| Ken Leung | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kenneth Leung January 21, 1970 New York City, New York |
| Years active | 1995— |
Kenneth Leung (born January 21, 1970) is an American actor best known for his roles in popular movies such as Shanghai Kiss, Rush Hour (film) and X-Men: The Last Stand. Most recently Leung became known for his starring role as Miles Straume in the popular ABC drama television series Lost.
Contents |
Biography
Early life
Leung was born in New York City and initially raised in the Two Bridges section of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. His family moved to Midwood, Brooklyn where he grew up before finishing high school in Old Bridge, New Jersey.
Leung later attended New York University (NYU) as a University Scholar and discovered acting in his junior year, where he studied acting with Catherine Russell and Nan Smithner, then briefly with Anne Jackson at HB Studio. During this time he also acted mostly in downtown spaces and black boxes, finding artistic homes with groups such as Ma-Yi, New Perspectives, and STAR, a traveling group of actors-educators based in Mount Sinai Hospital.
Career
In 1997, Leung made his debut in Brett Ratner's Rush Hour. Ratner stated, "[Ken]'s a great actor. In my opinion, he's equivalent to Philip Seymour Hoffman as far as talent is concerned [1]. Edward Norton cast him in his directorial debut Keeping the Faith in 2000. Since then Leung has appeared in several independent and television films, as well as features, including four films with Brett Ratner and two with Spike Lee. 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 Tony Award-winning musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie (and appears on the cast recording).
In 2007, he starred in the independent film Shanghai Kiss with Hayden Panettiere, and earned a Special Mention at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival for his breakthrough performance. That same year he guest-starred in one episode of the final season of the HBO drama series The Sopranos. This memorable guest role inspired the producers of the ABC drama Lost to cast him in a regular role as Miles Straume in the series' fourth season.[2][3]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Pictures of Baby Jane Doe | Shopkeeper | |
| Welcome to the Dollhouse | Barry | ||
| 1997 | Red Corner | Peng | |
| Kundun | (voice) | ||
| 1998 | Fly | Jeremy Kim | |
| Rush Hour | Sang | ||
| 1999 | Man of the Century | Mike Ramsey | |
| 2000 | Keeping the Faith | Don | |
| Maze | Dr. Mikao | ||
| The Family Man | Sam Wong the Deli Clerk | ||
| 2001 | Artificial Intelligence: A.I. | Syatyoo-Sama | |
| Home Sweet Hoboken | |||
| Spy Game | Li | ||
| Vanilla Sky | Art Editor | ||
| 2002 | Face | Willie | |
| Red Dragon | Lloyd Bowman | ||
| 2004 | Saw | Detective Steven Sing | |
| Strip Search | Liu Tsung-Yuan | TV Movie | |
| Sucker Free City | Lincoln Ma | TV Movie | |
| 2005 | Hate | Mo | TV Movie |
| The Squid and the Whale | School Therapist | ||
| 2006 | Inside Man | Wing | |
| X-Men: The Last Stand | Kid Omega | ||
| 2007 | Year of the Fish | Johnny | |
| Shanghai Kiss | Liam Liu | Received a Special Mention at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival for his breakthrough performance. | |
| East Broadway | Ming | ||
| 2009 | Saw V | Detective Steven Sing | Cameo |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 2000 2002 |
Law & Order | Chung; Tommy Wong; Stephen Wong | |
| 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 | |
| 2007 | The Sopranos | Carter Chong | Episode: Remember When |
| 2008-2010 | Lost | Miles Straume | Starring Role |
References
- ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/23/AR2008052300743.html
- ^ "Ken Leung - Guide Note". Mahalo. http://www.mahalo.com/Ken_Leung. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (2007-08-19). "Exclusive: Sopranos Scene-stealer Gets Lost!". The Ausiello Report, TV Guide. http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Exclusive-Sopranos-Scenestealer/800020628. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
External links
- Ken Leung at the Internet Movie Database
- Ken Leung at the Internet Broadway Database
- Ken Leung at Lostpedia
- Interviews
- Washington Post, May 25, 2008
- Asia Pacific Arts - UCLA Asia Institute, May 30, 2008
- IFC, August 27, 2008
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