Ming-Na Wen (; born November 20, 1963) is an American actress and model. She has won multiple awards throughout her career, including an Annie Award and a Saturn Award, in addition to a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. She was honored as a Disney Legend in 2019 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.
After gaining attention playing Lien Hughes on the daytime soap As the World Turns (1988–1991), Wen’s breakthrough role was as June Woo in The Joy Luck Club (1993). Other early successes include the role of Dr. Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen in the medical drama series ER (1995–2004) and her voice role as Fa Mulan in the Walt Disney Animated Classic Mulan, as well as its sequel Mulan II, several video games and guest appearances in TV shows such as Sofia the First. Additionally, Wen made a cameo appearance in the live-action remake of Mulan (2020).
Wen is well-known for playing agent Melinda May in the Marvel series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020) and has also appeared in the Star Wars franchise as the bounty hunter Fennec Shand, appearing in The Mandalorian (2019–2020), Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021, 2024), and The Book of Boba Fett (2021–2022). Other notable roles include that of Chun-Li in Street Fighter (1994), Detective Ellen Yin in The Batman (2004–2005), Judge Linda Harris in Two and a Half Men (2007, 2010) and Camile Wray in Stargate Universe (2009–2011).
Early life, family and education
thumb|left|Ming-Na Wen's 1981 [[Mt. Lebanon High School yearbook photo]]
Wen was born on November 20, 1963, on Coloane, one of the two main islands of Portuguese Macau. moved to Macau in the 1950s from Suzhou, China, to escape communism. Her father is of Malaysian Chinese descent. She has an older brother Jonathan and a younger brother Leong.
Wen's parents divorced when she was an infant, and she moved with her brother and mother to British Hong Kong, where she attended a Catholic school. Her mother worked three jobs to provide for the family. Her mother remarried to Chinese American Soo Lim Yee and, when Wen was four years old, the family moved to New York City. Her younger brother Leong was born there.
After five years, Wen's mother and stepfather relocated their family to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, where they bought and operated the Chinatown Inn restaurant (established in 1943), which is still in business. She majored in theatre at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, graduating in 1986. From 1988 to 1991, she played Lien Hughes, the daughter of Tom Hughes, on the soap opera As the World Turns, becoming the first ever Asian to be on a contract role in a daytime soap.
After starring in the film The Joy Luck Club (1993),
In 2004, Wen won a Hollywood Home Game on the World Poker Tour. In the fall of 2005, she starred on the NBC drama series Inconceivable as the lead character Rachel Lu. The series was cancelled after two episodes. Her next TV role was an FBI agent in the Fox kidnapping drama series Vanished, which premiered in the fall of 2006, but it too was cancelled. She played a college professor in the comedy series George Lopez.
From October 8 through October 29, 2007, Wen (billed as Ming Wen) appeared in a four-episode arc of CBS's Two and a Half Men playing Charlie Sheen's love interest, a judge closer to his own age. In November 2008, she guest-starred on two ABC series: Private Practice and Boston Legal. From December 5 to 6, 2008, Wen starred in a benefit production of the musical Grease with "Stuttering John" Melendez at the Class Act Theatre.
Wen was cast as a regular in the Stargate Universe television series from October 2009 to May 2011 as political attaché Camile Wray. beginning in season four in 2011 and then serving as a major villain in the fifth and final season in 2012.
2013–present: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Star Wars and other works
thumb|Wen at [[San Diego Comic-Con in 2019]]
Wen starred as Agent Melinda May in the ABC superhero drama series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which premiered on September 24, 2013.
In August 2014, Wen reprised her role as Mulan for the first time since Kingdom Hearts II in the Disney Channel series Sofia the First. Wen's daughter has a recurring role on the show as Princess Jun.
On December 7, 2017, Marvel Entertainment launched a new animation film franchise, Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors. Wen voiced Hala the Accuser, the main antagonist of the film, working with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. co-star Chloe Bennet. That same year, she once again provided the voice of Mulan in Ralph Breaks the Internet.
In 2019, it was announced that Wen would be a cast member of the Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian playing Fennec Shand. and the live-action series The Book of Boba Fett.
In 2022, Wen made an appearance on Young Sheldon as Dr. Lee, an experimental physicist responsible for mitigating conflict within a team of scientists. She is set to recur on the second season of HBO Max's Hacks.
In February 2026, Wen became the new voice of Francine Smith's adopted sister Gwen Ling on the twenty-second season of American Dad!, who was previously voiced in the show's tenth season by Uma Thurman.
Artistry and legacy
thumb|Wen honored as a Disney Legend at the Disney D23 Expo 2019
Wen's roles as Melinda May and Fennec Shand in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Book of Boba Fett, respectively, have received critical acclaim. In December 2021, she was included in the list of BBC's 100 Women of 2021. Wen received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.
She is also well known for her work with Disney. He went on to say that she has "broken through barriers for Asian performers". She was named a Disney Legend at the 2019 D23 Expo for her outstanding contributions to the Disney company.
Personal life
In 1990, Wen married American film writer Kirk Aanes. They divorced three years later. On June 16, 1995, Wen married Eric Michael Zee Wen's first pregnancy was written into the ER script, with her character placing the child for adoption. Wen's daughter followed her mother's footsteps in voice acting. She voices Princess Jun in the Disney Channel-animated series Sofia the First, credited as Michaela Zee. She is a Buddhist.
Filmography
thumb|Wen at the January 2009 premiere for [[Push (2009 film)|Push]]
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1993
| Blind Spot
| Mitsuko
| Television film
|-
| Rain Without Thunder
| "Uudie" Prisoner
|
|-
| '
| Jian-Mei "June" Woo
|
|-
|rowspan="5"| 1994
| Vanishing Son II
| Mai
| Television film
|-
| Vanishing Son IV
| Mai
| Television film
|-
| Hong Kong 97
| Katie Chun
|
|-
| Terminal Voyage
| Han
|
|-
| Street Fighter
| Chun-Li Zang
|
|-
| 1997
| One Night Stand
| Mimi Carlyle
|
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1998
| Tempting Fate
| Ellen Moretti
| Television film
|-
| Mulan
| Mulan (voice)
|
|-
| 12 Bucks
| Gorgeous
|
|-
| 2000
| Not Black or White
| Herself
| Short
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2001
| Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
| Aki Ross (voice)
|
|-
| 2016
| The Darkness
| Wendy Richards
|
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2018
| Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors
| Hala the Accuser (voice)
| Television film
|-
| Pearl
| Headmistress
|
|-
|2021
|DC Showcase: The Losers
|Fan Long (voice)
|Short film; direct-to-video
|-
| 2025
| Karate Kid: Legends
| Dr. Fong
|
|-
| TBA
| Persephone
|
|
|-
|TBA
| Better Life
|
|Post-production
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1985
| Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
| Royal Trumpeter #3
| Episode: "1549 & 1550: Music"
|-
| 1987
| Another World
| Abby
| Episode: "Episode #1.5950"
|-
|
| As the World Turns
| Lien Hughes
| Regular cast
|-
| 1994
| All-American Girl
| Amy
| Episode: "Redesigning Women"
|-
| 1995–1997
| '
| Trudy Sloan
| Main cast
|-
| 1995–2004
| ER
| Dr. Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen
| Recurring cast (season 1); main cast (seasons 6–11)
|-
| 1997
| Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
| Lani (voice)
| Episode: "Puss in Boots"
|-
| 1998–1999
| Todd McFarlane's Spawn
| Lisa Wu/Jade (voice)
| Recurring cast
|-
| 2021, 2024
| Star Wars: The Bad Batch
| Fennec Shand (voice)
| 3 episodes
|-
| Hacks
| Janet Stone
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2023–2024
| Velma
| Carroll (voice)
| Recurring cast
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2023
| Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai
| Fong Wing (voice)
| Main cast
|-
| 2024–2025
| Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
| Eva Tong (voice)
| 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" |2026
| American Dad!
| Gwen Ling (voice)
| Episode: "Aw Rats, A Pool Party"
|-
| Percy Jackson and the Olympians
| Hera
|Guest cast (season 3)
|}
Web series
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2015
| Parallel Man: Infinite Pursuit
| Major Mackenzie Cartwright
| Voice, short film
|-
| Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Double Agent
| Herself
| "Infiltrating the Set"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2016
| Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Academy
| Herself
| Episodes: "Skydive Challenge", "Commencement"
|-
| Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot
| Agent Melinda May
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2020
| 50 States of Fright
| Susan
| Episode: "Ball of Twine"
|}
Video games
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Voice role
! Notes
|-
| 1995
| Street Fighter: The Movie
| Chun-Li
|
|-
| 1999
| Disney's Story Studio: Mulan
| rowspan="3" | Mulan
|
|-
| 2006
| Kingdom Hearts II
|
|
|-
|2019
|Disney Legend
|Film, Television, & Animation — Voice
|Herself
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2021
|1st Hollywood Critics Association TV Award
|Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series, Drama
|The Mandalorian
|
|-
|BBC's 100 Women
|Entertainment & Sport
|rowspan=2|The Book of Boba Fett
|
|-
|Saturn Awards
|Best Actress in a Streaming Presentation
|
|-
|Hollywood Walk of Fame
|Television
|rowspan=2|Herself
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2023
|Carnegie Mellon University Alumni Award
|Alumni Achievement Awards
|
|-
|Gold House
|Gold Generation Award
| The Joy Luck Club
|
|-
|}