CINEFILER

Rosalind Chao

Born
September 23, 1957
​Rosalind Chao is an American actress of Chinese heritage. Chao's most notable roles are as South Korean refugee Soon-Lee Klinger on CBS' AfterMASH, as Keiko O'Brien on both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Dr. Kim on The O.C., Rose Hsu Jordan in The Joy Luck Club (1993), and Hua Li, Mulan’s mother, in the live-action version of Mulan (2020). Chao is married to voice actor Simon Templeman; they have 2 children. 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.
Known For
Freaky Friday
(2003)
Pei-Pei
Mulan
(2020)
Hua Li
Plus One
(2019)
Angela Mori
The Laundromat
(2019)
Gu Kailai
Love Affair
(1994)
Lee
Just Like Heaven
(2005)
Fran
Magic Camp
(2020)
Lorraine (uncredited)
I Am Sam
(2001)
Lily
What Dreams May Come
(1998)
Leona
Impostor
(2001)
Newscaster (uncredited)
Tragedy Girls
(2017)
Mayor Campbell
Together Together
(2021)
Dr. Andrews
North
(1994)
Chinese Mom
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
(1992)
Cathy DiTolla
The Starling
(2021)
Fawn
The Big Brawl
(1980)
Mae
Full Filmography
Acting
Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women
(1979)
Flower
The Ultimate Impostor
(1979)
Lai-Ping
The Big Brawl
(1980)
Mae
Bride of the Incredible Hulk
(1980)
Receptionist
Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge
(1981)
Emily Chan
An Eye for an Eye
(1981)
Linda Chan
Twirl
(1981)
Kim King
The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island
(1981)
Hotel Clerk
Moonlight
(1982)
Daphne Wu
The Terry Fox Story
(1983)
Rika Noda
Going Berserk
(1983)
Kung Fu Girl
Slam Dance
(1987)
Mrs. Margaret Bell
The Tribulations of a Chinese Gentleman
(1987)
莲花 (Lian Hua)
White Ghost
(1988)
Thi Hau
Shooter
(1988)
Lan
Last Flight Out
(1990)
Tra Duong
Denial
(1990)
Terry
Thousand Pieces of Gold
(1991)
Lalu / Polly
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
(1992)
Cathy DiTolla
The Joy Luck Club
(1993)
Rose Hsu Jordan
Web of Deception
(1994)
Dr. Sheila Prosser
Love Affair
(1994)
Lee
North
(1994)
Chinese Mom
To Love, Honor and Deceive
(1996)
Sydney's Best Friend
Special Report: Journey to Mars
(1996)
Dr. Lin Yo Yu
The End of Violence
(1997)
Claire
Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western
(1997)
Self
What Dreams May Come
(1998)
Leona
Enemies of Laughter
(2000)
Carla
Three Blind Mice
(2001)
Li Mei Chen
I Am Sam
(2001)
Lily
Impostor
(2001)
Newscaster (uncredited)
The Man from Elysian Fields
(2001)
Female Customer
Freaky Friday
(2003)
Pei-Pei
Inhabited
(2003)
Ms. Montane
Just Like Heaven
(2005)
Fran
Life of the Party
(2005)
Mei Lin
Nanking
(2007)
Chang Yu Zheng
Knife Fight
(2013)
Kate - Focus Group Moderator
Stockholm, Pennsylvania
(2015)
Dr. Andrews
Tragedy Girls
(2017)
Mayor Campbell
Plus One
(2019)
Angela Mori
The Laundromat
(2019)
Gu Kailai
Magic Camp
(2020)
Lorraine (uncredited)
Mulan
(2020)
Hua Li
The Starling
(2021)
Fawn
Together Together
(2021)
Dr. Andrews
Sacramento
(2024)
Data provided by TMDB