Quick Facts
Biography
Elizabeth Fong Sung (Chinese: 孫芳; pinyin: Sūn Fāng; 14 October 1954 – 22 May 2018) was a Chinese-American actress, director, and screenwriter. She was also a revered acting teacher and mentor to young performers and filmmakers in the Asian-Pacific community.
Early life and education
Sung was born and raised in British Hong Kong and studied ballet at a young age before coming to the United States.
She attended the Juilliard School and earned a BFA in dance. She was a member of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. Sung also earned an MFA in directing from the American Film Institute.
Career
From 1994-96, Sung appeared on the American soap opera The Young and the Restless as Luan Volien. She directed the short film Requiem, which was based on her childhood in Hong Kong and her journey to New York City as a ballet student. It won a CINE Golden Eagle Award in 1996.
Her other notable television appearances included roles on Hawaii Five-O, The Sopranos, Bones, Curb Your Enthusiasm, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Charmed. She starred in The Joy Luck Club, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Lethal Weapon 4.
Sung appeared in the Asian-American comedies including Anita Ho, Front Cover, and Vivian Bang's White Rabbit that screened at the Sundance Festival in 2018.
Personal life and death
Sung was married to writer and actor Peter Tulipan. She was fluent in both Cantonese and Mandarin. Her brother, Philip, died in 1985 from AIDS.
Sung died on 22 May 2018, aged 63. Her cause of death has not been released.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Le Palanquin des larmes (récit) | Tsong Hai | Drama film directed and co-written by Jacques Dorfmann | |
| 1989 | Tango & Cash | Interpreter | Buddy cop action comedy film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky | |
| 1990 | China Cry | Interrogator | Biographical film directed by James F. Collier | |
| 1992 | Death Ring | Ms. Ling |
| |
| 1993 | The Joy Luck Club | Second Wife | Drama film directed and co-produced by Wayne Wang | |
| 1994 | The Puppet Masters | Technician #1 | Science fiction film, adapted by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio and David S. Goyer | |
| 1995 | Requiem | Mother | Short film | |
| 1997 | The White Fox | Short; director, writer | ||
| 1998 | Lethal Weapon 4 | Hong's Wife | Buddy cop action film directed and produced by Richard Donner | |
| Restless | Richard's mother | Romantic film directed and co-written by Jule Gilfillan | ||
| The Water Ghost | Short; director, writer (as F. Elizabeth Sung) | |||
| 2002 | Hero | Flying Snow | Voice Wuxia film directed and produced by Zhang Yimou | |
| 2005 | Memoirs of A Geisha | Mrs. Sakamoto | Epic drama film directed by Rob Marshall | |
| 2006 | Falling for Grace | Ma | Romantic comedy directed by Fay Ann Lee | |
| 2007 | Ping Pong Playa | Mrs. Wang | Sports comedy film directed by Jessica Yu and written by Yu & Jimmy Tsai | |
| 2008 | Nuptials of the Dead | Mrs. Lee | Short drama film directed by Maya Lim | |
| Finding Madison | Mrs. Lee | Drama film directed by Tuan Tran | ||
| 2010 | House Under Siege | Margot | Action thrlller film written and directed by Mark Hazen Kelly | |
| The Boxer | May | Short drama film directed by David Au and Teddy Chen | ||
| 2011 | L.A. Coffin School | Ming | Short drama film co-written and directed by Erin Li | |
| 2012 | The People I've Slept With | Mrs. Lee | Sex comedy film directed by Quentin Lee | |
| Anita Ho | Mrs. Lee | |||
| 2013 | Go for Sisters | Mother Han | Crime drama written, directed, and edited by John Sayles | |
| 2014 | Woman In Fragments | Mei-Ling Wong | Short drama film by Zhou Quan | |
| Yes, And... | Mrs. Ding | |||
| 2015 | Front Cover | Yen Fu | ||
| Pali Road | Mrs. Zhang | |||
| 2016 | The Unbidden | Anna | ||
| Big Fish & Begonia | Old Chun | English version, Voice | ||
| 2017 | Fallen Stars | Joyce | ||
| 2018 | White Rabbit | |||
| Duck Duck Goose | Voice | |||
| For Izzy | Anna | |||
| North Blvd | Landlord |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Equalizer | Manika | Episode: "Riding the Elephant" | |
| 1989 | China Beach | Roxanne | Episode: "Independence Day" | |
| Murder, She Wrote | Lipreader | Episode: "Jack and Bill" | ||
| 1990 | Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes | Extra | Historical Made-for-TV Movie directed by Peter Werner | |
| Kojak: Flowers for Matty | Lan | Made-for-TV Movie directed by Paul Krasny | ||
| 1991 | Knots Landing | Linda Takashi | Episode: "Call Me Dimitri" | |
| 1994–1996 | The Young and the Restless | Luan Volien | Main cast member | |
| 1998 | Charmed | Mrs. Chao | Episode: "Dead Man Dating" | |
| 1999 | Border Line | Mrs. Chen | Made-for-TV Movie directed by Ken Kwapis | |
| ER | Mrs. May Fong | Episode: "Sticks and Stones" | ||
| 2000 | Touched by an Angel | Yung Shim Noh | Episode: "Reasonable Doubt" | |
| Passions | Danielle Dwyer |
| ||
| 2002 | NYPD Blue | Mrs. Quon | Episode: "A Little Dad'll Do Ya" | |
| Gotta Kick It Up! | Ms. Kim | Made-for-TV Movie directed by Ramón Menéndez | ||
| For the People | Yen Marty | Episode: "Nascent" | ||
| 2005 | Crossing Jordan | Su-Ying Zhang | Episode: "You Really Got Me" | |
| House | Marilyn Park | Episode: "Love Hurts" | ||
| E-Ring | Kit Yee's Mother | Episode: "Pilot" | ||
| 2006 | Desperate Housewives | Translator | Episode: "Silly People"; Uncredited | |
| 2007 | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | Mrs. Tao | Episodes:
| |
| The Sopranos | Mrs. Chong | Episode: "Remember When" | ||
| 2008 | Ni Hao, Kai-Lan | Mommy Panda | Voice, Episode: "Kai-Lan's Trip to China" | |
| 2009 | The Suite Life on Deck | Khun Yai | Episode: "Family Thais" | |
| The Forgotten | Mei Chen | Episode: "Parachute Jane" | ||
| 2009–2010 | FlashForward | Saayo Noh | Episodes:
| |
| 2010 | Kosher Pig | Lillian Li | Made-for-TV Movie directed by Eric Patton | |
| NCIS: Los Angeles | Ming Lee | Episode: "Chinatown" | ||
| 2011 | Bones | Mama Liu | Episode: "The Body in the Bag" | |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Cynthia Katsu | Episode: "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Dead" | ||
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | O'Donnell's Housekeeper | Episode: "The Divorce" | ||
| 2012 | Awake | Mrs. Koh | Episode: "Game Day" | |
| Mike & Molly | Tammy | Episode: "Yard Sale" | ||
| 2013 | Shameless | Mrs. Wong | Episodes:
| |
| 2014 | Miss Guidance | Mrs. Chen |
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Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Rise to Honor | Voice | Made for PlayStation 2 | |
| 2005 | Narc | Civilian | Made for Xbox, Microsoft Windows, and PlayStation 2 | |
| 2006 | Splinter Cell: Double Agent | Voice | Made for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Wii, and Microsoft Windows | |
| 2008 | The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor | Female Chinese Soldier | Adaption of film of the same name for PlayStation 2, Wii, and the Nintendo DS | |
| 2012 | Spec Ops: The Line | Refugees | Third-person shooter game made for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 | |
| Sleeping Dogs | Broken Nose Jiang |
| ||
| Resident Evil 6 | Enemies | Action-adventure third-person shooter made for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 | ||
| 2014 | Infamous: First Light | Additional Voices | ||
| Infamous: Second Son | Asian-accented Female Pedestrian #2 | Action-adventure single-player game made for PlayStation 4 | ||
| 2018 | Prey: Mooncrash | Riley Yu | ||
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | The Local Pedestrian Population |