Lori Tan Chinn

Lori Tan Chinn was born in 1948 or 1949, in Seattle, Washington, to Hoisan Chinese immigrants. She moved to New York City in 1969. Chinn embarked on her acting career on Broadway, making her debut in 1970 as Miss Higa Jiga in “Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen.” She was also an earlier member of the Katherine Dunham Company and performed African dance with Syvilla Fort. Throughout her career, Chinn has demonstrated a commitment to supporting fair wages and safe working conditions within the industry, actively working with organizations like Actors’ Equity Association.

Chinn’s career spans several decades, encompassing a range of memorable roles. In film, her early work included supporting roles in comedies such as “She-Devil” (1989), where she played a Vesta Rose Woman, and “What About Bob?” (1991) as a bus driver. Later, she portrayed the restaurant owner in “Mickey Blue Eyes” (1999) and Bloody Mary in the TV movie “South Pacific” (2001), for which she earned a Helen Hayes Award. Her vocal talents have been featured in animated films like “Year of the Fish” (2007) as Shuk Yee, “Turning Red” (2022) as Auntie Chen, and “Kung Fu Panda 4” (2024) as Granny Boar. She also appeared in “Joy Ride” (2023) as Nai Nai Chen and is set to appear in “31 Candles” (2025) as Jaya.

On television, Chinn gained significant recognition for her role as Mei Chang in the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black,” appearing in 27 episodes from 2013 to 2019. She also held a starring role as Nora’s Grandma in the Comedy Central series “Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens” from 2020 to 2023, appearing in 27 episodes. Her television credits also include appearances in “Roseanne” (1990), “Law & Order” (2000), “Law & Order: Trial by Jury” (2005), and more recently, “A Man on the Inside” (2024) as Susan Yang and a voice role in “Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld” (2024) as Gugu.