Ming-Na Wen (Chinese: 温明娜; pinyin: Wēn Míngnà); born November 20, 1963) is a Macau-born American actress.
She grew up in Pittsburgh where her family still runs a Chinese restaurant,note and there was cast in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood while attending Carnegie Mellon University. She received her first major role in 1988 on As the World Turns, then rose to stardom in The Joy Luck Club and ER. She also portrayed Chun Li in the live-action Street Fighter movie.
The Joy Luck Club started a productive relationship between Ming-Na and Disney, which continued when she voiced the titular heroine of Mulan. Later, she co-starred in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Agent Melinda May. The Mandalorian turned her into a Promoted Fangirl of Star Wars, when she landed the role of Fennec Shand.
In 2023, her success on television earned her a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
She shares two children with husband Eric Michael Zee, one of whom is voice actor Michaela Zee.
Film Roles
- 1993 The Joy Luck Club as Jing-Mei "June" Woo
- 1994 Street Fighter as Chun-Li
- 1997 One Night Stand as Mimi Carlyle
- As Fa Mulan in any animated Disney media.
- 1998 Mulan
- 2005 Mulan II
- 2005 Kingdom Hearts II
- 2018 Ralph Breaks the Internet
- 2023 Disney Speedstorm
- 2001 Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within as Dr. Aki Ross
- 2008 Prom Night as Dr. Elisha Crowe
- 2009 Push as Emily Hu
- 2018–2019 Marvel Rising as Hala
- 2020 Mulan as an "Esteemed Guest"
Television Roles
- 1985 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood as Royal trumpeter
- 1988–1991 As the World Turns as Lien Hughes
- 1995, 2000–2004 ER as Dr. Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen
- 1995–1997 The Single Guy as Trudy Sloan
- 1998–1999 Todd McFarlane's Spawn as Jade/Lisa Wu
- 2004–2005 The Batman as Detective Ellen Yin
- 2004 The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius as Peggy Tsu
- 2007, 2010 Two and a Half Men as Judge Linda Harris
- 2008–2015 Phineas and Ferb as Dr. Hirano
- 2009–2011 Stargate Universe as Camile Wray
- 2011–2012 Eureka as Senator Michaela Wen
- 2012 Adventure Time as Finn's Mom (Farm World)
- 2013–2020 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Agent Melinda May
- 2014–2018 Sofia the First as Mulan and Vega
- 2017–2018 Milo Murphy's Law as Savannah and The Jacob Twins
- 2018–2019 Guardians of the Galaxy (2015) as Phylla Vell
- 2019 Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart as Tanya Keys
- Star Wars as Fennec Shand:
- 2019–present The Mandalorian
- 2021—2024 Star Wars: The Bad Batch
- 2021—2022 The Book of Boba Fett
- 2020 Awkwafina is Nora from Queens as Aunt Sandra
- 2021–present Yasuke as Natsumaru
- 2022 Young Sheldon as Dr. Carol Lee
- 2023 Velma as Caroll
- 2023 Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai as Fong Wing
- 2023 Blue Eye Samurai as Madame Kano
Tropes
- Action Girl: Most of her well-known roles.
- Asian and Nerdy: If her character is not an Action Girl or Lady of War, then she's usually either a medical worker, scientist, or both.
- Creator Backlash: She dished some up towards Street Fighter in this video
. - I Am Not Spock: To a lot of fans, she will always be Melinda May and/or Fa Mulan.
- Lady of War: Most of her well-known roles.
- Only One Name: Throughout the late '90s and early 2000s, she was often credited as simply "Ming-Na." She's since gone back to using her full name.
- Promoted Fanboy: She's gone from praying to the Force and cosplaying as Princess Leia, to playing a mercenary in the Star Wars Expanded Universe.
- Production Posse: After Kevin Tancharoen directed her on several fan-favorite Agents of SHIELD episodes, she became his Honorary Aunt, then convinced Lucasfilm to also let him direct the Book of Boba Fett episode explaining how Fennec became Boba's partner.
