Dustin Nguyen
Dustin Nguyen | |
---|---|
Nguyen at the 2007 Bangkok International Film Festival. | |
Born |
Nguyen Xuan Tri September 17, 1962 Saigon, South Vietnam |
Occupation | Actor, director, writer, martial artist |
Years active | 1985–present |
Spouse(s) |
Angela Rockwood (m. 2002-2011) Bebe Pham (m. 2011-present) |
Children | Sky (b. 2013), Scarlett (b. 2015) |
Website |
dustintringuyen |
Dustin Nguyen (born September 17, 1962) is a Vietnamese-American actor, director, writer and martial artist. He is best known for his roles as Harry Truman Ioki on 21 Jump Street and as Johnny Loh on V.I.P.[1] In Films, he's known for starring in Little Fish, The Doom Generation and The Rebel.
Early life
Born as Nguyễn Xuân Trí in Saigon, South Vietnam, his mother My Le, was an actress and dancer, and his father, Xuan Phat, was an actor, comedian, writer and producer in South Vietnam.[2] The family left Vietnam in April 1975 as it fell to Communist Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army forces.[3]
They arrived in Guam, then the family was moved to a refugee camp in Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, and finally with the assistance of a Methodist church they relocated to Des Peres, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.[3][4] After Nguyen graduated from Garden Grove High School in Garden Grove, CA, he attended Orange Coast College[1] and majored in communications. Nguyen practices several martial arts including Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, Eskrima, and Jeet Kune Do.[3]
Personal life
After a late night car accident on September 3, 2001 on California's Interstate 5 Highway between San Francisco and Los Angeles that left his wife, Angela Rockwood-Nguyen, a quadriplegic, Nguyen and his wife became active in The Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center. That accident also claimed the life of Vietnamese-American actress Thuy Trang, a member of the original cast of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He separated from his wife in 2011.
Dustin Nguyen is based in Vietnam full time. In 2011, he married Vietnamese actress-model Bebe Pham whom he has two children together.[5]
Filmography
He made his acting debut on Magnum, P.I., portraying a Cambodian freedom fighter in the episode "Crouching." He was a cast member on both 21 Jump Street and V.I.P., and has guest-starred on a number of other series, including General Hospital, Highlander, and most notably seaQuest DSV, playing the role of Chief William Shan. Moreover, he played a cameo role in Charlie's Angels. Nguyen also auditioned for the role of Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat, but lost out to Robin Shou. In 1993 he played a Vietnamese man sent off to fight with the Viet Cong, in the film Heaven & Earth. In 2005, Nguyen starred as a former heroin addict opposite Academy Award-winner Cate Blanchett in the critically acclaimed Little Fish.[6] He starred in the 2007 films The Rebel and Saigon Eclipse. In 2008 he starred in the Vietnamese martial art film Huyen Thoai Bat Tu (The Legend Is Alive, The Immortal Legend)[7] where he plays a mentally disabled martial artist. Nguyen screened in 2009 the Thriller The Gauntlet under the Direction from Matt Eskandari and stars alongside Chinese actress star Bai Ling. He has made a small cameo in 22 Jump Street as Vietnamese Jesus as an Easter egg to his own participation as a main cast member in the original 21 Jump Street series.[8]
Nguyen continues to act and make films in Vietnam full-time. He made his feature directorial debut in the Vietnamese fantasy film Once Upon a Time in Vietnam, which he also starred in. He recently starred in the Vietnamese film Gentle that premiered at the 2015 Busan International Film Festival where he received strong reception for his performance.[9]
Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
2016 | I'll Wait | Director | ||
2015 | Gentle | Thien | Actor | |
2015 | Zero Tolerance | Johnny | Actor | |
2015 | Jackpot | Tu Nghia | Director | |
2015 | The Man with the Iron Fists 2 | Li Kung | Actor | |
2014 | 22 Jump Street | Vietnamese Jesus/Harry Truman Ioki | Cameo | |
2013 | Once Upon a Time in Vietnam | Dao | Director/Actor | |
2011 | Popular Dysfunctions | Comandante Chitt | ||
2011 | The Gauntlet | Jin-Soo | ||
2010 | Floating Lives | Vo | ||
2010 | Fool for Love | Dung | ||
2009 | The Legend Is Alive | |||
2007 | The Rebel | Sy | ||
2007 | Saigon Eclipse | Kim | ||
2007 | Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee | Troy Poon | ||
2005 | Little Fish | Jonny | ||
2003 | The Break | |||
1998 | Hundred Percent | Isaac | ||
1995 | The Doom Generation | Quickiemart Clerk | ||
1995 | Virtuosity | Suburban Reporter | ||
1994 | Vanishing Son IV | Hung | ||
1994 | Vanishing Son II | Hung | ||
1994 | 3 Ninjas Kick Back | Glam | ||
1993 | Heaven & Earth | Sau | ||
1993 | No Escape, No Return | Tommy Cuff | ||
1992 | Rapid Fire | Paul Yang | ||
1991 | Earth Angel | Peter | ||
1985 | Sunset Strip | Chinese Youth |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2012 | The Amazing Race Vietnam | himself | TV host |
2009 | The Unit | Transit Officer | |
2003 | JAG | Lt. Bao Hien | |
1998 - 2002 | V.I.P. | Johnny Loh | |
1997 | Die Gang | Marc Wiessner | |
1995 | Kung Fu: The Legend Continues | Lo Gee | |
1995 | VR.5 | Ky Buchanan | |
1995 | Vanishing Son | Hung | |
1994–96 | Phantom 2040 | Tranh | |
1993 | SeaQuest DSV | Chief William Shan | |
1993 | Highlander | Jimmy Sang | |
1993 | Murder, She Wrote | David Kuan | |
1992 | Highlander | Chou Lin | |
1992 | Street Justice | ||
1992 | The Commish | ||
1987–90 | 21 Jump Street | Officer Harry Truman Ioki | |
1989 | Danger Bay | Duk Chin | |
1987 | Shell Game | Doug | |
1986 | The A-Team | Bobby | |
1985 | Magnum, P.I. | Joe | |
1983 | General Hospital | Suki | |
Producer
- The Amazing Race Vietnam (2012-ongoing) - Himself
- 2007 AZN Asian Excellence Awards (2007) - Himself
- "E! True Hollywood Story" - Himself (1 episode, 2004)
- "Howard Stern" - Himself (4 episodes, 1999)
- "The Howard Stern Radio Show" - Himself (2 episodes, 1999)
- "Intimate Portrait" - Himself (1 episode)
In production
- CinemAbility (2011) (filming) - Himself
- The Slanted Screen (2006) - Himself
Awards
In March 2009, he won the Vietnamese Cánh Diều Vàng (Golden Kite Award) for best actor, for his starring role in the Phuoc Sang Films vehicle Huyền Thoại Bất Tử (The Legend Is Alive).[10][11] For the same role, that year he won a Golden Lotus Award (Vietnam's Oscar) for Best Actor. And also China's Golden Rooster Award for Best International Actor at China's Golden Rooster and Thousand Flowers International Film Festival 2009. In 2015, at the Milan International Film Festival, Dustin won the Leonardo diVinci Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actor in the Vietnamese film GENTLE; an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's A GENTLE CREATURE."
References
- 1 2 Levine, Robert (1994-05-24). "Taking a Big Leap From `Jump Street' After finding success in the '80s on the police show, Dustin Nguyen is moving into films and `seaQuest' while sharpening his martial arts skills. Series: FAST TRACK: Up and Comers in Arts and Entertainment * One in a Series". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ↑ Knutzen, Eirik (4 July 1987). "One Jump ahead". Toronto Star. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
- 1 2 3 Chen, Vivien Lou (1992-05-01). "Jobless Actor Rejects Asian Stereotypes Series". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ↑ Brennan, Patricia (13 December 1987). "Dustin Nguyen Out Of Saigon And Into TV". cglass.vinu.edu. Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 10, 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
- ↑ "Dustin Nguyen: 21 Jump Street Star on Life in Vietnam". PEOPLE.com. 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ↑ Chang, Richard (31 March 2009). "Vietnamese film festival returns to O.C.". ocregister.com. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
- ↑ Todd Brown (27 November 2008). "Dustin Nguyen Returns In Vietnamese Action Drama THE LEGEND IS ALIVE (HUYỀN THOẠI BẤT TỬ)". twitchfilm.com. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
- ↑ "'21 Jump Street' veteran plays Vietnamese Jesus Christ in big-screen sequel". UPI. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ↑ Brown, Todd (2015-01-23). "GENTLE: Watch Dustin Nguyen In Vietnamese Dostoyevsky Adaptation". ScreenAnarchy. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ↑ Todd Brown (3 March 2009). "Dustin Nguyen Star Vehicle THE LEGEND IS ALIVE Dominates The Vietnamese Golden Kite Awards". twitchfilm.com. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
- ↑ "culture vulture". vnagency.com. 24 December 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dustin Nguyen. |
- Official website
- Dustin Nguyen at the Internet Movie Database
- Lisa Lee (2006-07-07). "No 'Little Fish'". AsianWeek.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2008.
- Allan Donnelly (March 2002). "V.I.P moves are no Hollywood make-believe". Men's Fitness. Retrieved January 17, 2008.
- "Dustin's destiny". Nguoi Viet Daily News. 2007-03-01. Retrieved 2009-07-30.