Ken Leung

Ken Leung was born on January 21, 1970, in New York City. He spent his early childhood in the Two Bridges section of the Lower East Side before his family relocated to Midwood, Brooklyn. He later completed his high school education in Old Bridge, New Jersey. Leung pursued his higher education at New York University, initially studying physical therapy. During his junior year, he discovered his passion for acting and subsequently trained with Catherine Russell, Nan Smithner, and Anne Jackson at HB Studio. His early career largely developed within Manhattan’s downtown theater community, where he participated in non-traditional productions. He established relationships with theater groups such as Ma-Yi, New Perspectives, and STAR, a traveling troupe of actor-educators affiliated with Mount Sinai Hospital. In 2002, Leung made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” He is married to Nancy Bulalacao, and they have one son, born in 2015.

Leung’s career broadened into mainstream film and television, including collaborations with director Spike Lee. He gained wider recognition for his role as Miles Straume in the ABC drama series “Lost” (2008–2010), appearing in 49 episodes. His television work further expanded with roles as Dr. Topher Zia in “The Night Shift” (2014–2016) for 35 episodes, Karnak in Marvel’s “Inhumans” (2017) across 8 episodes, and AUSA Michael Sima in “The Blacklist” (2019) for 6 episodes. More recently, he has portrayed Eric Tao in the HBO drama series “Industry” (2020–2026) for 30 episodes, and Commander Zhao in Netflix’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender” (2024) across 6 episodes.

His filmography includes supporting roles in notable productions such as “Rush Hour” (1998), “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” (2001), “Red Dragon” (2002), “Saw” (2004), “Inside Man” (2006), “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015), “Old” (2021), and “Missing” (2023). Upcoming projects include “Joker: Folie à Deux” (2024), “Last Days” (2025), and “Project Hail Mary” (2026). Leung’s diverse roles have established him as a consistent presence in both independent and major productions.