One of America’s most versatile actors, B.D. Wong has given award-winning performances in comedy and drama, on screen and stage.

Wong plays forensic psychiatrist Dr. George Huang on NBC’s Law and Order: SVU. His role on the controversial HBO television series, Oz, was further proof of his range and appeal. The character, Father Ray Mukada, was a stimulating showcase for his talent and has made him a cult favorite on college campuses.

It is in the theater that Wong first gained national attention, beginning with his Broadway debut starring in the celebrated M. Butterfly. His performance earned the Outer Critic’s Circle Award, Theatre World Award, Drama Desk Award, Clarence Derwent Award and the coveted Tony Award. He is the only actor to have won all five awards for a single role.
 
Wong gave a critically-acclaimed performance in the Broadway musical revival of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown as the intellectual, blanket-dependent Linus. He played the dashing general in Charles Busch’s Shanghai Moon. Recently, he starred in the first Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures.

The lessons Wong has learned in order to survive (and excel) in a vocation fraught with rejection and racism have given him a keen perspective on the subject of diversity. In his lectures, he addresses many issues, including racial self-image, race-based rejection, Asian-American parental pressure and the “model-minority myth.” His presentations have been lauded for their resonant and inspirational messages. “Professors went on and on about the experience... You left students with a memory they will cherish always,” said The University of Findlay.
 

Kudos are still coming in from students and faculty about your visit – they loved you! I’m hearing “intelligent,” “friendly,” “down to earth,” “inspiring” and “insightful” in response to your message and classroom visit. What can I add? You’re a delight!

Johnson & Wales University

In his book, Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man, Wong recounts the personal drama that he and his partner endured on their path to parenthood — involving a surrogate, an egg from his partner’s sister and identical twins born 13 weeks prematurely and needing months of intensive care.

Wong’s impressive list of film credits includes Father of the Bride, Jurassic Park, The Freshman, Seven Years in Tibet and Disney’s Mulan. His many TV roles include the HBO film, And the Band Played On, and the sitcom, All-American Girl, in which he co-starred as a member of television’s first Asian-American family. He will be seen in the 2007 mini-series, “The Discovery of the World,” about the life of Marco Polo.

Retracing his journey from adolescent racial self-hatred to eventual self-acceptance, from struggling with inequity to breaking down barriers in his personal and professional lives, Wong reveals the man behind the roles.