Ming-Na Wen

Ming-Na Wen (; born November 20, 1963) is an American actress and model. She has won multiple awards throughout her career, including an Annie Award and a Saturn Award, in addition to a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. She was honored as a Disney Legend in 2019 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.

Wen’s breakthrough role was as June Woo in '' The Joy Luck Club'' (1993). Other early successes include the role of Dr. Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen in the medical drama series '' ER'' (1995–2004) and her voice role as Fa Mulan in the Walt Disney Animated Classic ''Mulan'', as well as its sequel ''Mulan II'', several video games and guest appearances in TV shows such as ''Sofia the First''. Additionally, Wen made a cameo appearance in the live-action remake of ''Mulan'' (2020).

Wen is well-known for playing agent Melinda May in the Marvel series '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2013–2020) and has also appeared in the Star Wars franchise as the bounty hunter Fennec Shand, appearing in ''The Mandalorian'' (2019–2020), '' Star Wars: The Bad Batch'' (2021, 2024), and '' The Book of Boba Fett'' (2021–2022). Other notable roles include that of Chun-Li in ''Street Fighter'' (1994), Detective Ellen Yin in '' The Batman'' (2004–2005), and Camile Wray in ''Stargate Universe'' (2009–2011).

Early life, family and education

Wen was born on November 20, 1963, on Coloane, one of the two main islands of Macau. Her mother Lin Chan Wen moved to Macau in the 1950s from Suzhou, China, to escape communism. Her father is of Malaysian Chinese descent. She has an older brother Jonathan and a younger brother Leong.

Wen's parents divorced when she was an infant, and she moved with her brother and mother to Hong Kong, where she attended a Catholic school. Her mother worked three jobs to provide for the family. Her mother remarried to Chinese American Soo Lim Yee, and when Wen was four years old, the family moved to New York City. Her younger brother Leong was born there.

After five years, Wen's mother and stepfather relocated their family to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, where they bought and operated the Chinatown Inn restaurant (established in 1943), which is still in business. They resided in the suburb of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and Wen attended Mount Lebanon High School. She majored in theatre at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, graduating in 1986.

Career

1985–1997: Breakthrough with ''The Joy Luck Club''

Wen's first television role was as a royal trumpeter in the children's television series ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' in 1985. From 1988 to 1991, she played Lien Hughes, the daughter of Tom Hughes, on the soap opera ''As the World Turns''.

After starring in the film '' The Joy Luck Club'' (1993), Wen landed the role of Dr. Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen on the NBC drama series '' ER''. It was a recurring role during the 1994–1995 season, and she returned in 1999 as a series regular, remaining on the show until midway through Season 11 in 2004. Wen played Chun-Li in ''Street Fighter'' (1994) and co-starred on the sitcom '' The Single Guy'' from 1995 to 1997.

1998–2012: ''Mulan'', established actress and other ventures

Wen provided the voice for the title character in the 1998 animated film ''Mulan'', its direct-to-video sequel, ''Mulan II'', and the video game ''Kingdom Hearts II'', subsequently winning an Annie Award. She voiced Aki Ross in the animated film '' Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within'' and Detective Ellen Yin in the animated series '' The Batman''. She voiced a minor character Jade in the HBO animated series ''Spawn''.

In 2004, Wen won a Hollywood Home Game on the World Poker Tour. In the fall of 2005, she starred on the NBC drama series '' Inconceivable'' as the lead character Rachel Lu. The series was cancelled after two episodes. Her next TV role was an FBI agent in the Fox kidnapping drama series '' Vanished'', which premiered in the fall of 2006, but it too was cancelled. She played a college professor in the comedy series '' George Lopez''.

From October 8 through October 29, 2007, Wen (billed as Ming Wen) appeared in a four-episode arc of CBS's ''Two and a Half Men'' playing Charlie Sheen's love interest, a judge closer to his own age. In November 2008, she guest-starred on two ABC series: '' Private Practice'' and ''Boston Legal''. From December 5 to 6, 2008, Wen starred in a benefit production of the musical '' Grease'' with "Stuttering John" Melendez at the Class Act Theatre.

Wen was cast as a regular in the ''Stargate Universe'' television series from October 2009 to May 2011 as political attaché Camile Wray. Wen appears in ''Disney Through the Decades'', a documentary short about the history of The Walt Disney Company, hosting the 1990s section.

Wen appeared on the Syfy series '' Eureka'' as the inquisitive U.S. Senator Michaela Wen, beginning in season four in 2011 and then serving as a major villain in the fifth and final season in 2012.

2013–present: ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', ''Star Wars'' and other works

Wen starred as Agent Melinda May in the ABC superhero drama series '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', which premiered on September 24, 2013.

In August 2014, Wen reprised her role as Mulan for the first time since ''Kingdom Hearts II'' in the Disney Channel series ''Sofia the First''. Wen's daughter has a recurring role on the show as Princess Jun.

On December 7, 2017, Marvel Entertainment launched a new animation film franchise, '' Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors''. Wen voiced Hala the Accuser, the main antagonist of the film, working with ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' co-star Chloe Bennet. That same year, she once again provided the voice of Mulan in ''Ralph Breaks the Internet''.

In 2019, it was announced that Wen would be a cast member of the ''Star Wars'' TV series ''The Mandalorian'' playing Fennec Shand. She reprised the role vocally in '' Star Wars: The Bad Batch'' and the live-action series '' The Book of Boba Fett''.

In 2022, Wen made an appearance on ''Young Sheldon'' as Dr. Lee, an experimental physicist responsible for mitigating conflict within a team of scientists. She is set to recur on the second season of HBO Max's '' Hacks''.

Artistry and legacy

Wen's roles as Melinda May and Fennec Shand in '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' and '' The Book of Boba Fett'', respectively, have received critical acclaim. In December 2021, she was included in the list of BBC's '' 100 Women of 2021''. Wen received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.

She is also well known for her work with Disney. ''WDW Magazine'' writer Aaron Widmar called Wen an "incredibly talented Chinese actress, who has had a remarkable career that seems to only gain steam as it progresses—a rarity in Hollywood". He went on to say that she has "broken through barriers for Asian performers". In a 2014 article by a Chinese evening magazine based in Kunming, China, the ''Spring City Evening News'' wrote that "among the second-generation Chinese children who immigrated to the United States with their parents, Wen adhered to the excellent Chinese culture and etiquette." She was named a Disney Legend at the 2019 D23 Expo for her outstanding contributions to the Disney company.

Personal life

In 1990, Wen married American film writer Kirk Aanes. They divorced three years later. On June 16, 1995, Wen married Eric Michael Zee and together they have a daughter and a son. Wen's first pregnancy was written into the '' ER'' script, with her character placing the child for adoption. Wen's daughter followed her mother's footsteps in voice acting and voices Princess Jun in the Disney Channel-animated series ''Sofia the First'', credited as Michaela Zee.

Wen is trilingual, fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. She is a Buddhist.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web series

Video games

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

*
*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wen, Ming-Na
1959 births
Living people
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from California
Models from California
American actresses of Chinese descent
American people of Malaysian descent
American film actresses
American models
American soap opera actresses
American Buddhists
American video game actresses
American voice actresses
Annie Award winners
Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni
Disney Legends
Macau emigrants to the United States
Macau emigrants to Hong Kong
Mt. Lebanon High School alumni
Hong Kong emigrants to the United States
People from Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
21st-century Macau people