
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

Bones
2005
as Mandy Oh

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2000
as Michelle Huntley

Shameless
2011
as Doctor

The Daily Show
1996
as Self

Hawaii Five-0
2010
as Governor Keiko Mahoe

Castle
2009
as Mimi Tan

Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2001
as Mrs. Zhuang

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

Falcon Crest
1981
as Li-Ying Chi

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

This Is Us
2016
as Anna

Chicago Hope
1994
as Allison Granger

Miami Vice
1984
as Mai Ying

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

The A-Team
1983
as Alice Heath

The O.C.
2003
as Dr. Kim

Private Practice
2007
as Lillie Jordan

Arli$$
1996
as Karen

Emergency!
1972
as Kathy

black-ish
2014
as Dr. Stone

Six Feet Under
2001
as Cindy

Tour of Duty
1987
as Li Kiem

St. Elsewhere
1982
as Mary Wilson

Ben 10
2005
as Councilwoman Liang (voice)

According to Jim
2001
as Sally Wu

Jake and the Fatman
1987
as Elaine Nakasone

3 Body Problem
2024
as Ye Wenjie

The Incredible Hulk
1977
as Receptionist

thirtysomething
1987
as Willa Camden

Kojak
1973
as Grace Chen

Here's Lucy
1968
as Linda Chang Wong

Family Law
1999
as Dr. Seabourne

One Day at a Time
1975
as Gloria

Sweet Tooth
2021
as Mrs. Helen Zhang

The Parkers
1999
as Prof. Thornhill

Dharma & Greg
1997
as Patricia

ABC Afterschool Special
1972
as The Kurmese Ambassador's Daughter

The OA
2016
as Patricia Knoller

The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
as Lily

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

Forever
2014
as Frenchman

Code Black
2015
as Jae Eun

Once and Again
1999
as Tami Seitz

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

Better Things
2016
as Caroline

The L Word: Generation Q
2019
as Grace Lee

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

How the West Was Won
1977
as Li Sin

Medical Investigation
2004
as Dr. Kramer

Battle of the Network Stars
1976

Get Real
1999
as Anne Collins

The Catch
2016
as Kohana Takashi

The Event
2010
as Doctor
Movies (51)

Freakier Friday
2025
as Mama P

Mulan
2020
as Hua Li

Just Like Heaven
2005
as Fran

Freaky Friday
2003
as Pei-Pei

I Am Sam
2001
as Lily

The Man from Elysian Fields
2001
as Female Customer

What Dreams May Come
1998
as Leona

Magic Camp
2020
as Lorraine (uncredited)

Love Affair
1994
as Lee

The Laundromat
2019
as Gu Kailai

Impostor
2001
as Newscaster (uncredited)

North
1994
as Chinese Mom

The Starling
2021
as Fawn

Memoirs of an Invisible Man
1992
as Cathy DiTolla

Plus One
2019
as Angela Mori

Sacramento
2025
as Dr. Murray

The Joy Luck Club
1993
as Rose Hsu Jordan

Going Berserk
1983
as Kung Fu Girl

Together Together
2021
as Dr. Andrews

The Big Brawl
1980
as Mae

Slam Dance
1987
as Mrs. Margaret Bell

An Eye for an Eye
1981
as Linda Chan

Tragedy Girls
2017
as Mayor Campbell

Thousand Pieces of Gold
1991
as Lalu / Polly

Inhabited
2003
as Ms. Montane

The End of Violence
1997
as Claire

Bride of the Incredible Hulk
1980
as Receptionist

Twirl
1981
as Kim King

Life of the Party
2005
as Mei Lin

Nanking
2007
as Chang Yu Zheng

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

Stockholm, Pennsylvania
2015
as Dr. Andrews

Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women
1979
as Flower

Shooter
1988
as Lan

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

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

The Terry Fox Story
1983
as Rika Noda

Enemies of Laughter
2000
as Carla

Denial
1990
as Terry

Not an Artist
2023
as Kimmy

Three Blind Mice
2001
as Li Mei Chen

White Ghost
1988
as Thi Hau
The Joy Luck Club 2
as Rose Hsu Jordan

The Ultimate Impostor
1979
as Lai-Ping

Special Report: Journey to Mars
1996
as Dr. Lin Yo Yu
Last Flight Out
1990
as Tra Duong

Web of Deception
1994
as Dr. Sheila Prosser

Moonlight
1982
as Daphne Wu

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

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 CineFlixo, 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
- Freaky Friday (2003) — as Pei-Pei
- I Am Sam (2001) — as Lily
Where to Watch Rosalind Chao Films
Most Rosalind Chao movies and series are available to stream on CineFlixo 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.