Biography
A regular fixture in both British TV and American cinema, prolific character actor Benedict Wong carved out a career playing parts on both sides of the law before landing his most imposing role as Kublai Khan in historical epic "Marco Polo" (Netflix, 2014-). Born in Eccles, Greater Manchester to Hong Kong-born parents in 1971, Wong studied Performing Arts at Salford College before making his on-screen debut in the "Small Metal Jacket" episode of anthology series "Screenplay" (BBC2, 1986-1993). Following one-off appearances in the likes of gentle comedy "Last of the Summer Wine" (BBC1, 1973-2010), medical drama "Cardiac Arrest" (BBC1, 1994-96) and detective show "Cracker" (ITV, 1993-2006), Wong landed his first recurring role as DC Frankie Li in Lynda La Plante's "Supply & Demand" (ITV, 1997-98). Wong stuck with the same profession when he was cast as David Chiu for nine episodes of long-running police drama "The Bill" (ITV, 1984-2010), and went onto add fantasy miniseries "Arabian Nights" (BBC, 2000) and hitman comedy "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (2001) to his resume before making his first Hollywood appearance as a sniper in the espionage thriller "Spy Game" (2001). Wong then showcased his comic skills with roles as Sean Lock's naive flatmate Errol in cult sitcom "15 Storeys High" (BBC3, 2002-04) and gay theatre nurse Terry in surreal hospital-based "TLC" (BBC2, 2002) before returning to more dramatic fare, playing mortuary assistant Guo Yi in illegal immigrant tale "Dirty Pretty Things" (2002), Pete Cheng in Paul Abbott's political thriller "State of Play" (BBC1, 2003) and a medic in Michael Winterbottom's sci-fi love story "Code 46" (2003). Following minor roles in ensemble drama "On A Clear Day" (2005) and Winterbottom's film-within-a-film "A Cock & Bull Story" (2005), Wong played frazzled navigator Trey in Danny Boyle's space epic "Sunshine" (2007) and assistant Ed Gore in "Frankenstein" (ITV, 2007), starred as the mute Chinese gardener Kung Sang in big-screen comedy "Grow Your Own" (2007) and appeared as financial guru William Kwan in the adaptation of Belgian comic book "The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch" (2008). After venturing into children's TV to play the villainous Li in "Spirit Warriors" (CBBC, 2010), Wong landed minor roles in neo-noir "Shanghai" (2010), Aung San Suu Kyi biopic "The Lady" (2011) and spy spoof "Johnny English Reborn" (2011), as well as voicing world-famous pianist Lang Lang in live-action/animation hybrid "The Flying Machine" (2011). Following his performance as Vietnamese drug dealer Vincent in gritty drama "Top Boy" (Channel 4, 2011-) Wong worked with Ridley Scott, playing ship pilot Ravel in sci-fi horror "Prometheus" (2012), and appeared as mobsters in Jason Statham vehicle "Redemption" (2013), superhero sequel "Kick-Ass 2" (2013) and James Corden's black comedy "The Wrong Mans" (BBC2, 2014-). Wong then landed arguably his most high-profile role when he was cast as Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, in big-budget 13th Century epic "Marco Polo" (Netflix, 2014-). Between seasons of that series, Wong co-starred with Matt Damon in the science fiction hit "The Martian" (2016) and Benedict Cumberbatch in the Marvel Comics thriller "Doctor Strange" (2016).
