A lot of audiences will know BD Wong best as Dr. Henry Wu from the Jurassic World movies, but he’s had a rich career outside of that franchise. Wong began his career with small roles in the likes of Simon & Simon and movies The Karate Kid Part II and Family Business, starring Sean Connery. He was credited as Bradd Wong during this period, but following the acclaim that greeted his performance in play M. Butterfly, he switched to using his initials professionally. Wong would garner numerous awards for his work, including a Tony.
His performance in M. Butterfly led to parts in more high-profile projects like The Freshman, Steve Martin’s Father Of The Bride and its 1995 sequel and, of course, Jurassic Park. Wong’s Dr. Wu explains how all the dinosaurs in the park are female and while its a small role in terms of screentime, the character would play a much bigger part later in the series. BD Wong would work steadily through this period, including parts in Executive Decision with Kurt Russell and Halle Berry, Seven Years In Tibet and a scene-stealing performance in underrated Dolph Lundgren vehicle Men Of War.
Other notable film work from this period including voicing Captain Li Shang in Mulan and a lead role in kids movie Slappy And The Stinkers. After guest roles in shows like The X-Files, BD Wong became a recurring part of HBO’s Oz. This acclaimed prison drama took an unflinching look at life in prison, with Wong playing Father Ray Mukada, who is one of the few characters to survive the entire six seasons.
In 2000 BD Wong would join the cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as George Huang, who has appeared in 143 episodes of the show thus far. During the 2000s Wong mostly focused on TV work but also appeared in STV sequel Mulan II – in addition to reprising his role once again for video game Kingdom Hearts II – and Focus with Will Smith and Margot Robbie. He returned to the role of Henry Wu for Jurassic World in 2015, who has become something of a recurring villain within the franchise, later returning for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
In 2016 BD Wong joined the cast of superhero show Gotham as Hugo Strange, and also had a recurring role in Mr. Robot. In 2018 he appeared in a few episodes of American Horror Story: Apocalypse and had a small but important role in Netflix hit Bird Box. Wong is an outstanding performer who brings something special to any project he appears in, no matter the size of the part. He’s set to return once again for the upcoming Jurassic World 3.
