Ken Jeong
| Dr.Ken Jeong | |
|---|---|
 Jeong in March 2012. |
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| Born | Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong July 13, 1969 Detroit, Michigan, US |
| Alma mater | Duke University (undergraduate studies) University of North Carolina School of Medicine |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian, physician |
| Years active | 1997–present (acting) |
| Spouse(s) | Tran Ho (2 children) |
| Website | |
| www.kenjeong.com | |
Kendrick Kang-Joh “Ken” Jeong (born July 13, 1969) is an American comedian, actor, and physician.[1][2][3] He is best known for his role as Leslie Chow in The Hangover films and as Señor Ben Chang on the NBC comedy series Community.
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Early years [edit]
Ken Jeong was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of South Korean immigrants Young and Dong-Kuen Jeong, who was a professor at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina.[4][5][6] Jeong was raised in Greensboro and attended Walter Hines Page High School, where he took part in the High IQ team, played violin in the orchestra, and was elected to student council. He graduated at 16 and his achievements earned him Greensboro's Youth of the Year award.[4]
Career [edit]
Medicine [edit]
Jeong completed his undergraduate studies at Duke University in 1990 and attained his medical degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995.[3] He then completed his Internal Medicine residency at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans while developing his stand-up comedy.[7] Jeong is licensed as a physician in the state of California.[3]
Show business [edit]
Jeong won the Big Easy Laff-Off, of which NBC president Brandon Tartikoff and The Improv founder Budd Friedman were judges, and they both urged Jeong to move to Los Angeles.[8] Jeong began performing regularly at the Improv and Laugh Factory comedy clubs. Upon moving to Los Angeles, he initially practiced medicine for several years as a general practitioner at a Kaiser Permanente hospital in Woodland Hills.
Jeong's background in theater and improv has led to several television appearances, including NBC's The Office, HBO's Entourage and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Ken made his feature film debut as Dr. Kuni in Judd Apatow's Knocked Up which proved to be his breakout performance; from that point forward he was able to transition from medicine into a full-time career in the entertainment industry. Subsequently, he has appeared in Pineapple Express; Role Models as King Argotron; All About Steve; The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard; Couples Retreat; and as Mr. Chow in The Hangover and The Hangover Part II. He co-starred in Zookeeper and Transformers: Dark of the Moon, released in summer 2011.
He attacked (kayfabe) pro wrestler John Cena with a cane on the August 3, 2009 episode of WWE Raw.
Jeong is a series regular as Señor Ben Chang on NBC's sitcom Community.
Jeong was nominated for two 2010 MTV Movie Awards, winning the award for Best WTF Moment as well as being nominated for MTV Movie Award for Best Villain for The Hangover.
Jeong was also nominated for "Male Breakout Star" for Community at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards.
In the fall of 2010, Adidas basketball began a wide-ranging marketing campaign in which Jeong stars as the character "Slim Chin" alongside NBA stars Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose.
On May 22, 2011, Jeong hosted the 2011 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on ABC.[9]
On June 15, 2011, Jeong was featured in a Hands Only CPR PSA campaign from the American Heart Association.[10]
Jeong won a Streamy Award for "Best Guest Appearance" for Burning Love.[11]
In 2013, Jeong appeared in Michael Bay's Pain & Gain (2013), as Johnny Wu, a motivational speaker,[12] and returned, in a significantly expanded role, as Mr. Chow in The Hangover Part III.[13]
Jeong will star in and produce the film The Chung Factor, which was purchased by Lionsgate on October 25, 2011.[14]
In an unusual, if informal, partnership, Jamie Foxx and Jeong have each agreed to star in movies written and produced by the other. Foxx has agreed to take a lead role in a new movie Jeong will produce called After Prom. Jeong will star in All-Star Weekend, a comedy Foxx is developing at his production company about two friends who find themselves fans of opposing NBA stars.[15]
Personal life [edit]
Jeong's wife, Tran Ho, a Vietnamese American, is also a doctor. Together, they have twin daughters, Alexa and Zooey, and live in Southern California.[16][17]
Filmography [edit]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Ancestry.com. U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
- ^ Barshad, Amos (May 23, 2011). "The Surprisingly Earnest Ken Jeong on the Secret Messages of The Hangover". Vulture.com. Nymag. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Medical Board of California – Physician/Surgeon License".
- ^ a b Lopez, Robert (June 19, 2009). "Greensboro native finds funny bone in movie". News & Record. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- ^ Lee, Chris (June 10, 2009). "Doctor provides best medicine". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
- ^ "Univ. of Illinois awards law degree to Jesse Jackson, Jr.", Jet, June 7, 1993: 25
- ^ "Dr. Ken Jeong". Justforlaughs.com. Retrieved June 3, 2007.
- ^ Walker, Dave (March 3, 2010). "Former New Orleanian Ken Jeong is getting laughs on 'Community'". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans, La. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
- ^ "Far*East Movement will perform at Ken Jeong-hosted Billboard Music Awards". Asia Pacific Arts. May 12, 2011.
- ^ "Ken Jeong AHA Hands-Only CPR video". June 15, 2011.
- ^ "NOMINATIONS ARE ANNOUNCED FOR 3RD ANNUAL STREAMY AWARDS". The Streamy Awards. 2012-12-17.
- ^ Kit, Borys (5 April 2012). "'Community' Star Ken Jeong Joins Michael Bay's 'Pain and Gain' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Siegel, Tatiana; Belloni, Matthew (July 12, 2012). "Ken Jeong Signs on for Expanded Role in 'Hangover: Part III' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- ^ "Ken Jeong to star in and co-produce The Chung Factor". Asia Pacific Arts. 2011-10-31.
- ^ "Jamie Foxx and Ken Jeong agree to trade movies". Los Angeles Times. 2012-10-10.
- ^ Deerwester, Jayme (September 3, 2009). "Ken Jeong transitions from doctor to in-demand jokester". USA Today.
- ^ http://spotlight.vitals.com/2010/06/dr-ken-jeong-wife-dr-tran-ho-mtv-movie-awards/
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ken Jeong |
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- 1969 births
- 20th-century American actors
- 21st-century American actors
- Actors from Louisiana
- Actors from Michigan
- Actors from North Carolina
- Actors of Korean descent
- American comedians
- American film actors
- American male actors
- American people of Korean descent
- American physicians
- American television actors
- Duke University alumni
- Living people
- People from Detroit, Michigan
- People from Greensboro, North Carolina
- People from New Orleans, Louisiana
- University of North Carolina School of Medicine alumni
