
Rosalind Chao
Known for Acting · 145 credits
- Born
- 1957-09-23 (age 68)
- Place of birth
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Also known as
- Chao Jyalin · Roslind Chao · Розалинд Чао · 赵家玲 · 趙家玲 · روزالیند چائو
Biography
Rosalind Chao (born September 23, 1959) is an American actress of Chinese heritage. Chao's most notable roles are as South Korean refugee Soon-Lee Klinger on CBS' AfterMASH, as Keiko O'Brien on both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Dr. Kim on The O.C., Rose Hsu Jordan in The Joy Luck Club (1993), and Hua Li, Mulan’s mother, in the live-action version of Mulan (2020). Chao is married to voice actor Simon Templeman; they have 2 children.
She began acting at the age of five in a California-based Peking opera traveling company at the instigation of her parents who were already heavily involved, and during the summers they sent her to Taiwan to further develop her acting skills. As a child, she played the daughter of a laundry owner (played by James Hong) on the 1970 episode of Here's Lucy entitled "Lucy the Laundress".
For some time, Chao worked at Disneyland as an international tour guide.
Deciding not to pursue acting, Chao enrolled in the communications department at the University of Southern California where she earned her degree in journalism. However, after spending a year as a radio newswriting intern at the CBS-owned Hollywood radio station KNX, she soon returned to acting.
Her big break was with the role of Soon-Lee, a South Korean refugee, in the final episodes of the TV series M*A*S*H. Soon-Lee married longtime starring character Maxwell Klinger (Jamie Farr) in the series finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen", the most-watched U.S. sitcom television episode of all time as of 2021. Chao continued playing the character in the M*A*S*H sequel series: AfterMASH (1983), her first role billed at co-starring status.
Known For
TV Shows (94)

Grey's Anatomy
2005
as Kathleen Patterson

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2000
as Michelle Huntley

Bones
2005
as Mandy Oh

The Daily Show
1996
as Self

Shameless
2011
as Doctor

Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2001
as Mrs. Zhuang

Castle
2009
as Mimi Tan

Hawaii Five-0
2010
as Governor Keiko Mahoe

Monk
2002
as Arleen Cassidy

ER
1994
as Dr. Theresa Chow

Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987
as Keiko Ishikawa / Keiko O'Brien

The West Wing
1999
as Jane Gentry

Without a Trace
2002
as Helen Collins

Murder, She Wrote
1984
as Phoebe Campbell

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
1993
as Keiko O'Brien

Falcon Crest
1981
as Li-Ying Chi

Tour of Duty
1987
as Li Kiem

Private Practice
2007
as Lillie Jordan

The A-Team
1983
as Alice Heath

M*A*S*H
1972
as Soon-Lee

Miami Vice
1984
as Mai Ying

Chicago Hope
1994
as Allison Granger

This Is Us
2016
as Anna

The O.C.
2003
as Dr. Kim

Six Feet Under
2001
as Cindy

St. Elsewhere
1982
as Mary Wilson

black-ish
2014
as Dr. Stone

Emergency!
1972
as Kathy

Ben 10
2005
as Councilwoman Liang (voice)

Jake and the Fatman
1987
as Elaine Nakasone

According to Jim
2001
as Sally Wu

The Incredible Hulk
1977
as Receptionist

3 Body Problem
2024
as Ye Wenjie

Kojak
1973
as Grace Chen

Arli$$
1996
as Karen

thirtysomething
1987
as Willa Camden

One Day at a Time
1975
as Gloria

Here's Lucy
1968
as Linda Chang Wong

Family Law
1999
as Dr. Seabourne

Dharma & Greg
1997
as Patricia

Sweet Tooth
2021
as Mrs. Helen Zhang

The OA
2016
as Patricia Knoller

The Parkers
1999
as Prof. Thornhill

Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23
2012
as Pastor Jin

Forever
2014
as Frenchman

The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
as Lily

Code Black
2015
as Jae Eun

ABC Afterschool Special
1972
as The Kurmese Ambassador's Daughter

Once and Again
1999
as Tami Seitz

The Magic School Bus
1994
as Mrs. Li (voice)

The L Word: Generation Q
2019
as Grace Lee

Better Things
2016
as Caroline

W.I.T.C.H.
2004
as Joan Lin / Mandy (voice)

How the West Was Won
1977
as Li Sin

The Catch
2016
as Kohana Takashi

Medical Investigation
2004
as Dr. Kramer

Get Real
1999
as Anne Collins

Battle of the Network Stars
1976

Brimstone
1998
as Nina Chou
Movies (51)

Freakier Friday
2025
as Mama P

Mulan
2020
as Hua Li

I Am Sam
2001
as Lily

Just Like Heaven
2005
as Fran

Freaky Friday
2003
as Pei-Pei

The Man from Elysian Fields
2001
as Female Customer

What Dreams May Come
1998
as Leona

Magic Camp
2020
as Lorraine (uncredited)

The Laundromat
2019
as Gu Kailai

North
1994
as Chinese Mom

Memoirs of an Invisible Man
1992
as Cathy DiTolla

The Starling
2021
as Fawn

Impostor
2001
as Newscaster (uncredited)

Love Affair
1994
as Lee

The Joy Luck Club
1993
as Rose Hsu Jordan

Sacramento
2025
as Dr. Murray

The Big Brawl
1980
as Mae

Plus One
2019
as Angela Mori

Slam Dance
1987
as Mrs. Margaret Bell

An Eye for an Eye
1981
as Linda Chan

Tragedy Girls
2017
as Mayor Campbell

The End of Violence
1997
as Claire

Nanking
2007
as Chang Yu Zheng

Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge
1981
as Emily Chan

Together Together
2021
as Dr. Andrews

Bride of the Incredible Hulk
1980
as Receptionist

The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island
1981
as Hotel Clerk

Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western
1997
as Self

Stockholm, Pennsylvania
2015
as Dr. Andrews

Thousand Pieces of Gold
1991
as Lalu / Polly

Twirl
1981
as Kim King

Inhabited
2003
as Ms. Montane

Going Berserk
1983
as Kung Fu Girl

Shooter
1988
as Lan

Denial
1990
as Terry

Enemies of Laughter
2000
as Carla

Special Report: Journey to Mars
1996
as Dr. Lin Yo Yu

Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women
1979
as Flower

Not an Artist
2023
as Kimmy

The Ultimate Impostor
1979
as Lai-Ping

The Terry Fox Story
1983
as Rika Noda

Life of the Party
2005
as Mei Lin

Three Blind Mice
2001
as Li Mei Chen

White Ghost
1988
as Thi Hau
Last Flight Out
1990
as Tra Duong

Web of Deception
1994
as Dr. Sheila Prosser
The Joy Luck Club 2
as Rose Hsu Jordan

Moonlight
1982
as Daphne Wu

The Tribulations of a Chinese Gentleman
1987
as 莲花 (Lian Hua)

To Love, Honor and Deceive
1996
as Sydney's Best Friend

Knife Fight
2013
as Kate - Focus Group Moderator
About Rosalind Chao
Rosalind Chao (born September 23, 1959) is an American actress of Chinese heritage. Chao's most notable roles are as South Korean refugee Soon-Lee Klinger on CBS' AfterMASH, as Keiko O'Brien on both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Dr. Kim on The O.C., Rose Hsu Jordan in The Joy Luck Club (1993), and Hua Li, Mulan’s mother, in the live-action version of Mulan (2020). Chao is married to voice actor Simon Templeman; they have 2 children. She began acting at the age of five in a California-based Peking opera traveli… With 145 credits spanning from 1962 to 2025, Rosalind Chao has appeared in 51 films and 94 TV shows.
Fans searching for Rosalind Chao movies, Rosalind Chao filmography, or the latest projects starring Rosalind Chao can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Rosalind Chao Movies
- Freakier Friday (2025) — as Mama P
- Mulan (2020) — as Hua Li
- I Am Sam (2001) — as Lily
- Just Like Heaven (2005) — as Fran
- Freaky Friday (2003) — as Pei-Pei
Where to Watch Rosalind Chao Films
Most Rosalind Chao movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Rosalind Chao, check our movies catalogue and browse page.