Dennis Gong Dun (born April 19, 1952) is an American stage and screen actor.
Early life and education
Of
Chinese Jamaican descent, Dun was born in
Stockton,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. He trained in
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...
and
Chinese opera
Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more tha ...
growing up.
He originally studied marketing in college, before developing an interest in acting.
Career
Theatre
Dun began acting at the
Asian American Theater Company in
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, California.
He has appeared onstage at
East West Players,
Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and
Lodestone Theatre Ensemble. For his performance in
Chay Yew's ''A Language of Their Own'' at the
Celebration Theatre, he won an
LA Weekly Theater Award for
Ensemble Performance (shared with
Noel Alumit, Anthony David and
Chris Tashima). He has participated in both the film and theatre labs at the
Sundance Institute.
Dun wrote and performed the
one-man show ''Giant Oranges'', commissioned by the
Mark Taper Forum and produced by
Chay Yew's Solo Works Festival in Los Angeles.
Film and television
Dun made his film debut in
Michael Cimino
Michael Antonio Cimino ( , ; February 3, 1939 – July 2, 2016) was an American filmmaker. He achieved fame as the director of ''The Deer Hunter'' (1978), which won five Academy Awards, including Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Picture and ...
's crime drama ''
Year of the Dragon'' (1985). He was cast to play the co-lead role, Wang Chi, in
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor. Most commonly associated with horror film, horror, action film, action, and science fiction film, science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is ...
's cult classic film ''
Big Trouble in Little China'' (1986). He played
Puyi
Puyi (7 February 190617 October 1967) was the final emperor of China, reigning as the eleventh monarch of the Qing dynasty from 1908 to 1912. When the Guangxu Emperor died without an heir, Empress Dowager Cixi picked his nephew Puyi, aged tw ...
's valet Big Li in the historical epic ''
The Last Emperor'' (1987), which won nine
Oscars
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence i ...
including
Best Picture.
Dun has also had prominent roles in Carpenter's ''
Prince of Darkness'' (
1987
Events January
* January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency.
* January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
* January 3 – Afghan leader ...
), ''
Life Is Cheap... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive'' (1989), ''
Thousand Pieces of Gold'' (
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
), and ''
Warriors of Virtue'' (
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
).
In addition, he has appeared in
independent Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans with ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants).
Although this term had historically been used fo ...
projects such as ''
My American Vacation'' (1999) and ''
My Life Disoriented'' (2006).
For three seasons he was a regular cast member on the
NBC television series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
''
Midnight Caller'' (1988–1991).
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
Dennis Dun bio on www.mylifedisoriented.comDennis Dun at AboutTheArtists
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dun, Dennis
1952 births
Living people
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American male stage actors
American male actors of Chinese descent
American dramatists and playwrights of Chinese descent
Male actors from California
People from Stockton, California
American actors of Jamaican descent