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
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2000
as Michelle Huntley
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
The Daily Show
1996
as Self
Shameless
2011
as Doctor
Bones
2005
as Mandy Oh
Hawaii Five-0
2010
as Governor Keiko Mahoe
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2001
as Mrs. Zhuang
Castle
2009
as Mimi Tan
This Is Us
2016
as Anna
Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987
as Keiko Ishikawa / Keiko O'Brien
The West Wing
1999
as Jane Gentry
Murder, She Wrote
1984
as Phoebe Campbell
Without a Trace
2002
as Helen Collins
ER
1994
as Dr. Theresa Chow
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
1993
as Keiko O'Brien
The A-Team
1983
as Alice Heath
Chicago Hope
1994
as Allison Granger
Emergency!
1972
as Kathy
Miami Vice
1984
as Mai Ying
Falcon Crest
1981
as Li-Ying Chi
M*A*S*H
1972
as Soon-Lee
The O.C.
2003
as Dr. Kim
Monk
2002
as Arleen Cassidy
Private Practice
2007
as Lillie Jordan
According to Jim
2001
as Sally Wu
St. Elsewhere
1982
as Mary Wilson
black-ish
2014
as Dr. Stone
Ben 10
2005
as Councilwoman Liang (voice)
Six Feet Under
2001
as Cindy
American Playhouse
1982
as Ku Ling / Lalu
One Day at a Time
1975
as Gloria
Jake and the Fatman
1987
as Elaine Nakasone
Arli$$
1996
as Karen
3 Body Problem
2024
as Ye Wenjie
The Incredible Hulk
1977
as Receptionist
thirtysomething
1987
as Willa Camden
Tour of Duty
1987
as Li Kiem
The OA
2016
as Patricia Knoller
Sweet Tooth
2021
as Mrs. Helen Zhang
Here's Lucy
1968
as Linda Chang Wong
Kojak
1973
as Grace Chen
ABC Afterschool Special
1972
as The Kurmese Ambassador's Daughter
Better Things
2016
as Caroline
Family Law
1999
as Dr. Seabourne
Dharma & Greg
1997
as Patricia
Code Black
2015
as Jae Eun
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
as Lily
The L Word: Generation Q
2019
as Grace Lee
The Parkers
1999
as Prof. Thornhill
Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23
2012
as Pastor Jin
The Magic School Bus
1994
as Mrs. Li (voice)
Once and Again
1999
as Tami Seitz
Forever
2014
as Frenchman
How the West Was Won
1977
as Li Sin
W.I.T.C.H.
2004
as Joan Lin / Mandy (voice)
The Catch
2016
as Kohana Takashi
Riptide
1984
as Lucy
Get Real
1999
as Anne Collins
Medical Investigation
2004
as Dr. Kramer
Movies (51)
Freakier Friday
2025
as Mama P
Mulan
2020
as Hua Li
Just Like Heaven
2005
as Fran
What Dreams May Come
1998
as Leona
Freaky Friday
2003
as Pei-Pei
I Am Sam
2001
as Lily
Tragedy Girls
2017
as Mayor Campbell
The Laundromat
2019
as Gu Kailai
The Man from Elysian Fields
2001
as Female Customer
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
1992
as Cathy DiTolla
Impostor
2001
as Newscaster (uncredited)
Shooter
1988
as Lan
The Big Brawl
1980
as Mae
The Joy Luck Club
1993
as Rose Hsu Jordan
North
1994
as Chinese Mom
Magic Camp
2020
as Lorraine (uncredited)
The Starling
2021
as Fawn
Plus One
2019
as Angela Mori
Together Together
2021
as Dr. Andrews
An Eye for an Eye
1981
as Linda Chan
The End of Violence
1997
as Claire
Slam Dance
1987
as Mrs. Margaret Bell
Stockholm, Pennsylvania
2015
as Dr. Andrews
Love Affair
1994
as Lee
The Terry Fox Story
1983
as Rika Noda
Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge
1981
as Emily Chan
Going Berserk
1983
as Kung Fu Girl
Sacramento
2025
as Dr. Murray
Thousand Pieces of Gold
1991
as Lalu / Polly
Three Blind Mice
2001
as Li Mei Chen
Nanking
2007
as Chang Yu Zheng
Life of the Party
2005
as Mei Lin
Bride of the Incredible Hulk
1980
as Receptionist
The Joy Luck Club 2
as Rose Hsu Jordan
Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women
1979
as Flower
Enemies of Laughter
2000
as Carla
Web of Deception
1994
as Dr. Sheila Prosser
White Ghost
1988
as Thi Hau
Inhabited
2003
as Ms. Montane
Last Flight Out
1990
as Tra Duong
Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western
1997
as Self
Denial
1990
as Terry
Not an Artist
2023
as Kimmy
The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island
1981
as Hotel Clerk
To Love, Honor and Deceive
1996
as Sydney's Best Friend
Twirl
1981
as Kim King
The Ultimate Impostor
1979
as Lai-Ping
Special Report: Journey to Mars
1996
as Dr. Lin Yo Yu
Moonlight
1982
as Daphne Wu
The Tribulations of a Chinese Gentleman
1987
as 莲花 (Lian Hua)
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
- Just Like Heaven (2005) — as Fran
- What Dreams May Come (1998) — as Leona
- 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.