Benedict Wong | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Wong in 2016 | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1971-07-03)3 July 1971 (age 54) Eccles,Lancashire, England | ||||||||||||
| Occupation | Actor | ||||||||||||
| Years active | 1992–present | ||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 王漢斌 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 王汉斌 | ||||||||||||
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Benedict Wong (born 3 July 1971)[1][2] is an English actor. He began his career on stage before starring in the filmDirty Pretty Things (2002), which earned him aBritish Independent Film Award nomination, and the BBC sitcom15 Storeys High (2002–2004). This was followed by roles in the filmsOn a Clear Day (2005),Sunshine,Grow Your Own (both 2007), andMoon (2009), theCBBC seriesSpirit Warriors (2010), andWeapons (2025).
Wong gained further recognition in the 2010s for his roles asKublai Khan in theNetflix seriesMarco Polo (2014–2016), Bruce Ng in the filmThe Martian (2015), andWong in theMarvel Cinematic Universe since the filmDoctor Strange (2016). He has since starred in theSyfy seriesDeadly Class (2019). His performance in the filmNine Days (2020) earned him anIndependent Spirit Award nomination. Since 2024, he has a main role in the Netflix series3 Body Problem.
Wong was born inEccles, a town in thecity of Salford,[3] England, in 1971, the son ofHong Kongimmigrant parents who had travelled through Ireland before settling in England.[4] He grew up inSalford[3] and attendedDe La Salle Sixth Form College, where he took a two-year performing arts course.[5]
Wong's first role was in the 1993BBC Radio playKai Mei Sauce, written by his cousin, Kevin Wong. He appeared as Errol Spears alongsideSean Lock in the situation comedy15 Storeys High, and as Franklin Fu in the second series ofLook Around You.[6] In 2003, he was nominated at theBritish Independent Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Guo Yi inDirty Pretty Things.[7]
In 2007, Wong starred in the feature filmGrow Your Own.[8] He appeared in the second episode of Series 4 of the Channel 4 comedyThe IT Crowd as Prime, a previousCountdown contestant who had won the sixteenthCountdown teapot when he was known as Harold Tong.[9] He also appeared in the filmShanghai as Juso Kita, and played Li in the BBC seriesSpirit Warriors.[10]
In 2012, Wong appeared in theRidley Scott filmPrometheus as the ship's pilot, Ravel.[11] In 2013, he played the lead role in#aiww: The Arrest of Ai WeiWei at theHampstead Theatre.[12] Shortly after, theAlmeida Theatre announced that he had joined the cast of the playChimerica as Zhang Lin.[13] Also in he played gangster Lau in theBBC Two comedy-dramaThe Wrong Mans.[14] He was nominated for theWest End Frame Award for Best Dramatic Performance for his role inChimerica.[15][16][17]
In 2014, Wong playedKublai Khan in theNetflix seriesMarco Polo,[14][18] which on 7 January 2015 was renewed by Netflix for a 10-episode second series. The next year, he appeared in another Ridley Scott science fiction film, playingJet Propulsion Lab director Bruce Ng inThe Martian.[19] In 2016, he co-starred as Wong in the superhero filmDoctor Strange (2016)[20] and later reprised the role inAvengers: Infinity War (2018),[21]Avengers: Endgame (2019),[22]Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021),[23][24]Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021),[25]Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022),[26] and the 2022 Disney+ seriesShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law.[27]
He appeared in "Hated in the Nation", an episode of theanthology seriesBlack Mirror, playing Shaun Li, an agent with theNational Crime Agency in 2016. In 2017 he voiced Alex Yu in theArkane Studios gamePrey and starred in "2036: Nexus Dawn", a promotional short film prequel toBlade Runner 2049 directed byLuke Scott and co-starringJared Leto. He appeared as the scientist Lomax in the 2018 science fiction horror filmAnnihilation.[28]
In 2019, he performed the voice of Skeksis generalskekVar in the Netflix seriesThe Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and the voice of Bull in the filmLady and the Tramp. In 2020, he appeared as a Necromancer in an episode of theFX television seriesWhat We Do in the Shadows. Wong's 2013 political play#aiww: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei was streamed through the news networkThe Guardian again in May 2020.
In 2021, Wong voiced the warrior giant Tong in the Disney animated filmRaya and the Last Dragon. In 2021, he was nominated for aSpirit Award forBest Supporting Male for his performance as Kyo inNine Days.[29] He joined the cast[30] of theNetflix live action adaptation of the Chinese novelThe Three Body Problem byLiu Cixin, which began shooting later that year.[31] In 2022, throughBBC Radio, he partnered with Ai WeiWei again as the narrator for Ai's memoir1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows.[32] In 2024,3 Body Problem was released. The show was well received, with Wong's performance being singled out.[33][34]
Wong is married and has children.[35] He is a fan ofManchester United.[3][35] In September 2025, Wong signed an open pledge with Film Workers for Palestine pledging not to work with Israeli film institutions "that are implicated ingenocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people".[36]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Screenplay | Le Van Dong | 1 episode |
| 1993 | Last of the Summer Wine | Chinese Man | |
| 1994 | The Chief | Peng | |
| Frank Stubbs Promotes | Lee | ||
| 1995 | Cardiac Arrest | Radiographer | |
| Hearts and Minds | Chinese Interpreter | ||
| 1996 | Pie in the Sky | Michael Cheung | |
| Cracker | Peter Yang | ||
| 1997 | Supply & Demand | Frankie Li | Television film |
| The Bill | Li Mann | 1 episode | |
| Breakout | Jerry | Television film | |
| 2000 | Arabian Nights | Hassan | Miniseries |
| 2000; 2002 | The Bill | Michael Wei / DS David Chiu | 8 episodes |
| 2002 | TLC | Terry Cheung | Recurring role, 6 episodes |
| Look Around You | Chess Player | 1 episode | |
| 2002–2004 | 15 Storeys High | Errol Spears | Main role, 12 episodes |
| 2003 | State of Play | Pete Cheng | Recurring role, 6 episodes |
| 2005 | Look Around You | Dr. Franklin Fu | 1 episode |
| 2006 | Eleventh Hour | Danny | |
| 2007 | Frankenstein | Dr. Ed Gore | Television film |
| 2008 | The Peter Serafinowicz Show | Various characters | 4 episodes |
| 2010 | Spirit Warriors | Li | Main role, 7 episodes |
| The IT Crowd | Harold "Prime" Tong | 1 episode | |
| Spooks | Kai | ||
| 2010–2011 | Law & Order: UK | Eli Smart | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Covert Affairs | Shen Yue | 1 episode |
| 2011–2013 | Top Boy | Vincent | Recurring role, 6 episodes |
| 2013 | The Wrong Mans | Mr. Lau | 4 episodes |
| 2014 | Prey | DS Ashley Chan | 3 episodes |
| 2014–2016 | Marco Polo | Kublai Khan | Main role, 20 episodes |
| 2016 | Black Mirror | Shaun Li | Episode: "Hated in the Nation" |
| 2017 | Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams | Ed Andrews | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Deadly Class | Master Lin | Main role, 10 episodes |
| The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance | The General (skekVar) (voice) | Main role, 9 episodes | |
| 2020, 2023 | What We Do in the Shadows | Wallace the Necromancer | 2 episodes |
| 2021 | What If...? | Wong (voice) | Episode: "What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?" |
| 2021-2022 | Marvel Studios: Assembled | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 2022 | She-Hulk: Attorney at Law | Wong | Special guest star; 3 episodes |
| 2024 | 3 Body Problem | Da Shi | Main role, 8 episodes |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Prey | Alex Yu | [40] |
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | The Letter | Ong Chi Seng | Lyric Theatre |
| 1998 | The Merchant of Venice | Solanio | Shakespeare's Globe |
| The Honest Whore | Castruccio | ||
| 1999 | Julius Caesar | Gaius Lucilius | |
| Antony and Cleopatra | Menas / Scarus | ||
| 2003 | In Arabia We'd All Be Kings | Vic / Cop | Hampstead Theatre |
| 2009 | The Pillowman | Ariel | Curve |
| 2012 | Hamlet | Laertes | Young Vic |
| 2013 | Chimerica | Zhang Lin | Almeida Theatre |
| 2013 | #aiww: The Arrest of Ai WeiWei | Ai Weiwei | Hampstead Theatre |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | British Independent Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Dirty Pretty Things | Nominated | [41] |
| 2018 | Behind the Voice Awards | Best Vocal Ensemble in a Video Game | Prey | Nominated | [a] |
| BAM Awards | Best Cast | Annihilation | Nominated | [b] | |
| 2021 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Supporting Male | Nine Days | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Gold List | Best Supporting Actor | Mention | [42] | |
| Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | Nominated | [43] |
Actor. Born on 3 July 1971.
He was born in Eccles in 1971...
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