Lauren Tom

Lauren Tom (born August 4, 1961) is an American actress and voice actress perhaps best known for her roles as Lena St Clair in The Joy Luck Club, Julie in the TV series Friends, providing the voices for two animated TV comedy series on Futurama as Amy Wong and her mother Inez, and on King of the Hill as Minh & Connie Souphanousinphone.

Early life
Lauren Tom is the Chinese American daughter of Nancy (née Dare) and Chan Tom who worked in the frozen food business. In an article for Detour magazine Tom described how being teased as a child about her Chinese heritage made her introverted and is what originally inspired her to study dancing.

Theatre
At the age of 17, Lauren Tom landed a spot with a touring company of A Chorus Line and was cast in the Broadway production of the show less than a year later. She won an Obie Award for her Off-Broadway acting and was cast in the Broadway shows Hurlyburly and Doonesbury.

Film
Tom had several small parts in movies including Nothing Lasts Forever, Wall Street, See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and Blue Steel; but her biggest role to date was as a waitress in the Robin Williams/Tim Robbins film Cadillac Man. 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 Club in 1993, which led to roles in such other films such as When a Man Loves a Woman and North.

Since the mid-1990s, Tom has starred in few films (focusing her work, primarily, in the voiceover business), with the exceptions of a supporting role in the 2003 hit comedy Bad Santa and the critically-acclaimed 2004 film In Good Company.

Television
Lauren Tom's first role in television was that of Miko Wakamatsu on The Facts of Life. She subsequently appeared on The Equalizer, Catfish With Black Bean Sauce, thirtysomething, Quantum Leap, Chicago Hope, Homicide: Life on the Street, Grace Under Fire, Ross' girlfriend Julie on Friends, The Middle, and a starring role in DAG, The Division, Monk, My Wife and Kids, Barbershop: The Series, Grey's Anatomy, The Closer, and Men in Trees. She also had an acting role in a bonus feature on the Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder DVD.

Voice acting
Tom began vocal work in the animated series Superman: The Animated Series (as Angela Chen). From there Lauren had minor roles on Pinky and the Brain, Extreme Ghostbusters and The Zeta Project before landing her lasting roles on King of the Hill, where she voices Minh and Connie Souphanousinphone and later Futurama, voicing Amy and Inez Wong.

She has also lent her voice to All Grown Up!, Rocket Power, Max Steel, Batman Beyond, Justice League Unlimited, Kim Possible, Numbuh Three (Kuki Sanban), Numbuh Three's mother Genki, and Numbuhs 44 and 45 on Codename: Kids Next Door, Susanna Susquahanna on Histeria! in 2003, Teen Titans, Yan Lin, Susan, Alchemy on W.I.T.C.H., The Replacements, Legion of Super Heroes, Jake's mom, Counselor Chang on American Dragon: Jake Long, and Avatar the Last Airbender (as Joo Dee) and she does Julie's Mom on Puzzle Place. She guest starred in The Penguins of Madagascar as Chuck Charles' co-anchor, Bonnie Chang in "Gator Watch."

Other animated movies Tom has voiced include Mulan II, Kim Possible: The Secret Files, Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, and the four Futurama movies: Bender's Big Score, The Beast with a Billion Backs, Bender's Game, and Into the Wild Green Yonder.