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Brian Yang (producer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brian Yang
Born (1973-10-28) October 28, 1973 (age 51)
Columbus, Ohio, United States
Occupation(s)Actor and producer
Known forCharlie Fong (Hawaii Five-0)
Brian Yang
Chinese楊明燊
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYáng Míngshēn

Brian Yang (born October 28, 1973) is an American actor and producer, most known for his role as Charlie Fong in Hawaii Five-0.[1]

Yang was born in 1973 and grew up in Columbus, Ohio.[2] Yang was also raised in the Bay Area, attending University of California Berkeley where he studied biology and dramatic arts.[3] His parents are immigrants from Taiwan.[4] He speaks both English and Mandarin.

Yang is married to filmmaker Nadine Truong.

Film and television work

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In addition to playing Charlie Fong on Hawaii Five-0, Yang has also starred in films such as The Man with the Iron Fists as Hyena,[5] Quentin Lee's The People I've Slept With as Jefferson (Archie Kao)'s right-hand man (and was also an Executive Producer of the film),[6][7] Alice Wu's Saving Face as Little Yu,[8] Joan Chen's love interest, Michael Kang's West 32nd as Jahnkeh,[9] and in the upcoming film, Someone I Used to Know, directed by Nadine Truong and written by West Liang, which he also produced.[10][11] Yang was also the host of a reality show in China called Shanghai Rush.[12]

Producing work

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In addition to being a producer on Quentin Lee's The People I've Slept With (executive producer) and Nadine Truong's Someone I Used to Know (producer), Yang is also a producer of the 2012 Jeremy Lin documentary directed by Evan Jackson Leong, Linsanity, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.[13] Yang also served as an Executive Producer on Kit Hui's 2010 film, Fog, set during the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's reunification with China.

At the 2013 Asian American International Film Festival in New York, Yang received the Rémy Martin Asian American Achievement Award in Film and Television, awarded to "an individual who has made a significant contribution to the Asian American arts community through film and television. As someone who has been involved in the media industry for over 10 years, Brian Yang is recognized for his perseverance and his work in Hawaii Five-O and Linsanity."[14]

In 2014, Yang produced a web series entitled Annie Undocumented, directed by Daniel Hsia, written by Elaine Low (based on her own true story), and starring Nikki SooHoo as a teenage girl who discovers she's undocumented while trying to get her driver's license.[15] The series also won the Best Short-Form Web Series award in the Independent Pilot Competition at the New York Television Festival.[16]

Yang produced with his 408 Films the drama Snakehead, directed and written by Evan Jackson Leong, and which initially was to star Lucy Liu (but now Shuya Chang) in a story about the underworld of human smuggling that takes place on the streets of New York City's Chinatown.[17]

References

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  1. ^ Jane Collins, Hawaii Five-0's Brian Yang: Sexy, Funny, Frequent Flier, http://www.blogher.com/busy-actor-brian-yang-air Archived 2012-02-26 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Brian Yang - my official artist profile -alivenotdead.com". www.alivenotdead.com.
  3. ^ Five-0 Undercover, Brian Yang, http://www.50undercover.com/tag/brian-yang/
  4. ^ ""Hawaii Five-0" Actor Brian Yang on His Work Behind the Scenes Producing Asian American Stories". May 7, 2015.
  5. ^ Asians on Film, Brian Yang Interview: Jasmine, Nomads & The Man with the Iron Fists, [1]
  6. ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (August 12, 2010). "Tales of a Trashy Bachelorette". The New York Times. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  7. ^ Kuipers, Richard (November 3, 2009). "The People I've Slept With". Variety. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  8. ^ Comingsoon.net, Saving Face, http://www.comingsoon.net/news/reviewsnews.php?id=9768
  9. ^ Scott Eriksson, Asians on Film, Brian Yang Interview: West 32nd and Hawaii Five-0, "Brian Yang Interview: West 32nd & Hawaii Five-O | Asians on Film". Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  10. ^ Someone I Used to Know, Official Film Site, Cast & Crew, http://someoneiusedtoknowmovie.com/siteFrames/socialFrame.html[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "nightdreamblues | A Motion Picture". Kickstarter. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  12. ^ "[My Weekender] with Brian Yang | SmartShanghai". www.smartshanghai.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  13. ^ Linsanity, Festival Program, Sundance Institute, http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/13097/linsanity Archived 2012-12-31 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ The 36th Asian American International Film Festival Closed with OUR HOMELAND and Announced Award Recipients, http://www.asiancinevision.org/the-36th-asian-american-international-film-festival-closed-with-our-homeland-and-announces-award-winners/
  15. ^ Richard Lui, MSNBC, Web series 'Annie Undocumented' tackles undocumented life, http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/web-series-tackles-undocumented-life-347834947770
  16. ^ The Deadline Press Team, New York Television Festival Announces 2014 Winners, Deadline Hollywood, http://deadline.com/2014/10/new-york-television-festival-announces-2014-winners-861118/
  17. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 30, 2014). "'Elementary's Lucy Liu To Star In Human Smuggling Drama 'Snakehead'". Deadline. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
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