Rae Dawn Chong
Page Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.
Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for deprecated parameters".
Rae Dawn Chong (born February 28, 1961) is a Canadian actress. She made her big screen debut appearing in the 1978 musical drama film Stony Island, and in 1981 starred in the science fantasy film Quest for Fire, for which she received the Genie Award for Best Actress.
Chong later starred in films Beat Street (1984), Choose Me (1984), American Flyers (1985), The Color Purple (1985), Commando (1985), Soul Man (1986), The Principal (1987), Tales from the Darkside (1990), The Borrower (1991), Time Runner (1993), and Boulevard (1994). She is the daughter of comedian and actor Tommy Chong.
Early life
Chong was born on February 28, 1961, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the first daughter of actor/comedian Tommy Chong.[1] Her father is of Chinese and Scots-Irish descent and her mother, Maxine Sneed, was of Black Canadian descent.[2][3][4] Her maternal uncle was drummer Floyd Sneed. Her younger sister Robbi Chong is a model and actress. They have three younger half-brothers (one adopted) and a half-sister by their father's second wife. In addition to Rae Dawn, two of her sisters and her adopted brother Marcus Chong have pursued acting careers.
Chong has said that her paternal grandfather left a poor village in China in the 1930s to live with an aunt in Vancouver, where Chinese immigrants were mostly sequestered in a small area due to racial discrimination, and that although he spoke Cantonese, he refused to teach it to his children or grandchildren. She said, "I think my grandfather had great racial shame, which was hard on us growing up. ... We grew up desperate to know anything about our Chinese culture." Later in life, though, her grandfather "saw the error of his ways and embraced his heritage."[5]
Career
After acting in a few television roles, Chong's second feature film was Quest for Fire (1981), for which she won the Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in 1983.[6] Other notable roles have been in the films Choose Me (1984), Beat Street (1984), The Color Purple (1985), and Commando (1985). She appeared with her father in Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers (1984) and Far Out Man (1990). In 1985, Chong played the love interest in Mick Jagger's video "Just Another Night".[7]
At 19 years old, Chris Pratt was waiting tables at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant in Maui when he was scouted by Chong; she cast him in her directorial debut, the short horror film Cursed Part 3, which was filmed in Los Angeles in 2000.[8][9][10]
On television, Chong starred opposite Adrian Pasdar in the science fiction drama series Mysterious Ways from 2000 to 2002. later she starred in the first season of Lifetime comedy-drama series Wild Card opposite Joely Fisher. The following years, she appeared in a number of independent movies. She returned to television appearing in two episodes of Better Things in 2016, and two episodes of 9-1-1 (2018-19). In 2021, she played Betty Currie in the FX series Impeachment: American Crime Story.[11][12]
In 2021, Chong was honored with the "Invisible Woman Award" from the Women Film Critics Circle for "Supporting performance by a woman whose exceptional impact on the film dramatically, socially or historically, has been ignored" for her performance in the drama film The Sleeping Negro.[13][14]
In 2022, Chong portrayed Florence de Pointe du Lac in the AMC series Interview with the Vampire.[15]
Personal life
Chong married Owen Baylis, a stockbroker, and they had a son named Morgan. They divorced in 1982.[citation needed] In 1989, she married actor C. Thomas Howell, her co-star in the feature film Soul Man.[16] They divorced in 1990.[17] In 2011, Chong married Nathan Ulrich (one of the founders of Xootr). They divorced in 2014.[citation needed]
Pop culture references
British-American rapper-producer MF Doom recorded a song titled "Rae Dawn". It was released under the alias Viktor Vaughn, as a single from his third studio album Vaudeville Villain (some releases list the title as "Raedawn"). The reference to Chong appears in the lyrics: "New drink, named it after Chong daughter".[18]
Rapper Redman mentions Chong in his 1994 song "Winicumuhround".
Comedian Stephen Lynch also has a song about Chong—"R.D.C. (Opie's Lament)"—as the 12th track on his 2000 debut album A Little Bit Special.
Chong's name is repeated several times on the hidden track "Love Song" from Alice in Chains' 1992 EP Sap.[19]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Stony Island | Janetta | |
| 1980 | Top of the Hill | Rita | TV movie |
| 1981 | Quest for Fire | Ika | Genie Award for Best Actress |
| 1984 | Beat Street | Tracy Carlson | |
| Choose Me | Pearl Antoine | ||
| Fear City | Leila | ||
| Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers | The Gypsy | ||
| 1985 | City Limits | Yogi | |
| American Flyers | Sarah | ||
| Commando | Cindy | ||
| Badge of the Assassin | Christine Horn | TV movie | |
| The Color Purple | Squeak | ||
| Running Out of Luck | Slave Girl | ||
| 1986 | Soul Man | Sarah Walker | |
| 1987 | The Squeeze | Rachel Dobs | |
| The Principal | Hilary Orozco | ||
| 1989 | Rude Awakening | Marlene | |
| 1990 | Denial | Julie | |
| Tales from the Darkside: The Movie | Carola | ||
| Curiosity Kills | Jane | TV movie | |
| Amazon | Paola | ||
| Far Out Man | Herself | ||
| 1991 | Prison Stories: Women on the Inside | Rhonda | TV movie |
| The Borrower | Diana Pierce | ||
| Chaindance | Ilene Curtis | ||
| 1992 | When the Party's Over | M.J. | |
| 1993 | Time Runner | Karen Donaldson | |
| Father & Son: Dangerous Relations | Yvonne | TV movie | |
| 1994 | Boulevard | Ola | |
| Boca | J.J. | ||
| Amberwaves | Misty | ||
| 1995 | Hideaway | Rose Orwetto | |
| Power of Attorney | Joan Armstrong | Video | |
| The Break | Jennifer Hudson | ||
| Crying Freeman | Detective Forge | ||
| 1996 | Mask of Death | Cassandra Turner | |
| Starlight | Arianna | ||
| Small Time | The Woman | ||
| For Hope | Woman at Bar | TV movie | |
| 1997 | Alibi | D.A. Linda Garcia | TV movie |
| Highball | Herself | ||
| Goodbye America | Danzig | ||
| 1998 | Valentine's Day | Sally | Video |
| 1999 | Cosas que olvidé recordar | Mary | |
| 2000 | Dangerous Attraction | Ann Rich | |
| The Visit | Felicia | ||
| 2005 | Constellation | Jenita | |
| Force of Impact | Madison Taylor | ||
| 2006 | Max Havoc: Ring of Fire | Sister Caroline | |
| Deadly Skies | Madison Taylor | TV movie | |
| 2010 | Cyrus: Mind of a Serial Killer | Vivian | |
| Etta, Kit, and Grace | Etta | Video Short | |
| 2011 | Jeff, Who Lives at Home | Carol | |
| 2012 | Shiver | Detective Burdine | |
| Pegasus vs. Chimera | Mayda | TV movie | |
| 2013 | Mud Lotus | Kim | Short |
| 2014 | Knock 'em Dead | Jenny Logan | |
| 2015 | Drizzle Of Hope | Ms. Johnson | Short |
| 2017 | Five Minutes | Delores | Short |
| 2018 | Reborn | Dory Ryder | |
| 2021 | The Sleeping Negro | Black Woman | Women Film Critics Circle Invisible Woman Award[20] |
| 2022 | We Are Gathered Here Today | Mary Reed | |
| 2026 | The Raven | Nurse Virginia | |
| TBA | Street Signs: Homeless But Not Hopeless | Narrator | Voice |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color | Greta | Episode: "The Whiz Kid and the Mystery at Riverton: Part 1 & 2" |
| 1980 | Lou Grant | Adrienne | Episode: "Lou" |
| 1983–85 | St. Elsewhere | Billie Vaughn | Guest: Seasons 1 & 3; Recurring cast: season 2 |
| 1986 | Tall Tales & Legends | Circe Lafemme | Episode: "Casey at the Bat" |
| 1991 | The Hitchhiker | Leesa White | Episode: "New Blood" |
| 1992 | Nitecap | Herself/host | TV series |
| 1992–93 | Melrose Place | Carrie Fellows | Recurring cast: Season 1 |
| 1994 | Lonesome Dove: The Series | May Lawson | Episode: "Firebrand" |
| 1995 | The Outer Limits | Karen Heatherton | Episode: "Second Soul" |
| 1996 | Highlander: The Series | Claudia Jardine | Episode: "Timeless" |
| 1997 | Poltergeist: The Legacy | Tanya Moreau | Episodes: "Lights Out!" & "Spirit Thief" |
| 2000–02 | Mysterious Ways | Dr. Peggy Fowler | Main cast [21] |
| 2002 | Judging Amy | Atty. Westland | Episode: "A Pretty Good Day" |
| 2003–04 | Wild Card | Sophie Mason | Main cast: season 1 |
| 2007 | That's So Raven | Lynn Thomas | Episode: "The Way They Were" |
| 2016 | Better Things | Patty Donner | Episode: "Period" & "Only Women Bleed" |
| 2018–19 | 9-1-1 | Stacey Mullins | Episode: "Hen Begins" & "Fallout" |
| 2019 | My Sister Is So Gay | Parker | Episode: "X Boyfriends" & "I Love You Nut-Nut" |
| 2021 | Impeachment: American Crime Story | Betty Currie | Recurring cast |
| Saturday Morning All Star Hits! | Sheena Murphy | Recurring cast | |
| 2022 | Interview with the Vampire | Florence de Pointe du Lac | Recurring cast (4 episodes) |
References
Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Rae Dawn Chong | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos". AllMovie.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Newsweek". Newsweek, Incorporated. February 8, 1972 – via Google Books.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Growing Up a Chong : AsianWeek". June 9, 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-06-09.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Rae Dawn Chong in the Hot Seat". Rolling Stone. 21 November 1985. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ Pratt, Paul E. "Growing Up a Chong" Script error: No such module "webarchive"., AsianWeek, 18 November 2005.
- ^ Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television official website Script error: No such module "webarchive"., last accessed October 22, 2007
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Spitz, Marc (2011). Jagger: Rebel, Rock Star, Rambler, Rogue. Gotham Books. ISBN 9781101552131.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Collis, Clark (July 11, 2014). "How Chris Pratt Went from Zero to Hero". Entertainment Weekly. pp. 24–31. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Chris Pratt: Biography". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hulten, Kevin (August 29, 2007). "Lake's Chris Pratt found success in Hollywood, and now he plans on bringing it home". Lake Stevens Journal. Archived from the original on January 26, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The women of 'Impeachment' explained: Betty Currie, omnipresent Clinton aide". Los Angeles Times. November 10, 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Meet the cast of Impeachment: American Crime Story and their real-life counterparts". Radio Times.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Benardello, Karen (2021-12-13). "Women Film Critics Circle Honors Passing and The Power of the Dog Amongst 2021's Best Movies". Shockya.com. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Sleeping Negro". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Franich, Darren (September 22, 2022). "A century of subtext comes out of the coffin in AMC's Interview with the Vampire". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Chong, Howell: Soul Mates Since "Soul Man"". Orlando Sentinel. June 27, 1990. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Braxton, Greg (July 24, 1990). "People Watch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ "New drink, named it after Chong daughter".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Alice in Chains – Love Song, retrieved 2026-05-22
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hanson, Mark (2021-11-30). "Review: The Sleeping Negro Headily Wrestles with the Roots of Black Hopelessness". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."VisionTV". www.visiontv.ca. Archived from the original on September 26, 2009.
External links
- Rae Dawn Chong at IMDbTemplate:Edit at Wikidata
- Rae Dawn Chong at the Internet Broadway DatabaseTemplate:Edit at WikidataLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Rae Dawn Chong discography at Discogs
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Authority control/config' not found.
