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Star Trek Botanist
Background:
"When I leave Los Angeles to do something, that's when I
notice how into ‘Star Trek’ and how loyal to the shows'
actors the fans are. The fans will notice me on the street and ask me
questions about Keiko's personal relationships, especially the female
fans. They're very concerned, because they want her to maintain her
career. They always talk to me about that. It's very funny."
Rosalind Chao
Actress Rosalind Chao was first noticed in the early '70s while
playing Princess Serena, the King's eldest daughter, on the
short-lived CBS series "Anna and the King" (1972). She then
played the recurring role of school teacher Miss Chung (1981-1983) on
the popular, long-running sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes," and
appeared on the final two-hour episode of the acclaimed CBS medical
comedy series "M*A*S*H," as Soon-Lee (1983), a Korean woman
who meets, loves and marries Jamie Farr's Corporal Klinger character.
She also played the recurring role of Li-Ying Chi (1986), daughter of
enigmatic housekeeper Chao-Li, on the CBS primetime television soap
opera "Falcon Crest."
Chao is probably best known as the Japanese botanist Keiko O'Brien
(1991-1992), the wife of Colm Meaney's Miles Edward O'Brien, on the
syndicated sci-fi series "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
She would later reprise the role on the syndicated sci-fi spinoff
series, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993-1999) and
guest-star as Dr. Kim (2003-2006) on several episodes of FOX’s
teen drama series "The O.C."
Meanwhile, moviegoers could catch her in the films "The Big
Brawl" (1980), "Slam Dance" (1987), "Thousand
Pieces of Gold" (1991), "Memoirs of an Invisible Man"
(1992), "The Joy Luck Club" (1993), "The End of
Violence" (1997), "Enemies of Laughter" (2000), "I
Am Sam" (2001), "Freaky Friday" (2003) and "Just
Like Heaven" (2005).
The 5' 6" actress is married to voice actor Simon Templeman
and has one son with him.
First-Generation Californian
Childhood and Family:
A first-generation Californian, Rosalind Chao was born on
September 23, 1957, in Anaheim, California. Her parents ran a
successful Chinese American pancake restaurant, Chao's, across the
street from Disneyland, and employed her there from an early age.
After moving from Garden Grove to Villa Park, California, Chao
attended Marywood, an all-girls school where she was the only
non-Caucasian student. She studied literature at Pomona College, in
Pomona, California, and graduated in 1978. She also went to The Loft
Studio, in Los Angeles, California, and was enrolled in the
communications department at U.S.C. where she hoped to go into
broadcasting. However, she decided to return to acting after a
disillusioning year at the CBS-owned radio station in Hollywood.
Chao is the wife of well-known voice actor Simon Templeman, who is
best known for voicing the character "Kain" in the “Legacy
of Kain” video game series. She has one son with him.
M*A*S*H
Career:
Rosalind Chao, who convinced her parents to let her perform with
the Peking Opera traveling company in California when she was 7,
studied acting during Christmas and summer vacations and began
appearing on TV in commercials and in guest spots as a teen. After
being enrolled in the communications department at U.S.C. where she
hoped to go into broadcasting, she decided to return to acting after
signing a two-year contract with a comedy development team at Embassy
Television and worked part-time as a news writer at KNX, the
CBS-owned and operated all-news radio station in Los Angeles.
Around the late '60s, Chao's father encouraged her to audition for
the 70s TV sitcom "Here's Lucy" (1968). After being
featured in the pilot titled "Almost American" in 1972, she
became a TV series regular on the short-lived CBS series "Anna
and the King," playing Princess Serena, the king's eldest
daughter.
The newcomer subsequently landed guest spots in a string of TV
series, including ABC’s award-winning western/drama starring
David Carradine, "Kung Fu," ABC's "The Hardy
Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries," CBS/USA Network’s crime/drama
starring Telly Savalas, "Kojak," CBS’ live-action
series starring Lou Ferrigno and based on the Marvel comic book
character, "The Incredible Hulk," the western show "How
the West Was Won," CBS’ live-action series starring
Nicholas Hammond based on the popular comic book, "The Amazing
Spider-Man," and NBC’s secret agent adventure television
series starring Robert Conrad, "A Man Called Sloane." She
also appeared in ABC Afterschool Specials' “P.J. and the
President's Son” (1976) and in the made-for-television movies
"The Incredible Hulk: Married" (1978), "The Ultimate
Impostor" (1979) and "Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women"
(1979).
In the early '80s, Chao acted in her first feature films,
writer/director Robert Clouse's martial arts movie "The Big
Brawl," which marked Jackie Chan's first attempt to break into
the American movie market, and "Spider-Man: The Dragon's
Challenge," alongside Nicholas Hammond. From 1981 to 1983, she
played the recurring role of Miss Chung, a school teacher, on
NBC/ABC’s popular, long-running sitcom "Diff'rent
Strokes."
Afterward, Chao appeared on the final two-hour episode of the
acclaimed CBS medical comedy series, "M*A*S*H" (1983) had a
breakthrough TV-movie role in the HBO movie "The Terry Fox
Story" (1983). She revisited the role of Soon-Lee Klinger on the
CBS spinoff series, "AfterMASH" (1983) and appeared in the
comedy film directed and co-written by David Steinberg, "Going
Berserk" (1983), alongside John Candy, Joe Flaherty, and Eugene
Levy.
1986 saw Chao in her first leading role on TV in the PBS drama
adaptation of "Paper Angels." She also played the recurring
role of Li-Ying Chi on the CBS primetime television soap opera
"Falcon Crest."
Chao spent the rest of the decade guest-starring in such TV shows
as NBC’s detective show "Riptide," NBC’s
medical drama series "St. Elsewhere," NBC’s action
adventure television series "The A-Team," the spy show
starring George Hamilton, "Spies," the short-lived NBC
crime/drama starring Nick Mancuso, "Stingray," ABC's
short-lived science fiction series "Max Headroom," CBS’
romantic drama "Beauty and the Beast," CBS’ Vietnam
war/drama "Tour of Duty," NBC’s crime/drama "Miami
Vice," and CBS crime/drama starring William Conrad and Joe
Penny, "Jake and the Fatman." She also appeared in the TV
movies "Jack & Mike" (1986) and "Shooter"
(1988), as well as in the films "Shao ye de mo nan" (1986),
"Slam Dance" (1987) and "White Ghost" (1988).
Entering the '90s, Chao landed a lead role in the feature film
"Thousand Pieces of Gold" (1991), Nancy Kelly's romantic
western film adapted from Ruthanne Lum McCunn's novel in which she
portrayed a young Chinese girl sold into marriage by her impoverished
father. Afterward, she played the recurring role of the Japanese
botanist Keiko O'Brien (1991-1992), the wife of Colm Meaney's Miles
Edward O'Brien, on the syndicated sci-fi series "Star Trek: The
Next Generation." She would later reprise the role on the
syndicated sci-fi spinoff series, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,"
which premiered in 1993 and ended in 1999.
While auditioning for the part of Keiko O'Brien on "Star
Trek: The Next Generation" (1987), Chao was up against actress
Patti Yasutake who also auditioned for the role. Chao eventually
received the role and Yasutake got the part of Nurse Allysa Ogawa on
the same show. Chao turned down the chance to work full-time on "Star
Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993) so she could spend more time with
her family.
Chao also played a lead in Wayne Wang's film adaptation of Amy
Tan's 1989 best-selling novel "The Joy Luck Club" (1993)
and was cast in the films "North" (1994), "Love
Affair" (1994) and "The End of Violence" (1997). She
also had minor roles in Vincent Ward's film version of Richard
Matheson's novel, "What Dreams May Come" (1998), alongside
Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., Annabella Sciorra, and Max von
Sydow.
"I'm very grateful to the 'Star Trek' people because they
made it possible for me to participate in a movie that really made a
difference to Asian-Americans and it made a difference in my life as
well." Rosalind Chao
On the small screen, Chao could be seen in the TV movies "Web
of Deception" (1994), "Special Report: Journey to Mars"
(1996) and "To Love, Honor, and Deceive" (1996). She also
guest-starred in the TV series "Murder, She Wrote,"
"Chicago Hope," "The Magic School Bus,"
"Brimstone," "Get Real" and "ER."
Hitting the new millennium, Chao co-starred with David Paymer and
Judge Reinhold in Joey Travolta's romantic comedy "Enemies of
Laughter" and was spotted as a guest in an episode of CBS’
romantic crime drama series starring Kathleen Quinlan, "Family
Law." She then appeared in the films "The Man from Elysian
Fields" (2001), "I Am Sam" (2001) and "Impostor"
(2001) and the TV movie "Three Blind Mice" (2001).
From 2003 to 2006, Chao guest-starred as Dr. Kim on several
episodes of FOX’s teen drama series "The O.C." During
this time, she played Lt. Maggie Chen on the short-lived ABC police
drama series "10-8: Officers on Duty" (2003-2004) and
appeared in three episodes of HBO’s "Six Feet Under."
She was spotted as a guest in an episode of "Without a Trace,"
"Monk," "The Parkers," "Medical
Investigation," "Center of the Universe," "According
to Jim," and "Ben 10" and had a small role in the
remake of "Freaky Friday" (2003). She was then cast in the
films "Life of the Party" (2005) and "Just Like
Heaven" (2005).
Cho recently lent her voice in a November episode of the French
animated television series based on the Italian comic book series,
"W.I.T.C.H.," and played a recurring guest role on the HBO
series "Tell Me You Love Me" (2007).
Awards:
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