Hong Chau

Hong Chau is my favorite kind of actor: the one critics call a scene-stealer until the industry finally admits she is the foundation. Born in Thailand and trained at Boston University, she brings a watchmaker's precision to supporting roles — Downsizing, Watchmen, The Whale — that makes every lead around her sharper. Her Oscar-nominated work in The Whale is a masterclass in playing exasperated love, fierce and wounded at once. She chooses projects like a critic and performs like a craftsman, and I suspect history will rank her among the defining character actors of her generation.

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Name (English)

Hong Chau

Name (Japanese)

ホン・チャウ

Reading

ほん・ちゃう

Born

June 25, 1979 (age 47)

Origin

Thailand

Occupation

film actor / television actor / actor

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Cancer / Goat

University

Boston University

Awards & achievements

• Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award

Filmography / notable works

• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong%20Chau
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9B%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%83%81%E3%83%A3%E3%82%A6
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q38195662

Tags

• film actor
• television actor
• actor

Last updated

September 18, 2026

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.