Ken Leung

Although his parents are Buddhist, Leung himself remains religiously unattached, choosing to respect all faiths instead.

The actor prefers to keep his personal life private and has not disclosed details of his personal relationships. However, he is married, as stated in a 2015 interview.

He enjoys traveling with his wife and ‘exploring quiet, comforting little places’ that present a ‘contrast to life in New York City.’

Kenneth Leung was born on January 21, 1970, to a Chinese businessman named Wang-Gang Leung and his wife, Kim-Chong Lui, in New York City. His mother was reportedly pregnant with him when the family migrated to the United States.

He was raised in the ‘Two Bridges’ part of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, before his family moved to Midwood Brooklyn, where he attended Pierre English Boarding School. He has since stated that he misses the movie theaters of his childhood in New York immensely.

Later, however, he transferred to Old Bridge High School in Old Bridge, New Jersey, from where he graduated before heading to college. Leung attended NYU as a University Scholar.

After a friend’s suggestion that he take an acting class as an elective in his third year, Leung discovered his passion for the craft. At NYU, he studied with British actress Catherine Russell as well as Nan Smithner, graduating in 1995.

Post-NYU, he was associated with HB Studio where he met Anne Jackson. During this period he was seriously involved in the New York theater scene, working with black box theaters as well as the Ma-Yi Theater Company. He also joined ‘New Perspectives’– an actor collective– as well as ‘STAR,’ a Mount Sinai Hospital-based touring group of actor-educators.

Leung first began working in films in 1995, playing bit roles in movies, such as ‘Pictures of Baby Jane Doe’ (1995), ‘Red Corner’ (1997), and ‘Fly’ (1998). He also starred in a number of minor musicals and plays before getting his big break as the villain Sang in Brett Ratner’s 1997 action comedy, and Jackie Chan film, ‘Rush Hour.’ This marked the beginning of his long-term association with Ratner, who has called him a great actor. Leung, in turn, has called Ratner “disarmingly relaxed and trusting,” and he credits the director for helping him increase his confidence in Hollywood.

He returned to the stage in 1998, playing James the Less and God in Terrence McNally’s play ‘Corpus Christi.’

He continued to work in films and television through the late 90s and the early 2000s, appearing on hit shows ‘Law and Order’ in 1995, 2002, and 2005; and ‘Deadline’ in 2000. He also played minor roles in films, such as ‘Man of the Century’ (1999), ‘Maze’ (2000), and ‘Spy Game’ (2001).

During this period, he starred in actor Edward Norton’s 2000 directorial debut ‘Keeping the Faith,’ alongside Ben Stiller, Jenna Elfman, and Norton himself. Norton was extremely impressed with Leung, calling his performance “show-stopping” and opining that he would be able to perform ‘Hamlet’ well since ‘nobody had tapped his full range yet.’

Leung continued his fruitful association with Brett Ratner in the 2000s, starring in three other feature films, most notably the Hannibal Lecter prequel ‘Red Dragon’ (2002) and the final installment of the X-Men trio, ‘The Last Stand’ (2006).

Leung’s performance in the 2007 film ‘Shanghai Kiss’ received a ‘Special Mention’ at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.