Hank Chen
Hank Chen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Henry Hsing Chen November 1, 1989 (age 29) Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Hankster |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Hank Chen | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 陳興漢 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 陈兴汉 | ||||||
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Hank Chen (born November 1, 1989) is a Chinese-American actor and comedian best known for co-starring in Life-Size 2, and his role in Robin Williams's final theatrical release, The Angriest Man in Brooklyn.
Early life
Born as Henry Chen in Silver Spring, Maryland, to Taiwanese immigrants, Chen spoke Mandarin Chinese at home before learning English. His parents are software engineers and he has a younger sister.
Chen is openly gay.[1] He is a founding member and original board member of LGBT advocacy group, OneWheaton.[2][3]
Raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. in Montgomery County, Chen attended Springbrook High School where he earned an International Baccalaureate diploma. He went on to attend Wheaton College and graduated with a degree in Sociology with minors in Communications and English. After graduating, he spent the summer in Chicago working at a casting office during the day, while taking acting and improv classes at The Second City in the evening. Shortly afterwards, Chen attended the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University and moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he began his career with a television credit on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.[4]
Career
Chen has appeared in multiple television roles since 2011 including Blue Bloods, Lopez, and NCIS: Los Angeles. He made his film debut in The Angriest Man in Brooklyn. He also appeared in Reese Witherspoon-starrer Home Again,[5] and opposite Brett Gelman in Lemon, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.[6]
He co-starred in Freeform's Life-Size 2 opposite Tyra Banks and Francia Raisa.[7]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Angriest Man in Brooklyn | Damien | |
| 2015 | The Dark Side | Patrick | |
| 2017 | Lemon | Lee | |
| 2017 | Home Again | Jason Greene | |
| 2018 | Life-Size 2 | Brendan |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | P.A. | Episode: "Pursuit" |
| 2011 | Blue Bloods | Harry Bell | Episode: "Model Behavior" |
| 2011 | High Maintenance | Hank | Episode: "Elijah" |
| 2014 | Transparent | Clayton | Episode: "Moppa" |
| 2014 | Criminal Minds | Chuck Ross | Episode: "Fate" |
| 2015 | Community | Various | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Rizzoli & Isles | Waiter | Episode: "Imitation Game" |
| 2015 | Baby Daddy | Jonathan | Episode: "What Happens In Vegas" |
| 2015 | Switched at Birth | New Waiter | Episode: "Borrowing Your Enemy's Arrows" |
| 2016 | Grace and Frankie | Employee | Episode: "The Bender" |
| 2016 | Lopez | Mr. Chen | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Minjun Rhee | Episode: "Parallel Resistors" |
| 2017 | Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders | Dave McHenry | Episode: "Cinderella and the Dragon" |
| 2017 | Casual | Brent | Episode: "The Table" |
| 2018 | Scandal | Justice Spivey's Clerk | Episode: "Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself" |
| 2018 | Legion | Ryan | Episode: "Chapter 14" |
| 2018 | Alex, Inc. | Dale | Episode: "The Rube Goldberg Contraption" |
| 2018 | Full Frontal with Samantha Bee | Episode: "3.14" | |
| 2019 | The OA | Homer's Roommate | 2 episodes |
References
- ^ Tungol, JR (December 30, 2014). "Gay, Asian and Christian: Hank Chen Shares His Struggles With Family and the Holidays (AUDIO)". HuffPost.
- ^ Maxwell, Carrie (November 2, 2011). "A Gay Group's Homecoming in Wheaton". Windy City Times.
- ^ Damshenas, Sam (December 7, 2018). "Hank Chen on working with Tyra Banks and being an openly gay actor in Hollywood". Gay Times.
- ^ Ngo, Tiffany (December 12, 2018). "Actor Hank Chen Discusses New Projects and Building a Life You Love". Mochi.
- ^ Anderson, Tre'vell (January 10, 2019). "The Newest Generation Of Hollywood Is More Queer Than Ever". Out.
- ^ D'Arcy, David (January 23, 2013). "'Lemon': Review". Screen Daily.
- ^ Petski, Denise (July 9, 2018). "Francia Raisa To Co-Star Opposite Tyra Banks In 'Life Size 2' On Freeform". Deadline Hollywood.
External links
- 1989 births
- Living people
- American male comedians
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- American male web series actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- Gay actors
- LGBT American people of Asian descent
- LGBT comedians
- LGBT entertainers from the United States
- LGBT rights activists from the United States
- LGBT people from Maryland
- 21st-century American comedians
- American male actors of Chinese descent
- American male actors of Taiwanese descent