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IMDbPro

Tzi Ma

  • Actor
  • Producer
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Tzi Ma at an event for The 25th Annual Critics' Choice Awards (2020)
Watch Searching for Anna May Wong (Trailer) 2020
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Searching for Anna May Wong (2020)
31 Videos
83 Photos
For over four decades, Tzi Ma (pronounced "TIE MA") has blazed new trails for the representation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in Hollywood with a groundbreaking career that encompasses virtually every genre across film, television and theater.

From big budget blockbusters like the Rush Hour series (1998 - 2007) to award-winning independent films like Tigertail (2020), Ma's unforgettable performances and uncanny versatility have garnered unanimous acclaim from critics and audiences around the world.

Since 2021, Ma has co-starred in The CW's hit action adventure series Kung Fu as Jin Shen, a San Francisco restaurant owner and father of the show's heroine, Nicky Shen (played by Olivia Liang).

Born in Hong Kong and raised in Staten Island, Ma worked at his family-owned restaurant while honing his craft in the New York theater scene throughout the 1970s. Despite limited opportunities for AAPI actors, Ma refused to perform roles he considered demeaning or stereotypical. During this period, he collaborated with then-emerging playwrights David Henry Hwang and Eric Overmyer; who both penned works specifically for Ma (The Dance and the Railroad and In Perpetuity Throughout the Universe, respectively).

As a young adult, Ma was a ubiquitous presence in Manhattan's Chinatown where he worked as a counselor specializing in at-risk youth. Ma also volunteered for various community organizations; most notably, the Basement Workshop, a collective of Chinese American artists and activists seeking to promote the arts and arts education in the neighborhood.

In 1978, Ma made his screen debut alongside Jack Palance and Andy Warhol in the cult classic Cocaine Cowboys, directed by Ulli Lommel. Throughout the 1980s, Ma continued to perform in regional and off-Broadway productions while appearing as a guest star on hit television programs like The Equalizer, LA Law, MacGyver and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

During the 1990s, Ma became a ubiquitous presence at the multiplex with memorable roles in films like Rapid Fire (1992), Chain Reaction (1996), Dante's Peak (1997) and Rush Hour (1998).

Since 2000, Ma has successfully balanced a prolific film and television career; appearing in movies like The Quiet American (2002), The Ladykillers (2004), Rush Hour 3 (2007) and Arrival (2016) and playing recurring characters on popular shows like 24, American Dad!, Hell on Wheels, The Man in High Castle and Veep.

In addition to his many high-profile projects, Ma has also been active in the world of independent cinema for over two decades; appearing in features and short films by up-and-coming AAPI and Asian directors. Notable works include Mina Shum's Meditation Park (2017), for which he was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, and Lulu Wang's The Farewell (2019).

Now entering his fifth decade in show business, Ma continues to challenge himself with diverse and unconventional roles. In 2020, he earned some of the best reviews of his career with his performance in Netflix's Tigertail, in which he played a divorcee attempting to reconcile with his adult daughter. Later that year, Ma co-starred in Disney's action adventure Mulan, portraying the title character's doting father. In 2021, he joined the cast of The CW's Kung Fu, now in its third season.

Ma's upcoming projects include the Amazon film 5 Blind Dates and making his feature directorial debut with Hanako, a historical drama about Korea's "comfort women".
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  • Awards

Photos83

2002 - Miramax Films - All Rights Reserved
Mulan Yifei today
tigertail with Christine Ko in Taiwan
Tigertail - Dinner with Joan Chen
"Arrival" after party at TIFF with Amy Adams
Tzi Ma in Arrival (2016)
Tzi Ma, Shuzhen Zhao, Han Chen, Aoi Mizuhara, Hong Lu, Diana Lin, Awkwafina, and Yongbo Jiang in The Farewell (2019)
Tzi Ma, Shuzhen Zhao, Han Chen, Aoi Mizuhara, Hong Lu, and Awkwafina in The Farewell (2019)
Tzi Ma and Awkwafina in The Farewell (2019)
Tzi Ma, Arabella Field, Grant Heslov, and Kirk Trutner in Dante's Peak (1997)
Tzi Ma, Arabella Field, and Grant Heslov in Dante's Peak (1997)
Tzi Ma, Arabella Field, and Grant Heslov in Dante's Peak (1997)

Known for

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in Rush Hour (1998)
Rush Hour
7.0
  • Consul Han
  • 1998
Michael Caine, Brendan Fraser, and Thi Hai Yen Do in The Quiet American (2002)
The Quiet American
7.0
  • Hinh
  • 2002
Forest Whitaker, Amy Adams, and Jeremy Renner in Arrival (2016)
Arrival
7.9
  • General Shang
  • 2016
Tzi Ma, Shuzhen Zhao, Han Chen, Aoi Mizuhara, Hong Lu, Diana Lin, Awkwafina, and Yongbo Jiang in The Farewell (2019)
The Farewell
7.5
  • Haiyan
  • 2019

Credits

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Actor

  • Different Than Before
    • Post-production
  • Five Blind Dates
    • Post-production
  • Interior Chinatown
    • In Production
  • Tzi Ma, Perry Yung, Kathleen Kwan, and Ronny Chieng in A Father's Son (2022)
    A Father's Son
  • Olivia Liang in Kung Fu (2021)
    Kung Fu
  • Jacky Lai and Tony Giroux in A Sugar & Spice Holiday (2020)
    A Sugar & Spice Holiday
  • Adam Brody and Sophie Nélisse in The Kid Detective (2020)
    The Kid Detective
  • Tzi Ma, Clifton Davis, Dan Lauria, Kenny Leu, and Ciara Renée in A Shot Through the Wall (2020)
    A Shot Through the Wall
  • Titus Welliver in Bosch (2014)
    Bosch
  • Tigertail (2020)
    Tigertail
  • Liu Yifei in Mulan (2020)
    Mulan
  • Suzie McGrath, Christopher Sean, Josh Brener, and Myrna Velasco in Star Wars Resistance (2018)
    Star Wars Resistance
    • (voice)
  • Jeremy Irvine in Treadstone (2019)
    Treadstone
  • Iko Uwais in Wu Assassins (2019)
    Wu Assassins
  • Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep (2012)
    Veep
  • Tzi Ma, Shuzhen Zhao, Han Chen, Aoi Mizuhara, Hong Lu, Diana Lin, Awkwafina, and Yongbo Jiang in The Farewell (2019)
    The Farewell
  • William Atherton, Mark Derwin, Kyle Massey, Robin Christian, Booboo Stewart, Quinton Aaron, Giselle Bonilla, and Julian Alcaraz in Bad Company (2018)
    Bad Company
  • Dwayne Johnson in Skyscraper (2018)
    Skyscraper
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos31

Tzi Ma Demo Reel 2018
Demo Reel 9:40
Tzi Ma Demo Reel 2018
The Cast of 'Tigertail' Name Their Favorite Films in Asian Cinema
Clip 2:56
The Cast of 'Tigertail' Name Their Favorite Films in Asian Cinema
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:02
Official Trailer
Now Streaming
Trailer 0:16
Now Streaming
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:47
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:17
Official Trailer
Final Trailer
Trailer 1:01
Final Trailer
Final Trailer
Trailer 1:01
Final Trailer
Teaser Trailer
Trailer 1:01
Teaser Trailer
Tigertail
Trailer 1:54
Tigertail
A Good Man
Trailer 2:01
A Good Man
A Good Man
Trailer 2:01
A Good Man

Personal details

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    • Official Site
    • Hong Kong, China
    • Christina MaDecember 1994 - present
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Interview

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Family owned the Republic Gardens Restaurant in Stapleton, Staten Island, New York.

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