Lauren Tom (born August 4, 1961) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actressAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known for her roles as Lena St. Clair (
The Joy Luck ClubThe Joy Luck Club is a 1993 American film about the relationships between Chinese-American women and their Chinese mothers. It is based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Amy Tan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bass. The film was produced by Oliver Stone and directed by Wayne Wang...
), Julie (TV series
FriendsFriends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994. The series revolved around a group of friends in the area of Manhattan, New York City, who occasionally live together and share living expenses. The series was produced by...
),
Amy WongAmy Wong is a fictional character, one of the main characters from the Fox television animated series Futurama. She is studying engineering at Mars University, and to help her with her studies she works as an intern at Planet Express...
(and Amy's mother, Inez) on the animated TV comedy series
FuturamaFuturama is an animated American sci-fi sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox network. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
and
Minh & Connie Souphanousinphone on the animated TV comedy series
King of the HillKing of the Hill is an American animated series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997 to September 13, 2009 on Fox. It centers on the Hills, a small-town Methodist family in Arlen, Texas...
.
Tom was born August 4, 1961 in
Highland Park, IllinoisHighland Park is a city in the Moraine Township of Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 31,365 at the 2000 census. It now has 33,492 citizens as of September 28th, 2009. Highland Park is one of several affluent towns on the North Shore of Chicago...
, the Chinese American daughter of Nancy (
néeA married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage, and in speaking of the many cultures where the practice is traditional for women, the maiden name is the family name that the married name replaces....
Dare) and Chan Tom, who worked in the
frozen foodFrozen food is food preserved by the process of freezing. Freezing food is a common method of food preservation which slows both food decay and, by turning water to ice, makes it unavailable for most bacterial growth and slows down most chemical reactions....
business.
Lauren Tom (born August 4, 1961) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actressAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known for her roles as Lena St. Clair (
The Joy Luck ClubThe Joy Luck Club is a 1993 American film about the relationships between Chinese-American women and their Chinese mothers. It is based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Amy Tan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bass. The film was produced by Oliver Stone and directed by Wayne Wang...
), Julie (TV series
FriendsFriends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994. The series revolved around a group of friends in the area of Manhattan, New York City, who occasionally live together and share living expenses. The series was produced by...
),
Amy WongAmy Wong is a fictional character, one of the main characters from the Fox television animated series Futurama. She is studying engineering at Mars University, and to help her with her studies she works as an intern at Planet Express...
(and Amy's mother, Inez) on the animated TV comedy series
FuturamaFuturama is an animated American sci-fi sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox network. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
and
Minh & Connie Souphanousinphone on the animated TV comedy series
King of the HillKing of the Hill is an American animated series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997 to September 13, 2009 on Fox. It centers on the Hills, a small-town Methodist family in Arlen, Texas...
.
Early life
Tom was born August 4, 1961 in
Highland Park, IllinoisHighland Park is a city in the Moraine Township of Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 31,365 at the 2000 census. It now has 33,492 citizens as of September 28th, 2009. Highland Park is one of several affluent towns on the North Shore of Chicago...
, the Chinese American daughter of Nancy (
néeA married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage, and in speaking of the many cultures where the practice is traditional for women, the maiden name is the family name that the married name replaces....
Dare) and Chan Tom, who worked in the
frozen foodFrozen food is food preserved by the process of freezing. Freezing food is a common method of food preservation which slows both food decay and, by turning water to ice, makes it unavailable for most bacterial growth and slows down most chemical reactions....
business. In an article for
Detour Magazine, Tom describes how, as a child, teasing from other children about her Chinese heritage, served to make her introverted, which in turn, is what originally inspired her to get into dancing.
Theater
At the age of 17, Tom landed a spot with a touring company of
A Chorus LineA Chorus Line is a musical about seventeen Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....
. She was cast in the Broadway version of the show less than a year later. She won an
Obie AwardThe Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards bestowed by The Village Voice newspaper to theater artists and groups in New York City. As the Tony Awards cover Broadway productions, the Obies cover off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions...
for her off-broadway acting, and she's been in such other Broadway shows as
HurlyburlyHurlyburly is a dark comedy play by David Rabe.-Plot:More than three hours long, Hurlyburly focuses on the intersecting lives of several low- to mid-level Hollywood players in the 1980s. Fueled by massive amounts of drugs, they attempt to find some meaning in their isolated, empty lives by engaging...
and
DoonesburyDoonesbury is a musical with a book and lyrics by Garry Trudeau and music by Elizabeth Swados.Based on Trudeau's comic strip of the same name, it focuses on that point in its history when the primary characters graduate from college and enter the workforce after more than a decade of being...
. During her six years in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Theatre, Tom worked with directors
Peter SellarsPeter Sellars is an American theatre director, noted for his contemporary stagings of classical operas and plays. Sellars is professor of World Arts and Cultures at UCLA, where he teaches Art as Social Action and Art as Moral Action.-Early and middle career:Sellars was born in Pittsburgh,...
and
Joanne AkalaitisJoAnne Akalaitis is an American theatre director and a writer and the winner of five Obie Awards for direction and founder of the critically acclaimed Mabou Mines in New York, from which she resigned after twenty years in June 1990.In addition to the American Repertory Theater - where she has...
.
Film
Tom had several small parts in movies including
Nothing Lasts ForeverNothing Lasts Forever is a 1984movie starring a number of high profile Hollywoodactors. It was directed by Tom Schiller, who hadpreviously worked on Saturday Night Live.Although widely regarded as a classic, and...
,
Wall StreetWall Street is a 1987 American drama film directed by Oliver Stone and features Michael Douglas as a wealthy, unscrupulous corporate raider and Charlie Sheen as a young stockbroker desperate to succeed....
,
See No Evil, Hear No EvilSee No Evil, Hear No Evil is a 1989 American comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder.-Plot summary:...
, and
Blue SteelBlue Steel is a 1990 action thriller film, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver and Clancy Brown.-Plot summary:Megan Turner is a rookie cop who witnesses a robbery in progress on her first night on the job. With her more experienced partner using the men's room, Megan decides to take action on...
; but her biggest role to date was as a waitress in the
Robin WilliamsRobin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian.Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
/
Tim RobbinsTimothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
film
Cadillac ManCadillac Man is a 1990 comedy film starring Robin Williams and Tim Robbins.- Plot Synopsis :Brooklyn car salesman Joey O'Brien must deal with the ever-increasing pressures in his life: he has an ex-wife demanding alimony, a daughter who's missing, a married mistress and a single mistress who are...
. This role led to being a guest on
The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Tom landed a starring role in the film
The Joy Luck ClubThe Joy Luck Club is a 1993 American film about the relationships between Chinese-American women and their Chinese mothers. It is based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Amy Tan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bass. The film was produced by Oliver Stone and directed by Wayne Wang...
in 1993, which led to roles in such other films such as
When a Man Loves a WomanWhen a Man Loves a Woman is a 1994 drama film written by Al Franken and Ronald Bass, starring Andy Garcia, Meg Ryan, Tina Majorino, Mae Whitman, Ellen Burstyn, Lauren Tom and Philip Seymour Hoffman....
and
NorthNorth is a 1994 film directed by Rob Reiner, and starring Elijah Wood, Bruce Willis, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Dan Aykroyd, Reba McEntire, and Alan Arkin...
.
Since the mid-90s, Tom has starred in few films (focusing her work, primarily, in the
voiceoverVoiceOver is a screen reader built into Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X operating system since version 10.4. By using VoiceOver, the user can access his or her Macintosh by using speech and the keyboard. The feature is designed to increase accessibility blind and low-vision users and users with dyslexia...
business), with the exceptions of a supporting role in the 2003 hit comedy
Bad SantaBad Santa is a 2003 comedy film directed by Terry Zwigoff, produced by Joel and Ethan Coen, and starring Billy Bob Thornton as the title character and Tony Cox as his partner in crime. Actors Bernie Mac and John Ritter co-star...
and the critically-acclaimed 2004 film
In Good CompanyIn Good Company is a 2004 comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Weitz, the co-director of About a Boy. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Scarlett Johansson, Marg Helgenberger, Clark Gregg, Selma Blair, and David Paymer.-Plot:...
.
Television
Lauren Tom's first role in television was that of Miko Wakamatsu on
The Facts of LifeThe Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to September 10, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' original premise focused on the character, Edna Garrett , as she becomes housemother to seven girls at the...
. She subsequently appeared on
The EqualizerThe Equalizer was an American urban vigilante television series initially broadcast on CBS between 1985 and 1989.-Overview:The series stars British actor Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a former secret agent of an unnamed organization, which was often referred to simply as "The Agency" or "The...
,
thirtysomething,
Quantum Leap,
Chicago HopeChicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994 to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:...
,
Homicide: Life on the StreetHomicide: Life on the Street was an American television police procedural series chronicling the work of a fictional Baltimore Police Department homicide unit. It ran for seven seasons on the NBC network from 1993 to 1999 and then was followed by a 2000 TV-movie that served as a de facto series...
,
Grace Under FireGrace Under Fire is a television series which ran on ABC from 1993 to 1998. The show starred Brett Butler. It began on September 29, 1993. It was the highest rated new comedy of the 1993–1994 season.- Premise of show :...
, Ross' girlfriend Julie on
FriendsFriends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994. The series revolved around a group of friends in the area of Manhattan, New York City, who occasionally live together and share living expenses. The series was produced by...
and a starring role in
DAGDAG is an American sitcom that aired from November 2000 to May 2001 on NBC. It was named after its star, David Alan Grier, who starred as United States Secret Service agent Jerome Daggett. Daggett's name, in turn, is a back-formation...
,
The DivisionThe Division is an American Lifetime Television original series about a team of women police officers in the San Francisco Police Department. The series premiered on January 7, 2001 and ended on June 28, 2004 after 88 episodes.-Synopsis:...
,
MonkMonk is an American crime drama, created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular Adrian Monk. It is primarily a mystery series, although the show also features broadly comic touches. The show debuted on July 12, 2002, on the USA Network...
,
My Wife and KidsMy Wife and Kids is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from March 28, 2001, until May 17, 2005, starring Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin, produced by Touchstone Television. It was created by Wayans and Don Reo....
,
Barbershop: The SeriesBarbershop: The Series is an American sitcom which made its debut on the Showtime cable network in August 2005. It is based upon the Mark Brown-created characters from the popular films Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business , and was developed for television by screenwriter John Ridley...
,
Grey's AnatomyGrey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series. It follows the lives of five surgical interns, later residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital in Seattle, Washington. The pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night" premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC...
,
The CloserThe Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who arrives in Los Angeles to lead the Priority Murder Squad , a team that deals only with high profile murder cases...
, and
Men in TreesMen in Trees was a romantic television dramedy series which premiered on September 12 2006 on ABC and starred Anne Heche who played relationship coach Marin Frist. The series was set in the fictional town of Elmo, Alaska and concerned Marin Frist's misadventures in relationships...
. She also had an acting role in a bonus feature on the
FuturamaFuturama is an animated American sci-fi sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox network. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
: Into the Wild Green Yonder DVD.
Voice acting
Tom began vocal work in the animated series
Superman: The Animated SeriesSuperman: The Animated Series was an American animated television series starring DC Comics' flagship character, Superman. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on The WB from September 6, 1996 to February 12, 2000. Warner Bros...
(as Angela Chen). From there Lauren had minor roles on
Pinky and the BrainPinky and the Brain are cartoon characters who have starred in the American animated television series Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain....
,
Extreme GhostbustersExtreme Ghostbusters is an animated television series and a follow-up to the animated series The Real Ghostbusters. It is a part of the film/TV Ghostbusters franchise...
and
The Zeta ProjectThe Zeta Project is a science fiction American animated series produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It first aired on Kids' WB in January 2001. It is a spinoff series based on the character Zeta from the Batman Beyond episode of the same name. The show was created by Robert Goodman and Warner Bros...
before landing her lasting roles on
King of the HillKing of the Hill is an American animated series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997 to September 13, 2009 on Fox. It centers on the Hills, a small-town Methodist family in Arlen, Texas...
and later
FuturamaFuturama is an animated American sci-fi sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox network. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
.
She has also lent her voice to
All Grown Up!All Grown Up! is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky and Gábor Csupó. After the success of All Growed Up, the Rugrats 10th anniversary special, Nickelodeon commissioned All Grown Up! as a spin-off series based on the episode. The series ran from April 12, 2003 to August...
,
Rocket PowerRocket Power is an American animated cartoon that aired from August 16, 1999 until July 30, 2004 on Nickelodeon. It is the thirteenth Nicktoon overall.-Premise:...
,
Max SteelMax Steel is a Sci-Fi–action, CGI, animated series which originally aired on February 25, 2000 - January 15, 2002. Season 3's airdates have been difficult to find, but according to "Crackle", the last episode "Truth Be Told" aired January 15, 2002. Max Steel ran for three seasons totaling...
,
Batman BeyondBatman Beyond, also known as Batman of the Future, is an American animated television series created by The WB Television Network in collaboration with DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation as a continuation of the Batman legacy. It began airing on January 10, 1999, and ended its run on December18,...
,
Justice League UnlimitedJustice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
,
Kim PossibleKim Possible is an American animated television series about a teenage crime fighter who has the task of dealing with worldwide, family, and school issues every day...
, Numbuh Three(and Adult Numbuh Three in the episode Operation: I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S.)and Numbuhs 44 and 45 on
Codename: Kids Next DoorCodename: Kids Next Door, also known as Kids Next Door or by its acronym KND, is an American animated television series created by Tom Warburton and produced by Curious Pictures. The series debuted on Cartoon Network on December 6, 2002 and aired its final episode on January 21, 2008. The series...
,
Teen TitansTeen Titans is an American animated television series based on the popular DC Comics characters. The show was created by Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003...
, Yan Lin, Susan, Alchemy on
W.I.T.C.H.W.I.T.C.H. is a Magical Girl genre animated television series based on the Italian comic book series of the same name. Despite the acronym, the main protagonists are not witches...
, The Replacements,
Legion of Super HeroesLegion of Super Heroes is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation that debuted on September 23, 2006, based on characters appearing in the DC Comics series. The series centers on the young Superman's adventures in the 31st century, fighting alongside a group of...
, Jake's mom, Counselor Chang on
American Dragon: Jake LongAmerican Dragon: Jake Long is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series finale aired on September 1, 2007. The show currently airs on Disney Channel and Toon Disney in the United States. In the United Kingdom it originally aired on Disney...
, and
Avatar the Last Airbender (as Joo Dee) and she does Julie's Mom on Puzzle Place.
Other animated movies Tom has voiced include
Mulan IIMulan II is a Disney direct-to-video animated feature released in 2005 and is a sequel to the 1998 animated film Mulan. It was directed by Darrell Rooney and Lynne Southerland, and features Mulan, and her new fiancé, General Shang, on a special mission: escorting the Emperor's three daughters...
,
Kim Possible: The Secret Files,
Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama,
Batman Beyond: Return of the JokerBatman Beyond: Return of the Joker is a direct-to-video animated film featuring the comic book superhero Batman and his archenemy, the Joker...
, the four
Futurama movies
Bender's Big ScoreFuturama: Bender's Big Score is an Annie Award-winning direct-to-video film based on the animated series Futurama. It was released in the United States on November 27, 2007. Bender's Big Score, along with the three follow-up films, will comprise season five of Futurama, with each film being...
,
The Beast with a Billion BacksFuturama: The Beast with a Billion Backs is an animated science-fiction comedy, the second of the four Futurama straight-to-DVD films. The film was released in the USA and Canada on June 24, 2008, followed by a UK release on June 30, 2008 and an Australian release on August 6, 2008. It has been...
,
Bender's GameFuturama: Bender's Game is the third of the four direct-to-DVD Futurama films that make up the show's fifth season. It was released on November 4, 2008 on DVD and Blu-Ray....
, and
Into the Wild Green YonderFuturama: Into the Wild Green Yonder is the last of a series of four straight-to-DVD Futurama movies. The movie was written by Ken Keeler, based on a story by Keeler and David X. Cohen, and directed by Peter Avanzino. Guest stars include Phil Hendrie, Penn Jillette , Snoop Dogg and Seth...
.
External links