B.D. Wong is an award-winning actor best known for his television roles on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Oz,” and his Broadway debut in “M. Butterfly.” Born Bradley Darryl Wong, he grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. He graduated from San Francisco Sate University and moved to New York. In 1988, Wong made his Broadway debut in “M. Butterfly,” for which he received the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Clarence Derwent Award and Theatre World Award. He is the only actor to be honored with all five awards for the same performance.
In 1993, Wong received rave reviews for his role opposite Sir Ian Mckellan in the HBO production “And the Band Played On.” From 1994 to 1995, Wong costarred with Margaret Cho in “All American Girl,” the first American situation comedy on network television to deal with the Asian-American experience. From 1997 to 2002, Wong had a recurring role as Father Ray Mukado on “Oz,” the gritty HBO prison drama. In 2002, Wong joined the cast of NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” as psychiatrist Dr. George Huang. On the silver screen, Wong has appeared in “The Father of the Bride” (1991), “Jurassic Park” (1993), and “Executive Decision” (1996). He was the voice of Captain Li Shang in the animated film “Mulan” (1998) and its sequel.
In 1999, Wong and his then-partner, talent agent Richie Jackson, gave birth to twin sons via a surrogate mother. One of the boys died soon after delivery. Jackson Foo Wong, the surviving twin, inspired Wong to write his memoir, “Following Foo.” The book served as Wong’s official coming out.
Wong has been a visible AIDS and LGBT civil rights activist, hosting fund-raisers and appearing at community events. In 2003, he received GLAAD’s Davidson/Valentini Award for making a difference in promoting equal rights.
Informationsourced from: http://www.glbthistorymonth.org
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