Benedict Wong
Benedict Wong (born 3 July 1971) is a British actor who has appeared on stage, film and television. Wong is known for portraying Kublai Khan in Netflix's Marco Polo (2014–2016) and Bruce Ng in The Martian (2015).
Benedict Wong | |||||||||||||
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.jpg.webp) Wong at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con | |||||||||||||
| Born | 3 July 1971 Eccles, Lancashire, England | ||||||||||||
| Occupation | Actor | ||||||||||||
| Years active | 1992–present | ||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 黃凱旋 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 黄凯旋 | ||||||||||||
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Wong portrays Wong in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making his first appearance in Doctor Strange (2016) and later in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Early life and education
Wong was born in Eccles, Lancashire, England, to parents who had emigrated from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom via Ireland.[1] He was brought up in Salford.[2] He attended De La Salle Sixth Form College on Weaste Lane, Salford after leaving high school. He took a two-year performing arts course at Salford City College.[3]
Career
His first role was in a 1993 BBC Radio play called Kai Mei Sauce, written by Kevin Wong. He appeared as Errol Spears alongside Sean Lock in the situation comedy 15 Storeys High, and as Franklin Fu in the second series of Look Around You.[4]
In 2007, Wong starred in the feature film Grow Your Own.[5]
Wong went on to appear in the second episode of Series 4 of the Channel 4 comedy The IT Crowd, playing the character Prime, a previous Countdown contestant who had won the sixteenth Countdown teapot when he was known as Harold Tong.[6] Wong also appeared in the film Shanghai playing the character Juso Kita and the BBC series Spirit Warriors in the role of Li.[7]
In 2012, Wong appeared in the Ridley Scott film Prometheus as ship's pilot Ravel.[8]
In 2013, Wong was cast in the lead role of #aww: The Arrest of Ai WeiWei at the Hampstead Theatre.[9] Shortly after, the Almeida Theatre announced that Wong had joined the cast of the play Chimerica.[10]
Also in 2013, Wong played the role of gangster Lau in the BBC Two comedy-drama The Wrong Mans.[11]
In 2014, Wong played the role of Kublai Khan in the Netflix series Marco Polo,[11][12] which on 7 January 2015 was renewed by Netflix for a 10-episode second series.
The next year, he appeared in another Ridley Scott science fiction film, playing the director of the Jet Propulsion Lab, Bruce Ng in The Martian.[13] In 2016, he co-starred as Wong in the superhero film Doctor Strange[14] and later reprised the role in the crossover films Avengers: Infinity War[15] and Avengers: Endgame.[16]
In 2016, he appeared in "Hated in the Nation", an episode of the anthology series Black Mirror, playing Shaun Li, an agent with the National Crime Agency.
In 2017, he voiced the character of Alex Yu in Arkane Studios's game, Prey. He also starred in "2036: Nexus Dawn", a promotional short film prequel to Blade Runner 2049 directed by Luke Scott and co-starring Jared Leto.
He appeared as the scientist Lomax in the 2018 science fiction horror film Annihilation.[17]
In 2019, he performed the voice of the Skeksis general skekVar in the Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. He also appeared as the voice of Bull in Lady and the Tramp in 2019.
In 2020, he appeared as a Necromancer in Taika Waititi's "What We Do in the Shadows".
Awards
In 2003, Wong was nominated at the British Independent Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Guo Yi in Dirty Pretty Things.[18]
In 2013, Wong was nominated for the West End Frame award for Best Dramatic Performance 2013, for his role as Zhang Lin in Chimerica.[19]
In 2021, Wong was nominated for an Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance as Kyo in Nine Days.[20]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang) | Pat Proudence | |
| 2001 | Wit | Fellow 2 | |
| Spy Game | Tran | ||
| 2002 | Dirty Pretty Things | Guo Yi | |
| 2003 | Code 46 | Medic | |
| 2005 | On a Clear Day | Chan | |
| A Cock and Bull Story | Ed | ||
| 2007 | Sunshine | Trey | |
| Grow Your Own | Kung Sang | ||
| 2008 | Largo Winch | William Kwan | |
| 2009 | Moon | Thompson | |
| 2010 | Shanghai | Juso Kita | |
| 2011 | The Lady | Karma Phuntsho | |
| Johnny English Reborn | Chi Han Ly | ||
| 2012 | Prometheus | Ravel | |
| 2013 | Hummingbird | Mr Choy | |
| Kick-Ass 2 | Mr Kim | ||
| 2015 | The Martian | Bruce Ng | |
| 2016 | Doctor Strange | Wong | |
| 2017 | 2036: Nexus Dawn | lawmaker | short film |
| 2018 | Annihilation | Lomax | |
| Avengers: Infinity War | Wong | ||
| 2019 | Avengers: Endgame | ||
| The Personal History of David Copperfield | Mr Wickfield | ||
| Gemini Man | Baron | ||
| Lady and the Tramp | Bull | Voice | |
| 2020 | Nine Days | Kyo | |
| 2021 | Raya and the Last Dragon | Tong | Voice[21] |
| The Magician’s Elephant | The Magician | Voice | |
| 2022 | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | Wong | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Screenplay | Le Van Dong | Episode: "Small Metal Jacket" |
| 1993 | Last of the Summer Wine | Chinese Man | Episode: "Aladdin Gets on Your Wick" |
| 1994 | The Chief | Peng | Episode 4.2 |
| Frank Stubbs Promotes | Lee | Episode: "Chinatown" | |
| 1995 | Cardiac Arrest | Radiographer | Episode: "Shallow End" |
| Hearts and Minds | Chinese Interpreter | Episode 1.3 | |
| 1996 | Pie in the Sky | Michael Cheung | Episode: "Chinese Whispers" |
| Cracker | Peter Yang | Episode: "White Ghost" | |
| 1997 | Supply & Demand | Frankie Li | TV film |
| The Bill | Li Mann | Episode: "Alternative Therapies" | |
| Breakout | Jerry | TV film | |
| 2000 | Arabian Nights | Hassan | Miniseries |
| The Bill | Michael Wei | 3 episodes | |
| 2002 | The Bill | DS David Chiu | 5 episodes |
| TLC | Terry Cheung | 6 episodes | |
| Look Around You | Chess Player | Episode: "The Brain" | |
| 2002–2004 | 15 Storeys High | Errol Spears | 12 episodes |
| 2003 | State of Play | Pete Cheng | 6 episodes |
| 2005 | Look Around You | Dr Franklin Fu | Episode: "Health" |
| 2006 | Eleventh Hour | Danny | Episode: "Containment" |
| 2007 | Frankenstein | Dr. Ed Gore | TV film |
| 2008 | The Peter Serafinowicz Show | Various characters | 4 episodes |
| 2009 | Spirit Warriors | Li | 7 episodes |
| 2010 | The IT Crowd | Harold "Prime" Tong | Episode: "The Final Countdown" |
| Spooks | Kai | Episode 9.4 | |
| 2010, 2011 | Law & Order: UK | Eli Smart | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Covert Affairs | Shen Yue | Episode: "World Leader Pretend" |
| 2011–2013 | Top Boy | Vincent | 6 episodes |
| 2013 | The Wrong Mans | Mr. Lau | 4 episodes |
| Words of Everest | Tenzing Norgay | Documentary | |
| Run | Gao | Episode 1.2 | |
| 2014 | Prey | DS Ashley Chan | 3 episodes |
| 2014–2016 | Marco Polo | Kublai Khan | 20 episodes |
| 2016 | Black Mirror | Shaun Li | Episode: "Hated in the Nation" |
| 2017 | Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams | Ed Andrews | Episode: "Impossible Planet" |
| 2019 | Deadly Class | Master Lin | 10 episodes |
| The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance | The General (skekVar) | Voice role | |
| 2020 | What We Do in the Shadows | Wallace the Necromancer | Episode: "Resurrection" |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | The Letter | Ong Chi Seng | Lyric Theatre |
| 1998 | The Merchant of Venice | Solanio | Shakespeare's Globe |
| The Honest Whore | Castruccio | ||
| 1999 | Julius Caesar | Gaius Lucilius | |
| Antony and Cleopatra | Menas / Scarus | ||
| 2003 | In Arabia We'd All Be Kings | Vic / Cop | Hampstead Theatre |
| 2009 | The Pillowman | Ariel | Curve |
| 2010 | Hungry Ghosts | Zhi-Hui | Orange Tree Theatre |
| 2012 | Hamlet | Laertes | Young Vic |
| 2013 | The Arrest of Ai Weiwei | Ai Weiwei | Hampstead Theatre |
| Chimerica | Zhang Lin | Almeida Theatre |
References
- Mesure, Susie (28 July 2013). "Benedict Wong: 'I'm the go-to guy for victims of torture'". The Independent. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- "Premier League Predictions". BBC. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- "The Greater Manchester actors who hit the big time on stage and on screen". 25 March 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- O'Neill, Phelim (9 March 2007). "First sight: Benedict Wong". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- Kelly, Ann (11 June 2007). "Benedict Wong – Grow Your Own interview". BBC Films. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- "Benedict Wong discusses playing Prime". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- "Press Office – Spirit Warriors press pack: introduction". BBC. 21 December 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- K., Cameron (20 February 2012). "Actor Benedict Wong talks about Prometheus". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- "Casting announced for #aiww: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei". Hampstead Theatre. 1 March 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- "Benedict Wong People". Headlong. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- Aroesti, Rachel (13 December 2014). "Benedict Wong: 'Television is reflecting an era that has passed, it's wrong'". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- Hughes, Sarah (29 November 2014). "The 'Chinese Game of Thrones': Marco Polo sets sail for Netflix". The Independent. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- "'The Martian' Slammed Over 'White-Washing' Asian-American Roles". Variety. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- Kit, Borys (21 January 2016). "'The Martian' Actor Nabs Key 'Doctor Strange' Role". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- "Benedict Wong Confirmed For Avengers Infinity War".
- "Avengers 4 Reshoots: Chris Hemsworth Headed to Set, Benedict Wong Already There". Screen Rant.
- "Film Review: 'Annihilation'". Variety. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- "Benedict Wong". BIFA. Chapter Media. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- "Vote: Best Dramatic Performance 2013". West End Frame Awards. West End Frame. 22 October 2013. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony; D'Alessandro, Anthony (26 January 2021). "Spirit Awards Nominations: 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always', 'Minari', 'Nomadland' & 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' Lead Field". Deadline. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- Abell, Bailee (26 January 2021). "How to Watch 'Raya and the Last Dragon,' the New Disney Princess Movie". Inside the Magic. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- @wongrel (28 April 2017). "👊🏾💫🕹" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
