Rosalind Chao
She began acting at the age of five in a California-based Peking opera traveling company at the instigation of her parents who were already heavily involved, and during the summers they sent her to Taiwan to further develop her acting skills. As a child, she played the daughter of a laundry owner (played by James Hong) on the 1970 episode of Here's Lucy entitled "Lucy the Laundress".
For some time, Chao worked at Disneyland as an international tour guide.
Deciding not to pursue acting, Chao enrolled in the communications department at the University of Southern California where she earned her degree in journalism. However, after spending a year as a radio newswriting intern at the CBS-owned Hollywood radio station KNX, she soon returned to acting.
Her big break was with the role of Soon-Lee, a South Korean refugee, in the final episodes of the TV series M*A*S*H. Soon-Lee married longtime starring character Maxwell Klinger (Jamie Farr) in the series finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen", the most-watched U.S. sitcom television episode of all time as of 2021. Chao continued playing the character in the M*A*S*H sequel series: AfterMASH (1983), her first role billed at co-starring status.
Chao regularly portrayed the Japanese exo-botanist Keiko Ishikawa O'Brien on both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She was also originally considered for the part of Enterprise security chief Tasha Yar.
She's had recurring roles as Miss Chung on season 5 of Diff'rent Strokes, Li Ying on season 5 of Falcon Crest, Dr. Judith Lin on Citizen Baines, Dr. Kim on seasons 1 & 3 of The O.C., Pastor Jin on Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment B, Mrs. Wu on Sin City Saints, Caroline on Better Things, and Tina Tchen on The First Lady.
She's guest starred on numerous shows including This is Us, Code Black, The Catch, black-ish, The OA, Hawaii Five-O, Castle, Forever, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Bones, The Event, CSI, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, According to Jim, Six Feet Under, The Parkers, Monk, Without a Trace, Dharma & Greg, Once and Again, The West Wing, Family Law, ER, Brimstone, Chicago Hope, Murder She Wrote, thirty something, Jake & the Fatman, Miami Vice, Beauty and the Beast (1988), The A-Team, St. Elsewhere, Riptide, M*A*S*H,One Day at a Time (1981), Emergency!, The Incredible Hulk (1978), Here's Lucy, and more.
She has starred in several movies including The Joy Luck Club, North (1994), What Dreams May Come, Impostor, I Am Sam, Freaky Friday (2003), Just Like Heaven, Mulan (2020) as Mulan’s mother, Together Together, and The Starling.
In 2019, Chao was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences citing her contributions to critically acclaimed films The Joy Luck Club and I Am Sam.
Filmography (145 Appearances)
The Joy Luck Club 2
Freakier Friday
Sacramento
3 Body Problem
Not an Artist
The First Lady
The Starling
Sweet Tooth
Together Together
Mulan
Magic Camp
The L Word: Generation Q
The Laundromat
Plus One
Tragedy Girls
The OA
This Is Us
Better Things
The Catch
Code Black
The Muppets
Sin City Saints
Stockholm, Pennsylvania
black-ish
Forever
Intelligence
Knife Fight
The Neighbors
Ruth & Erica
Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23
Shameless
The Event
Hawaii Five-0
Trauma
Castle
Private Practice
Tell Me You Love Me
Nanking
Ben 10
Just Like Heaven
Bones
Grey's Anatomy
Life of the Party
W.I.T.C.H.
Center of the Universe
Medical Investigation
Century City
10-8: Officers on Duty
Inhabited
Freaky Friday
The O.C.
Without a Trace
MDs
Monk
I Am Sam
Impostor
According to Jim
Three Blind Mice
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Citizen Baines
The Man from Elysian Fields
Six Feet Under
Enemies of Laughter
Gideon's Crossing
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
The West Wing
Once and Again
Family Law
Get Real
The Parkers
Brimstone
What Dreams May Come
Dharma & Greg
The End of Violence
Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western
To Love, Honor and Deceive
Arli$$
The Daily Show
Special Report: Journey to Mars
Love Affair
ER
Chicago Hope
Under Suspicion
The Magic School Bus
North
Web of Deception
The Joy Luck Club
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Intruders
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
Thousand Pieces of Gold
Against the Law
Last Flight Out
Denial
Drug Wars: The Camarena Story
White Ghost
Shooter
Slam Dance
thirtysomething
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Jake and the Fatman
Beauty and the Beast
Tour of Duty
Private Eye
Max Headroom
Spies
The Tribulations of a Chinese Gentleman
Jack and Mike
Stingray
Murder, She Wrote
Miami Vice
Riptide
Going Berserk
AfterMASH
The Terry Fox Story
The A-Team
St. Elsewhere
Bring 'Em Back Alive
Moonlight
American Playhouse
Falcon Crest
Twirl
An Eye for an Eye
The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island
Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge
The Big Brawl
Bride of the Incredible Hulk
Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women
The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo
A Man Called Sloane
The Ultimate Impostor
Diff'rent Strokes
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Incredible Hulk
How the West Was Won
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
Battle of the Network Stars
One Day at a Time
Kojak
ABC Afterschool Special
M*A*S*H
Anna and the King
Emergency!
Here's Lucy
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson