Dustin Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

, director

Film director

A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...

, writer

Writer

A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

 and martial artist. He is best known for his roles as Harry Truman Ioki on 21 Jump Street

21 Jump Street

21 Jump Street is an American police procedural crime drama television series that aired on the Fox Network from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focused on a squad of youthful-looking undercover police officers investigating crimes in high schools,...

and as Johnny Loh on V.I.P.

V.I.P. (TV series)

V.I.P. is an American action/comedy-drama series starring Pamela Anderson. Created by J. F...

Early life

Born as Nguyễn Xuân Trí in Saigon, Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

, his mother My Le was an actress and dancer and his father, Xuan Phat, was an actor, writer and producer in South Vietnam. The family left Vietnam in April 1975 as it fell to Communist Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army forces.

They arrived in Guam

Guam

Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

, then the family was moved to a refugee camp in Fort Chaffee

Fort Chaffee

Fort Chaffee Maneuver Training Center is in the northwest Arkansas region adjacent to the city of Fort Smith, located one mile southeast of Fort Smith Regional Airport. The Arkansas River flows eastward along the northern border of the post. Interstate 40 is five miles to the north on the...

, Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

, and finally with the assistance of a Methodist church they relocated to Des Peres, Missouri

Des Peres, Missouri

Des Peres is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,373 at the 2010 census.-History:The first inhabitants of Des Peres were the Cahokia, the Kaskaskia, the Michigamea, the Moingwena, and the Tamaora Native American tribes....

, a suburb of St. Louis. After Nguyen graduated from Garden Grove High School in Garden Grove, CA, he attended Orange Coast College

Orange Coast College

Orange Coast College is a community college in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides two-year associate of art and science degrees, certificates of achievement, and lower-division classes transferable to other colleges...

 and majored in communications

Communication studies

Communication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass...

. Nguyen practices several martial arts including Muay Thai

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...

, Tae Kwon Do, Eskrima

Eskrima

Eskrima is the umbrella term for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines, which emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives and other bladed weapons, and various improvised weapons...

, and Jeet Kune Do

Jeet Kune Do

Jeet Kune Do is a hybrid martial arts system and life philosophy founded by martial artist Bruce Lee with direct, non classical and straightforward movements. Due to the way his style works they believe in minimal movement with maximum effect and extreme speed. The system works on the use of...

.

Personal life

After a car accident on September 3, 2001 that left his wife, Angela Rockwood-Nguyen, a quadriplegic, Nguyen and his wife have been active in The Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center is a program of the Christopher Reeve Foundation formed through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and assisted by the Paralysis Task Force....

. That accident also claimed the life of Vietnamese-American actress Thuy Trang

Thuy Trang

Thuy Trang was a Vietnamese American actress. She was best known for her role as Trini Kwan, the original Yellow Ranger in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series.-Early life:...

, a member of the original cast of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...

.

Filmography

He made his acting debut on Magnum, P.I.

Magnum, P.I.

Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....

, portraying a Cambodian freedom fighter in the episode "Crouching." He was a cast member on both 21 Jump Street

21 Jump Street

21 Jump Street is an American police procedural crime drama television series that aired on the Fox Network from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focused on a squad of youthful-looking undercover police officers investigating crimes in high schools,...

and V.I.P.

V.I.P. (TV series)

V.I.P. is an American action/comedy-drama series starring Pamela Anderson. Created by J. F...

, and has guest-starred on a number of other series, including General Hospital

General Hospital

General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....

, Highlander

Highlander: The Series

Highlander: The Series is a fantasy-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander. It was an offshoot and another alternate sequel of the 1986 feature film with a twist: Connor MacLeod did not win the prize and Immortals still exist post-1985...

, and most notably seaQuest DSV

SeaQuest DSV

seaQuest DSV is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it was renamed seaQuest 2032. Set in "the near future", seaQuest mixes high drama with realistic scientific fiction...

, playing the role of Chief William Shan. Moreover, he played a cameo role in Charlie's Angels

Charlie's Angels

Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...

. Nguyen also auditioned for the role of Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat, but lost out to Robin Shou

Robin Shou

Shou Wan Por , known professionally as Robin Shou, is a Hong Kong martial artist and actor. Frequently appearing in numerous martial arts films, Shou was most successful for playing the role of Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat & Gobei with the late Chris Farley in Beverly Hills Ninja.-Career:Shou's first...

. In 1993 he played a Vietnamese man sent off to fight with the Viet Cong, in the film Heaven & Earth. In 2005, Nguyen starred as a former heroin addict opposite Academy Award-winner Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett

Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett is an Australian actress. She came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 biopic film Elizabeth, for which she won British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Golden Globe Awards, and earned her first Academy Award...

 in the critically acclaimed Little Fish

Little Fish (film)

Little Fish is a 2005 Australian film directed by Rowan Woods and written by Jacquelin Perske. It was filmed in and around Sydney, in Cabramatta and in Fairfield...

. He most recently starred in the 2007 films The Rebel

The Rebel (2007 Vietnamese film)

The Rebel is a 2007 Vietnamese martial arts film directed by Charlie Nguyen and starring Johnny Tri Nguyen and Dustin Nguyen. It premiered on April 12, 2007 at the Vietnamese International Film Festival in Irvine, California...

and Saigon Eclipse. In 2008 he starred in the Vietnamese martial art film Huyen Thoai Bat Tu (The Legend Is Alive, The Immortal Legend) where he plays a mentally disabled martial artist. Nguyen screened in 2009 the Thriller The Gauntlet under the Direction from Matt Eskandari and stars alongside Chinese actress star Bai Ling

Bai Ling

Bai Ling is a Chinese actress known for her work in films such as The Crow, Red Corner and Wild Wild West, and in TV series such as Entourage and Lost. In 2011 she appeared in the fifth season of the VH1 reality television series Celebrity Rehab with Dr...

.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
	The Unit	Transit Officer
	JAG	Lt. Bao Hien
2003	The Break The Break The Break is a 1995 film directed by Lee H. Katzin. It stars Vincent Van Patten and Rae Dawn Chong.-Cast:*Vincent Van Patten as Nick Irons*Rae Dawn Chong as Jennifer Hudson*Martin Sheen as Gil Robbins*Valerie Perrine as Delores Smith...
	V.I.P.	Johnny Loh
	Die Gang	Marc Wiessner
	Kung Fu: The Legend Continues Kung Fu: The Legend Continues Kung Fu: The Legend Continues is a spin-off of the 1972-1975 television series Kung Fu. David Carradine and Chris Potter starred as a father and son trained in kung fu - Carradine playing a Shaolin monk, Potter a police detective. This series aired in syndication for four seasons, from January 27,...	Lo Gee
	VR.5 VR.5 VR.5 was an American television program. It was broadcast on the Fox network from March 10 to May 12, 1995. Of the 13 episodes that were produced, only 10 aired during its original run.-Premise:...	Ky Buchanan
	Vanishing Son Vanishing Son Vanishing Son is a short-lived syndicated action television series that was part of Universal Television's Action Pack. Starting as a series of four made for television movies in 1994, the series debuted on January 16, 1995...	Hung
	Phantom 2040 Phantom 2040 Phantom 2040 is an American animated science fiction television series loosely based on the comic strip hero The Phantom, created by Lee Falk. The central character of the series is said to be the 24th Phantom...	Tranh
	Vanishing Son IV	Hung
1994	Vanishing Son II	Hung
	SeaQuest DSV SeaQuest DSV seaQuest DSV is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it was renamed seaQuest 2032. Set in "the near future", seaQuest mixes high drama with realistic scientific fiction...	Chief William Shan
	Highlander Highlander: The Series Highlander: The Series is a fantasy-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander. It was an offshoot and another alternate sequel of the 1986 feature film with a twist: Connor MacLeod did not win the prize and Immortals still exist post-1985...	Chu Lin
	Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...	David Kuan
	Street Justice Street Justice Street Justice is an American action crime drama series starring Carl Weathers and Bryan Genesse. The series began airing in syndication in 1991, and was canceled in 1993 after two seasons.-Synopsis:...
	The Commish The Commish The Commish is a television series that aired on ABC in the United States from 1991 to 1996. The series focused on the work and home life of a suburban police commissioner in upstate New York....
	Earth Angel Earth Angel "Earth Angel " is an American doo-wop song, originally released by The Penguins in 1954 on the Dootone label , as the B-side to "Hey Señorita." The song became a major hit for The Crew-Cuts in 1955, reaching the Billboard charts on January 29, 1955. It peaked at #3 on the Disk Jockey chart, #8 on...	Peter
	21 Jump Street 21 Jump Street 21 Jump Street is an American police procedural crime drama television series that aired on the Fox Network from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focused on a squad of youthful-looking undercover police officers investigating crimes in high schools,...	Officer Harry Truman Ioki
	Danger Bay Danger Bay Danger Bay is a Canadian television series, produced in Vancouver, with first-run episodes broadcast on CBC Television starting October 18, 1984 and the Disney Channel starting October 7, 1985...	Duk Chin
	Shell Game Shell game The shell game is portrayed as a gambling game, but in reality, when a wager for money is made, it is a confidence trick used to perpetrate fraud...	Doug
	The A-Team The A-Team The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...	Bobby
	Magnum, P.I. Magnum, P.I. Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....	Joe
	General Hospital General Hospital General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....	Suki
2011	Popular Dysfunctions	Comandante Chitt	pre-production
2011	The Gauntlet	Jin-Soo	post-production
2010	Floating Lives	Vo
2010	De Mai Tinh	Dung
2009	The Legend Is Alive
2007	The Rebel The Rebel (2007 Vietnamese film) The Rebel is a 2007 Vietnamese martial arts film directed by Charlie Nguyen and starring Johnny Tri Nguyen and Dustin Nguyen. It premiered on April 12, 2007 at the Vietnamese International Film Festival in Irvine, California...	Sy
2007	Saigon Eclipse Saigon Eclipse Saigon Eclipse is a 2007 Vietnamese film. The 90-minute film, directed by Othello Khanh and starring Dustin Nguyen, Trương Ngọc Ánh, Marjolaine Bui, Johnny Nguyen, Nhu Quyen, Daniel You, Edmund Chen, and Joseph Chen Tseng, is based on Nguyen Du's epic poem, The Story of Kieu.-Plot summary:The...	Kim
2007	Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee	Troy Poon
2005	Little Fish Little Fish (film) Little Fish is a 2005 Australian film directed by Rowan Woods and written by Jacquelin Perske. It was filmed in and around Sydney, in Cabramatta and in Fairfield...	Jonny
1998	Hundred Percent	Isaac
1995	The Doom Generation The Doom Generation The Doom Generation is a film by director Gregg Araki. Released in 1995, it stars Rose McGowan, James Duval and Johnathon Schaech as two teenagers and a 21-year-old punk drifter who become involved in a ménage à trois. It is the second of a trilogy of films known as the Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy,...	Quickiemart Clerk
1995	Virtuosity Virtuosity Virtuosity is a 1995 techno-thriller film directed by Brett Leonard. The movie tells the story of a virtual villain's successful attempt to escape into the "real world". SID 6.7, the villain program portrayed by Russell Crowe, is eventually transplanted into an android body and escapes...	Suburban Reporter
1994	3 Ninjas Kick Back 3 Ninjas Kick Back 3 Ninjas Kick Back is a 1994 American sequel to the film 3 Ninjas. It received mostly negative reviews from critics. This is the only 3 Ninjas film with a video game adaptation...	Glam
1993	Heaven & Earth	Sau
1993	No Escape, No Return	Tommy Cuff
1992	Rapid Fire Rapid Fire (1992 film) Rapid Fire is a 1992 action film starring the late Brandon Lee. Lee was reportedly in talks with 20th Century Fox about making Rapid Fire 2, prior to his death. School scenes were filmed at Occidental College in Los Angeles...	Paul Yang
1985	Sunset Strip Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...	Chinese Youth

Producer

• 2007 AZN Asian Excellence Awards (2007) - Himself
• "E! True Hollywood Story" - Himself (1 episode, 2004)
• "Howard Stern" - Himself (4 episodes, 1999)
• "The Howard Stern Radio Show" - Himself (2 episodes, 1999)
• "Intimate Portrait" - Himself (1 episode)

Awards

In March 2009 he won the Vietnamese Cánh Diều Vàng (Golden Kite Award) for Best Actor, for his starring role in the Phuoc Sang Films

Phuoc Sang Films

Phuoc Sang is a private film studio in Vietnam. It was founded in 2004 by actor Luu Phuoc Sang. Some notable motion pictures have been produced under its trademark:*Khi dan ong co bau 2004*De muon 2006...

 starring vehicle, Huyen Thoai Bat Tu (The Legend Is Alive).

External links