Linda Wang (actress)

Linda Hsien Wang traces her ancestry to Shanghai and Shandong, China. Born in Taipei, Taiwan (the island of Formosa), she was raised in Queens, New York. Also known as Linda Wang, Linda H. Wang and 王憲苓 (Wáng Xiànlíng), is a Chinese American actress and model who has been profiled in Chinese media. She currently resides in the Los Angeles area.

Early life and education
At seven years old, Linda Wang began modeling for Kodak film. Some time afterward, during her first year in high school, she auditioned for the part of Field Reporter in Pushing Hands (1992) (Chinese: 推手; pinyin: tuī shǒu). The Oscar award winning director Ang Lee told her she was just too young for the part. They spent half an hour talking about Wang's pen and ink artwork "Repeating" which at the time was being exhibited at the New York Transit Museum. However, Wang stated Lee also gave her valuable advice on where to study and how to continue to pursue her acting career. Three months later, Wang auditioned and was accepted to study for two years under the teen program with the late Herbert Berghof (co-founder, with wife Uta Hagen, of the HB Studio, NYC.) She then went on to New York University, and studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Academy.

Film
Linda Wang's Hollywood film career includes a heartbreaking role in Neal Hollander's controversial film Birds of Passage as "Fu Ling" opposite Stacy Keach. The film was banned in certain locations in China due to the One-Child Policy story line, and was instead filmed on location in the Philippines and South China sea. She also starred opposite of actor Ernie Rivera in the Indie film Red Betta, directed by Allena Rennee. Additional notable appearances were in The Violent Kind, Scarred City, Dead Air, Dark City and What Ever Happened to Mason Reece? which was directed by Brett Ratner. Her recent off-screen film credit was in the 2008 comedy Tropic Thunder. Wang had previously worked as a Chinese script translator for the producer and writer David Milch on several episodes of his HBO hit television show Deadwood. She had openly expressed her regrets for not standing up for her rights for screen credit for her work on Deadwood to Milch. Wang was later recommended by Milch to one of the casting directors of the film Tropic Thunder and was immediately hired by producer Eric McLeod as the Chinese script translator to aid writers Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen during pre-production. She was asked to come back but would only work under the condition that she received screen credit for her work. McLeod agreed and Wang went on to work as the on-set script translator for director Ben Stiller and dialogue coach for Robert Downey, Jr., as well as other actors such as Reggie Lee and Brandon Soo Hoo that had Chinese dialogue in the film.

Television
Wang has appeared on HBO's Deadwood, House MD,  Comedy Central’s The Naked Trucker & the T Bone Show, and the Spanish series Secretos. She also had a cameo role on 8 Simple Rules as David Spade's speed date. For several years, Wang worked on numerous sketch comedy skits on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien show, most notably as the recurring masturbating bear's girlfriend. Wang also appeared alongside Will Farrell & Chris Kattan as the three Nagano Geishas on Saturday Night Live. She has also had roles in the soap operas One Life to Live, Port Charles, Another World, Guiding Light, As The World Turns, and Days of Our Lives. Wang also made a guest appearance in children's television including Sesame Street and Mathnet.

In 2010 Linda Wang can be seen doing a skit with Tracy Morgan and Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Wang will also be co-starring with John Schneider on a New TV Pilot called Back Nine directed by Jason Filardi and written by Mark Perez for Spike TV.

Theatre
Wang's theatre experience includes starring as Rose Choy in Serenade In Blue written by the Tony Award-nominated playwright Jerome Coopersmith, and directed by the Emmy Award-winning director Yanna Kroyt Brandt at the prestigious Lincoln Center Theatre, New York City. Linda also starred as Pocahontas in an AEA stage production of Disney Friends around the World.

Voice-overs
Linda Wang was the former Citibank worldwide Chinese Mandarin spokesperson for five years. She has also had Chinese Mandarin voice-overs in multiple voice commercials, including the Standard Federal Savings bank, The American Diabetes Foundation, Hepatitis B Foundation, Anti-smoking USA, AT&T, MasterCard, Magellan, IDT, Colgate, Apple Savings bank, Holdcom, Bizfon, Ford Motor Company, US Postal services, Berkley Productions, Smirnoff, Western Union, and Honda Accord. She is in her second year as voice of the Mandarin Chinese spokesperson spot for AIG, alongside actress Stockard Channing. She also provided the voice of "Sexy bathhouse girl" in the video game James Bond 007: Rogue Agent—GoldenEye among others. She also provided the voice of Ming in the children's animated series Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat.

Music videos
In 2007, Linda Wang appeared in the music video "Home" for the Irish pop group Westlife.

Modeling
As a former Miss Teen Pola Asia, Linda Wang is the upcoming spokesmodel for Soho Sportswear for the Asian market. She was asked to design a few items under the Linda Wang Line. Having been previously a Pantene Pro-V hair model, Wang has also been chosen as the first female hand-model for Scrabble in 75 years.

Charity work
Since March 1997, Linda Wang has been a volunteer member promoting "Kids for Kids", the New York City Pediatric AIDS foundation benefit. In Los Angeles, Wang participated in the VERB Campaigns for both Disney and Nickelodeon TV, a program designed to encourage children to take the hour gained from the fall time change to be more active physically. She also participates in various animal protection organizations' charitable events.