Detective Lt. Michael Tao
Encyclopedia
Detective Lieutenant Michael Tao is a fictional character
featured in TNT
's The Closer
, portrayed by Michael Paul Chan
. Tao is a Detective on the Los Angeles
Police Department's (LAPD
) Priority Homicide Department, formerly a member of the LAPD's SID.
Intelligent and well-educated, Lieutenant Tao is a talented expert in all forms of technology, computers and electronics. He sometimes talks down to the other detectives when discussing technology. Tao, of Chinese ancestry, has a Japanese wife (portrayed by Patti Yasutake
), and a 16-year-old son, Kevin. Tao speaks some Japanese, but he can neither read nor speak Chinese.
While he was on vacation in Hawaii in season 2, Gabriel was providing information on a case to the squad and was describing grass wherein an altercation took place. Because he was trying to "accurately" describe the grass and was coming off a little geeky, one of his squad-mates pointed out that he must be "channeling Tao from Hawaii."
Lt. Tao enjoys snacks while on duty, and he frequently offers these to Deputy Chief Johnson even though Johnson is trying to cut back on her snacking. In one episode wherein Johnson was getting somewhat emotional about a case, Tao gives her two éclairs wrapped in tissue to try to calm her down, saying "Please, for all our sakes."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
featured in TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
's The Closer
The Closer
The Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...
, portrayed by Michael Paul Chan
Michael Paul Chan
Michael Paul Chan is an American television and film actor. Some of his recent television work includes Judge Lionel Ping on Arrested Development, Robbery Homicide Division, Dr. Lee in the Joel Schumacher directed "Batman & Robin," the voice of Jimmy Ho on The PJ's, and Lieutenant Michael Tao on...
. Tao is a Detective on the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Police Department's (LAPD
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
) Priority Homicide Department, formerly a member of the LAPD's SID.
Intelligent and well-educated, Lieutenant Tao is a talented expert in all forms of technology, computers and electronics. He sometimes talks down to the other detectives when discussing technology. Tao, of Chinese ancestry, has a Japanese wife (portrayed by Patti Yasutake
Patti Yasutake
Patti Yasutake is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Nurse Alyssa Ogawa in the Star Trek universe....
), and a 16-year-old son, Kevin. Tao speaks some Japanese, but he can neither read nor speak Chinese.
While he was on vacation in Hawaii in season 2, Gabriel was providing information on a case to the squad and was describing grass wherein an altercation took place. Because he was trying to "accurately" describe the grass and was coming off a little geeky, one of his squad-mates pointed out that he must be "channeling Tao from Hawaii."
Lt. Tao enjoys snacks while on duty, and he frequently offers these to Deputy Chief Johnson even though Johnson is trying to cut back on her snacking. In one episode wherein Johnson was getting somewhat emotional about a case, Tao gives her two éclairs wrapped in tissue to try to calm her down, saying "Please, for all our sakes."