Christine Ko | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 1988 (age 36–37)[1] Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||
| Alma mater | Georgia State University | ||||||||
| Occupation | Actress | ||||||||
| Years active | 2012–present | ||||||||
| Spouse | Alan Yang | ||||||||
| Father | Frankie Kao | ||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 葛曉潔 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 葛晓洁 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Christine Ko (born 1988) is an American actress, known for her roles as Emma on theCBS sitcomThe Great Indoors, Mandi onUpload and Emma onDave. Before her success in America, she had a brief career in Taiwan in the early 2010s.[2]
Ko was born in 1988, in Chicago, and grew up in bothTaiwan andAtlanta. She is the daughter of Taiwanese entertainerFrankie Kao.[3] Ko initially pursued a career in finance before transitioning to acting.[4]
Ko has discussed the issue of limited roles for Asian American actors in the United States. Her role onThe Great Indoors was originally written for a blond woman, but Ko's agent was able to get her an audition. After her audition, the producers changed their original idea of Emma's appearance. Ko said, "I think that's true diversity. You're just like everybody else. You just look Asian... It's the norm and how we all live. We just haven't seen it in Hollywood yet."[5][6]
Ko joined the cast of the television seriesHawaii Five-0 part way into its eighth season.[7] She also guest-starred in theHBO comedy seriesBallers.[5][6][8] She starred on theFXX seriesDave alongsideDave Burd.[9]
In 2021, she starred alongside Canadian singerJustin Bieber in the music video of his song "Hold On".[10][11]
In 2022, she joined the cast ofThe Handmaid's Tale (TV series).[12]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Jade Pendant | May |
| 2018 | Grandmother's Gold | Mona |
| 2019 | Extracurricular Activities | Amy |
| 2020 | Tigertail | Angela |
| Blinders | Sam | |
| 2024 | Mabel | Angela |
| 2026 | Rolling Loud | TBA |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Hollywood Heights | Brenda | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Ballers | Anna | Episode: "Saturdaze" |
| 2016–2017 | The Great Indoors | Emma | Series regular |
| 2017 | Adam Ruins Everything | Tiffany | Episode: "Adam Ruins the Hospital" |
| 2018 | Hawaii Five-0 | Jessie Nomura | Recurring role; 6 episodes |
| Deception | Vivian Song | Episode: "Divination" | |
| 2019 | No Good Nick | Ms. Chang | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Stumptown | Cameron Dorsey | Episode: "All Quiet On The Dextern Front" |
| 2020–2023 | Dave | Emma | Series regular |
| 2020 | Upload | Mandi | Recurring role |
| 2021 | Master of None | Ashley | 1 episode |
| Sweet Pecan Summer | Amanda | Hallmark Channel | |
| Just Beyond | Ms. Fausse | Episode: "Unfiltered" | |
| 2022 | Only Murders in the Building | Nina Lin | Recurring role |
| The Handmaid's Tale | Lily | ||
| 2025 | Common Side Effects | Kiki | Voice role |
Ko is married toParks & Recreation writer and producerAlan Yang.[13]
