Ming-Na Wen is an experienced Chinese actress who made it big in Hollywood thanks to major roles such as voicing the title character of Disney’s Mulan film and playing Dr “Deb” Chen in the classic series E.R. for five years, Agent Melinda May in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, among many others. Mulan and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D won her awards, as did one of her more recent roles: Fennec Shand in Disney+’s The Book of Boba Fett, which won her the 2022 Saturn Award for Best Actress in a Streaming Series. She is also due to appear in Velma, an adult prequel to the iconic Scooby Doo series and has recently voiced a character in a new animated series in the Gremlins franchise.
Wen got her first major acting break in the landmark 1993 drama film, The Joy Luck Club, which has now been selected for preservation in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. She followed this up with roles in other era-defining films such as Street Fighter and, of course, 1998’s Mulan, which was nominated for an Oscar and became a favourite childhood film for a generation.
In the 2000s and beyond, Wen continued her huge success, becoming particularly known on television thanks to roles in sci-fi and fantasy shows such as Stargate Universe and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D whilst also playing decidedly real-life roles such as Dr Chen in E.R. — yet another quintessential show of its time. In the 2020s, Wen has remained as busy and as popular as ever. Incredibly, she turns 60 in 2023, but theress no sign of her slowing down any time soon.