American actor
Ken Leung 梁振邦
Born (1970-01-21 ) January 21, 1970 (age 54) Alma mater New York University Occupation Actor Years active 1995–present Children 1[1]
Kenneth Leung (born January 21, 1970)[2] is an American actor. His roles include Sang in Rush Hour , Miles Straume in Lost , Admiral Statura in Star Wars: The Force Awakens , and Eric Tao in HBO's Industry .
Early life
Leung was born in New York City ,[3] to Chinese parents, and was initially raised in the Two Bridges section of the Lower East Side of Manhattan .[3] His family moved to Midwood , Brooklyn ,[3] where he grew up before finishing high school in Old Bridge , New Jersey .[3] Leung had a brother, Kevin, who drowned.[4]
Leung attended New York University studying physical therapy .[5] He discovered acting in his junior year , studying with Catherine Russell and Nan Smithner,[3] and then briefly with Anne Jackson at HB Studio .[3] During this time, he acted mostly in downtown spaces and black box theaters, working with groups such as Ma-Yi Theater Company , New Perspectives, and STAR, a troupe of actors-educators based at Mount Sinai Hospital in 2002.[3]
Career
In 1998, Leung made his debut as the villainous henchman Sang opposite Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in Brett Ratner 's Rush Hour .[5] He would later work with Ratner in the films Red Dragon , The Family Man , and X-Men: The Last Stand . Edward Norton cast Leung in his directorial debut Keeping the Faith in 2000.[6] In 1998, he played James the Less and God in Terrence McNally 's passion play, Corpus Christi , and in 2002 made his Broadway debut in the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie , also appearing on the cast recording.
In 2007, he starred in the independent film Shanghai Kiss ,[6] with Hayden Panettiere . That same year he guest-starred in the final season of the HBO drama series The Sopranos .[6] From 2007, he starred as Miles Straume in 45 episodes of the ABC drama Lost ,[6] from the series' fourth season, through the rest of its run.[6]
From 2014, Leung starred as Topher Zia in the series The Night Shift .[7]
In 2022, Leung landed a main role playing Harper’s boss, Eric Tao in HBO 's Industry .[8]
In 2024, he plays Commander Zhao in the Netflix series Avatar: The Last Airbender .[8]
Personal life
Leung understands Cantonese. He is married to Nancy Bulalacao, who is of Filipina descent.[9] Leung and Bulalacao welcomed their son in 2015.[10]
Filmography
Film
Television
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1995, 2000, 2002
Law & Order
Chung; Tommy Wong; Stephen Wong
4 episodes
1997
New York Undercover
David Kwan
Episode: "Vendetta"
2000
Wonderland
Episode: "Spell Check"
Deadline
Fung
Episode : "Pilot"
2001
Oz
Bian Yixue
Episode: "Conversions"
2004
The Jury
Ken Arata
Episode: "Memories"
Whoopi
Terrence
Episode: "Identity Crisis"
Strip Search
Liu Tsung-Yuan
Television film
Sucker Free City
Lincoln Ma
2005
Hate
Mo
2007
The Sopranos
Carter Chong
Episode : "Remember When "
2008–2010
Lost
Miles Straume
Series regular; 45 episodes
2011
The Good Wife
Shen Yuan
Episode: "Great Firewall"
2012–2013
Person of Interest
Leon Tao
Episodes: "The Contingency ", "Critical ", "Relevance ", "All In "
2013
Zero Hour
Father Reggie
8 episodes
2013
Deception
Donald Cheng
Episodes: "Nothing's Free, Little Girl", "A Drop of Blood and a Microscope"
2014–2016
The Night Shift
Topher Zia
Main, Seasons 1–3, 35 episodes[7]
2017
Inhumans
Karnak
Main role, 8 episodes
2019
High Maintenance
Gene
Episode: "Fingerbutt"
2019
The Blacklist
Michael Sima
6 episodes
2020–present
Industry
Eric Tao
Main role
2022–2023
Pantheon
Bai Fu, Lieutenant, Protester, Triumvirate (voice)
4 episodes
2023–2024
Velma
Darren (voice)
-
2024
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Commander Zhao
References
^ Hertz, Barry (27 November 2020). "Industry's Ken Leung delivers the breakout HBO performance of the year" . The Globe and Mail .
^ Rose, Mike (January 21, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 21, 2023 includes celebrities Luke Grimes, Geena Davis" . Cleveland.com . Retrieved January 21, 2023 .
^ a b c d e f g "Ken Leung: Movies, TV & Bio" . amazon.com . Retrieved January 8, 2024 .
^ "The Water in May, Ken Leung on the Death of His Brother and the Journey to Bring Him Home" . GQ.
^ a b Walter Dawkins (May 25, 2008). "Ken Leung: Quiet Actor, Always Kept to Himself" . The Washington Post .
^ a b c d e "Ken Leung Credits" . tvguide.com . Retrieved January 8, 2024 .
^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (November 22, 2016). " 'The Night Shift': Ken Leung Not returning for Season 4" . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 22, 2016 .
^ a b William Goodman (August 23, 2022). "Ken Leung Talks 'Industry' and Eric Tao's Big Episode" . complex.com .
^ "Ken Leung Wife: The Mystery Behind the Actor's Personal Life" . Career Gear.
^ "NANCY A. BULALACAO-LEUNG" . Filipino American Museum.
^ Brett Ratner, Simon Kinberg, Zak Penn (2006). Audio Commentary (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
External links
Interviews