Maggie Han
Encyclopedia
Maggie Han is an American actress who has appeared in numerous films and television productions. Her career began with modeling jobs in the United States and France, and progressed to acting in a broad range of roles. Among other roles, Han played Yoshiko Kawashima in the movie The Last Emperor
. She is also known for playing Cheryl the lawyer in the NBC sitcom Seinfeld
.
. Her parents were retired music professors who immigrated to the United States
from South Korea
. At the age of 16, Han enrolled at Harvard University
. Upon the suggestion of a stranger, she contacted a local modeling agency and began working part time. When she was offered more jobs than she could handle, Han decided to pursue modeling as a full-time career.
Partway into her sophomore year, Han went to Paris
and modeled for six years. When she returned to America, she went back to Harvard to finish her studies. While there, she became an award-winning reporter for the Harvard Crimson
newspaper. During this time she got a deal to do part time modeling for the pantyhose
company L’eggs
, and appeared in several commercials for them.
In 1985 Han received an offer to audition for the television mini-series
Space
and made her acting debut in that series. Han then moved to Los Angeles
to pursue an acting career. She has since appeared in a number of films and television productions.
The Last Emperor
The Last Emperor is a 1987 biopic about the life of Puyi, the last Emperor of China, whose autobiography was the basis for the screenplay written by Mark Peploe and Bernardo Bertolucci. Independently produced by Jeremy Thomas, it was directed by Bertolucci and released in 1987 by Columbia Pictures...
. She is also known for playing Cheryl the lawyer in the NBC sitcom Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
.
Biography
Maggie Han was born in Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. Her parents were retired music professors who immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. At the age of 16, Han enrolled at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Upon the suggestion of a stranger, she contacted a local modeling agency and began working part time. When she was offered more jobs than she could handle, Han decided to pursue modeling as a full-time career.
Partway into her sophomore year, Han went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and modeled for six years. When she returned to America, she went back to Harvard to finish her studies. While there, she became an award-winning reporter for the Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, was founded in 1873. It is the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates...
newspaper. During this time she got a deal to do part time modeling for the pantyhose
Pantyhose
Pantyhose are sheer, close-fitting legwear, covering the wearer's body from the waist to the feet. Mostly considered to be a woman's and girl's garment, pantyhose appeared in the 1960s, and they provided a convenient alternative to stockings...
company L’eggs
L’eggs
L'eggs is a popular brand of pantyhose introduced in 1969 by Hanes. The hosiery premiered a unique trade dress by placing its product in white plastic oversized chicken-egg-shaped containers and garnering shelf space in supermarkets and drugstores, most frequently on revolving carousel L'eggs...
, and appeared in several commercials for them.
In 1985 Han received an offer to audition for the television mini-series
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Space
Space (novel)
Space is a novel by James A. Michener published in 1982. It is a fictionalized history of the United States space program, with a particular emphasis on manned spaceflight.Michener writes in a semi-documentary style...
and made her acting debut in that series. Han then moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
to pursue an acting career. She has since appeared in a number of films and television productions.
Films
- Open SeasonOpen Season (film)Open Season is a 2006 computer-animated comedy film, written by Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman and directed by Jill Culton, Roger Allers, and Anthony Stacchi, and production designed by Michael Humphries...
- Character: Cary Sain - 1995 - JuniorJunior (film)Junior is a 1994 American comedy film written by Kevin Wade and Chris Conrad and directed by Ivan Reitman. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a scientist who undergoes a male pregnancy as part of a scientific experiment.-Plot:...
- Character: Lab Assistant - 1994 - Crazy PeopleCrazy PeopleCrazy People is a 1990 comedy film starring Dudley Moore and Daryl Hannah, and directed by Tony Bill.-Plot:Emory Leeson is an advertising executive who experiences a nervous breakdown. He designs a series of "truthful" advertisements, blunt and bawdy and of no use to his boss Drucker's firm.One of...
- Character: Connie Vega-Margolis - 1990 - Murder in Paradise - Character: Diane Mahona - 1990
- The Last EmperorThe Last EmperorThe Last Emperor is a 1987 biopic about the life of Puyi, the last Emperor of China, whose autobiography was the basis for the screenplay written by Mark Peploe and Bernardo Bertolucci. Independently produced by Jeremy Thomas, it was directed by Bertolucci and released in 1987 by Columbia Pictures...
- Character: Yoshiko Kawashima - 1987
Television
- Murder, She WroteMurder, She WroteMurder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
- Character: "Nobu Hitaki" - 1995-1996 - Diagnosis MurderDiagnosis MurderDiagnosis: Murder is a mystery/medical/crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son, a homicide detective played by his real-life son Barry Van Dyke. The series began as a spin-off of Jake and the Fatman...
- Character: "Sunshine" - 1993-1994 - Black Tie Affair - Character: "Cookie" (regular) - 1993
- SeinfeldSeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
- Character: Cheryl - Episode: The VisaThe Visa"The Visa" is the fifty-fifth episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. It is the 15th episode of the fourth season. It aired on January 27, 1993.-Plot:George meets Cheryl , a Chinese woman who is a lawyer, and who thinks he is very funny...
- Broadcast date: January 27, 1993 - TeechTeechTeech is an American situation comedy that briefly aired on CBS as part of its 1991 Fall lineup. The series was co-produced by Kid'n'Graph Productions in association with Columbia Pictures Television for CBS.-Synopsis:...
- Character: "Cassie Lee" - 1991 - Dark Avenger - Character: "Rae Wong" - 1990
- Murder in Paradise - Character: "Dr Diane Mahona" - 1990
- Murphy's LawMurphy's Law (American TV series)Murphy's Law is an American television series starring George Segal and Maggie Han. The series premiered November 2, 1988 on ABC. On March 9, 1989, ABC announced that it had canceled the series and that the final episode would air on March 18, 1989....
- Character: "Kimiko Fannuchi" - 1988 - LA Law - 1986
- James A. MichenerJames A. MichenerJames Albert Michener was an American author of more than 40 titles, the majority of which were sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating historical facts into the stories...
's "SpaceSpace (miniseries)Space is a television mini-series created by CBS in 1985. It is based on a novel of the same name by James A. Michener published in 1982. The program is also called "James A. Michener's Space". Like the novel, the mini-series is a fictionalised history of the United States space program...
" - Character: "Cindy Rhee" - 1985
External links
- http://www.tvacres.com/ethnic_chinese_PZ.htm
- http://www.jwwriter.com/ws_maggiehan/, photos
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMYh25k3U_U, believed to be Han in a Legg's commercial
- http://www.fandango.com/maggiehan/filmography/p30081
- http://movies.nytimes.com/person/30081/Maggie-Han/filmography
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0359177/bio
- http://www.inbaseline.com/person.aspx?person_id=482571
- http://www.seinfeldscripts.com/TheVisa.html