregnant with her first child. According to ''

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Clay Felker and Milton Glaser in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'' a ...

'', "The special's arrival on Netflix is the sort of star-making moment that unites the tastes of the unlikeliest fans". On September 11, 2016, Wong spoke at, and walked the runway during

New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning seven to nine days when international Fashion design, fashion collections are shown to buyers, the pres ...

for Opening Ceremony's show. Also in 2016, Wong starred in the ABC sitcom ''

'' until its cancellation in 2021. In 2018, Wong's second Netflix special, ''Hard Knock Wife,'' was released. It was filmed in 2017 at the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto when she was seven months pregnant with her second child. In the same year, she voiced the character Citrus Twisty, a soda genie, in an episode of '' OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes''. Wong starred with Randall Park in the 2019 Netflix film '' Always Be My Maybe'', a film directed by Nahnatchka Khan, and written by Wong, Park, and

Michael Golamco Michael Golamco is an American playwright and screenwriter for film and television. He is of Filipino and Chinese American descent. Plays ''Achievers'' ''Achievers'' (2001) was Golamco's first full-length play, and was read publicly in New York ...

. From 2019 to 2022, Wong voiced Bertie in the Netflix/

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

animated sitcom '' Tuca & Bertie''. On October 15, 2019, Wong published a book entitled '' Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets and Advice for Living Your Best Life''. She described it as a life guide for her daughters to read when they become adults. The book won the 2019 Goodreads Choice Award for Humor. In February 2022, Wong released her third Netflix stand-up special, ''Don Wong''. Wong co-starred with

Steven Yeun Sang-yeop Yeun (; born December 21, 1983), known professionally as Steven Yeun ( ), is an American actor. His accolades include two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Br ...

in the 2023 Netflix drama-comedy series ''

'', and was credited as an

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

alongside Yeun. For her performance in ''Beef'', Wong received a

Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film or Best Actress – Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television is a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Associat ...

. She was the first actress of Asian descent to win a Golden Globe in the category. Wong won a

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstand ...

making her the first actress of Asian descent to win a lead acting

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

. In October 2024, Wong was featured on the

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

talk show '' Hot Ones''.

Personal life

Wong met entrepreneur Justin Hakuta, the son of inventor Ken Hakuta, at the wedding of mutual friends in 2010. At the time, Hakuta was a

Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the peopl ...

and a student at

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

. They married in 2014 and have two daughters. In April 2022, Wong and Hakuta announced they had separated. Wong has said that they remain "best friends". In December 2023, Wong filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences", and the divorce was finalized in May 2024. Wong briefly dated actor

Bill Hader William Thomas Hader Jr.''Finding Your Roots'', January 26, 2016, PBS. (born June 7, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and director. He was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 20 ...

in late 2022. In April 2023, they reportedly resumed their relationship. They were seen together at the 75th Emmy Awards on January 15, 2024. In April 2025, Hader discussed how Wong comforted him and helped him replace his destroyed wardrobe after the

January 2025 Southern California wildfires From January 7 to 31, 2025, a series of 14 destructive wildfires affected the Los Angeles metropolitan area and San Diego County in California, United States. The fires were exacerbated by drought conditions, low humidity, a buildup of ve ...

Filmography

Film

Television

As herself

Book

Accolades

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Ali 1982 births 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American screenwriters Actresses from San Francisco Actresses of Vietnamese descent American actresses of Chinese descent American comedians of Chinese descent American film actresses American stand-up comedians American television actresses Television writers from California American women comedians American women television writers American writers of Chinese descent American writers of Vietnamese descent Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actress Golden Globe winners Comedians from San Francisco Living people Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Screen Actors Guild Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners University of California, Los Angeles alumni Writers from San Francisco