Christina Chong is a British actress and singer. She has appeared in several notable roles in film and television, including ''

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

'', ''

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'', '' Halo: Nightfall'', ''

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'', ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'', and '' 24: Live Another Day''. She plays La'an Noonien Singh in the

Paramount+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...

original series '' Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'' (2022present).

Early life and education

Chong was born in Enfield, the daughter of a Chinese father and an English mother. She was first raised with her five siblings in

Broxbourne Broxbourne is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, England, with a population of 15,303 at the 2011 Census.Broxbourne Town population 2011 It is located to the south of Hoddesdon and to the north of Cheshunt, north of London. ...

. Later, after her parents separated, she moved with her mother and siblings to

Longridge Longridge is a market town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is situated north-east of the city of Preston, at the western end of Longridge Fell, a long ridge above the River Ribble. The nearest vi ...

, her mother's hometown. Chong started dancing at the age of four and attended the Sutcliffe School of Dance in Longridge. At 14, she gained a place at the

Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, also known simply as Italia Conti, is a drama school based in Woking, Woking, England. It was founded by the English actress Italia Conti in 1911. Italia Conti offers courses in acting, musical theatre, ...

in London, graduating five years later. After graduation, in 2003 she got a role in

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

's musical ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is a tragic opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 De ...

'' being performed at the Colosseum Theatre in

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

. An injury cut short her career in

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

, so she turned to acting, training at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in

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for 18 months. She returned to London, where she initially had trouble finding work, acting only in a few small supporting roles and commercials. To support herself, she gave acting lessons at schools and held a part-ownership of her chef father's Chinese restaurant in

Harpenden Harpenden () is a town and civil parish in the City and District of St Albans in the county of Hertfordshire, England. The population of the built-up area was 30,674 in the 2021 census, while the population of the civil parish was 31,128. Harpe ...

.Susannah Butte
''May the force be with her: Christina Chong on why joining Star Wars has been such an incredible adventure''
London Evening Standard, 3 November 2014

Career

In 2011, Chong made her breakthrough with supporting roles in the movies '' W.E.'' and '' Johnny English Reborn'' and TV appearances in the ''

'' episode " A Good Man Goes to War", and as a regular cast member in the medical series ''Monroe''. In the next three years, she had regular and guest roles in a number of different British and American TV series. In 2014, Chong was cast in a minor role in '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', but was not seen in the final cut of the film. In 2015, she had a recurring role in the second season of the SyFy series ''

Dominion A dominion was any of several largely self-governance, self-governing countries of the British Empire, once known collectively as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations''. Progressing from colonies, their degrees of self-governing colony, colon ...

'' as Zoe Holloway, a member of Vega’s Archangel Corps, who becomes the leader of the rebellion of the city's lower classes. , Chong appears in the main cast of the

streaming series '' Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'' as La'an Noonien Singh, a descendant of the character Khan Noonien Singh.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Christina Chong ('Doctor Who') interview

Interview about her roles in Doctor Who and Monroe
(Red Carpet TV, 8 mins) {{DEFAULTSORT:Chong, Christina Living people 1983 births 21st-century English actresses Actresses from Hertfordshire Actresses from Lancashire Actresses from London Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts English film actresses English people of Chinese descent English television actresses Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni People from Broxbourne People from Longridge Singers from the London Borough of Enfield Actors from the London Borough of Enfield 21st-century English people People from Enfield, London Actors from the Borough of Broxbourne