5 Things You Don't Know About 'Mr. Chow' Ken Jeong
He's best known for as the scene-stealing gangster Mr. Chow in the outrageous Hangover trilogy, but what else do you know about Ken Jeong?
1. Born Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong on July 13, 1969 in Detroit, MI, to South Korean immigrant parents.
2. Is a medical doctor in real life, initially graduating first from Duke University in 1990 and then finishing medical school at the University of North Carolina in 1995. He did a medical residency at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans while pursuing stand-up comedy.
3. Made his feature film debut as Dr. Kuni in Judd Apatow's 2007 comedy Knocked Up -- a breakthrough performance that allowed him to gradually transition from medicine into a career as an actor.
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4. Revealed to USA Today that he initially thought he had very little chance of snagging the role of Mr. Chow because it was originally written as a 60-year-old character. But he explained that during his audition for Hangover director Todd Phillips, he channeled his frustrations about being turned down for many similar roles in the past and gave an over-the-top performance. "This kid is absolutely crazy -- I must hire him!" he quoted Phillips as saying.
5. His wife Tran Ho is also a doctor of family medicine and the couple has twin daughters, Alexa and Zooey.