A. theater and quirky character actor of film and TV. Wong is best known for his acclaimed performance as Song Liling in his Broadway debut, "M. Butterfly" (1988), as a male Chinese spy who successfully poses as a woman in a 25-year relationship with a French diplomat. His mesmerizing performance won an array of richly deserved awards including the 1988 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor, the Drama Desk Award, Clarence Derwent Award, and Theater World Award. Wong's subsequent film and TV roles have been much less challenging and distinguished, sometimes just barely transcending stereotypes through the sheer force of his engaging personality and impeccable craft.
Wong has played a genetic engineering entrepreneur, an East Asian gangster, a loyal assistant, and a fey caterer's helper variously in Sidney Lumet's "Family Business" (1989), "The Freshman" (1990), "Mystery Date" and "Father of the Bride" (both 1991). Wong also appeared fleetingly as biogeneticist Dr. Wu in Steven Spielberg's sci-fi epic "Jurassic Park" (1993). He fared better in a memorable guest appearance on John Sayles' short-lived TV series, "Shannon's Deal" (NBC, 1991). Wong also registered as the lover of Sir Ian McKellen in the acclaimed TV adaptation of "And the Band Played On" (HBO, 1993).
Wong proved himself more than capable to the task of joining a TV comedy ensemble with "All-American Girl" (ABC, 1994-95), the first sitcom to deal with the Asian-American experience. As the relatively mild-mannered, accommodating older brother of the pugnaciously assimilated Margaret Cho, his character was the favorite child of their traditional Korean mother.