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Awkwafina

  • Actress
  • Writer
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000105
Awkwafina at an event for Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016)
"Shang-Chi" star Awkwafina reveals how an early role alongside Seth Rogen and Zac Efron in 'Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising' opened the door to her career, and how the indie feature 'Dude' led to her being in 'Ocean's Eight.'
Play clip1:17
Awkwafina on the Roles That Changed Her Life
99+ Videos
99+ Photos
Nora Lum, known professionally as Awkwafina, is an American actress and rapper. She has played supporting roles in the comedy films Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians (2018), and her leading role in the comedy-drama The Farewell (2019) earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress nomination.

She has released two albums, Yellow Ranger (2014) and In Fina We Trust (2018). She has also ventured into comedy and hosting, making television appearances in Girl Code, Future Man, and Saturday Night Live.

Lum was born in New York City to painter and South Korean immigrant Tia, who died when she was four, and Chinese-American father Wally. She grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, raised by her father and his grandparents; she became especially close to her grandmother. One of her paternal great-grandfathers was a Chinese immigrant in the 1940s; he opened the Cantonese restaurant Lum's in Flushing, Queens that was one of that neighborhood's first Chinese restaurants.

Lum attended LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts where she played the trumpet and was trained in classical music and jazz. At age 16, she adopted the stage name Awkwafina, "definitely a person I repressed" and an alter ego to her "quiet and more passive" personality during her college years. Lum majored in journalism and women's studies at the University at Albany, State University of New York. From 2006 to 2008, Lum attended Beijing Language and Culture University in China, where she studied Mandarin.

Lum states that Charles Bukowski, Anaïs Nin, Joan Didion, Tom Waits, and Chet Baker were early influences. Prior to her career in entertainment, she was an intern at local New York publications Gotham Gazette and the Times Union newspaper in Albany, and was a publicity assistant for publishing house Rodale.
BornJune 2, 1988
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornJune 2, 1988
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000105
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 18 wins & 69 nominations total

    Asian Icons of Film and Television

    Asian Icons of Film and Television

    Celebrate some of the most iconic Asian actors from film and television, from Priyanka Chopra Jonas to Ke Huy Quan, plus many more.
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    Production art
    Photos

    Photos209

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    Known for

    Sandra Bullock, Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, and Awkwafina in Ocean's Eight (2018)
    Ocean's Eight
    6.3
    • Constance
    • 2018
    Constance Wu and Henry Golding in Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
    Crazy Rich Asians
    6.9
    • Peik Lin Goh
    • 2018
    Tzi Ma, Shuzhen Zhao, Han Chen, Aoi Mizuhara, Hong Lu, Diana Lin, Awkwafina, and Yongbo Jiang in The Farewell (2019)
    The Farewell
    7.5
    • Billi
    • 2019
    Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy, Halle Bailey, Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, and Jonah Hauer-King in The Little Mermaid (2023)
    The Little Mermaid
    7.2
    • Scuttle(voice)
    • 2023

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actress



    • The Bad Guys 2
      • Ms. Tarantula (voice)
      • Completed
      • 2025
    • Marvel Zombies
      • Katy (voice)
      • Post-production
      • TV Mini Series
      • 2025
    • Wildwood
      • Mrs. McKeel (voice)
      • In Production
      • 2026
    • The Man with the Bag
      • Post-production
    • The Baccarat Machine
      • Pre-production



    • Black Mirror (2011)
      Black Mirror
      8.7
      TV Series
      • Kimmy
      • 2025
    • Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina, and Anthony Ramos in The Bad Guys: Little Lies and Alibis (2025)
      The Bad Guys: Little Lies and Alibis
      6.5
      Short
      • Ms. Tarantula (voice)
      • 2025
    • John Cena and Awkwafina in Jackpot! (2024)
      Jackpot!
      5.8
      • Katie
      • 2024
    • Matt Damon, Louis Gossett Jr., Christopher Meloni, Ryan Reynolds, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carell, Bradley Cooper, Matthew Rhys, Maya Rudolph, John Krasinski, Keegan-Michael Key, Emily Blunt, Sebastian Maniscalco, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Awkwafina, and Cailey Fleming in IF (2024)
      IF
      6.4
      • Bubble (voice)
      • 2024
    • Dueling Dumplings (2024)
      Dueling Dumplings
      4.8
      Short
      • Zhen (voice)
      • 2024
    • Tenacious D: ...Baby One More Time (2024)
      Tenacious D: ...Baby One More Time
      7.8
      Music Video
      • Awkwafina
      • 2024
    • Dustin Hoffman, Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Viola Davis, James Hong, Ian McShane, Cece Valentina, Lincoln Nakamura, and Awkwafina in Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)
      Kung Fu Panda 4
      6.3
      • Zhen (voice)
      • 2024
    • Awkwafina in Fly Hard (2024)
      Fly Hard
      6.4
      Video
      • Chump (voice)
      • 2024
    • Danny DeVito, Elizabeth Banks, Tresi Gazal, Kumail Nanjiani, and Caspar Jennings in Migration (2023)
      Migration
      6.6
      • Chump (voice)
      • 2023
    • Sandra Oh and Awkwafina in Quiz Lady (2023)
      Quiz Lady
      6.7
      • Anne Yum
      • 2023
    • Awkwafina in Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens (2020)
      Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens
      7.5
      TV Series
      • Nora
      • Awkwafina
      • 2020–2023
    • Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy, Halle Bailey, Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, and Jonah Hauer-King in The Little Mermaid (2023)
      The Little Mermaid
      7.2
      • Scuttle (voice)
      • 2023
    • Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult in Renfield (2023)
      Renfield
      6.4
      • Rebecca
      • 2023
    • Sam Rockwell in The Bad Guys in Maraschino Ruby (2022)
      The Bad Guys in Maraschino Ruby
      6.4
      Video
      • Ms Tarantula (voice)
      • 2022
    • Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina, and Anthony Ramos in The Bad Guys (2022)
      The Bad Guys
      6.8
      • Tarantula (voice)
      • 2022

    Writer



    • Awkwafina in Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens (2020)
      Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens
      7.5
      TV Series
      • created by
      • written by (creator)
      • 2020–2023
    • Christian Slater, Don Cheadle, Kieran Culkin, Kevin Smith, Grey Griffin, John DiMaggio, Chris Diamantopoulos, Randall Duk Kim, Kevin Michael Richardson, Seth Rogen, Fred Tatasciore, Aisha Tyler, Youn Yuh-jung, Antony Starr, Nasim Pedrad, Jermaine Fowler, Chace Crawford, Ben Schwartz, Ursula Taherian, Parker Simmons, Asjha Cooper, Emily V. Gordon, Caleb McLaughlin, Awkwafina, Jenny Yokobori, and Somali Rose in The Boys Presents: Diabolical (2022)
      The Boys Presents: Diabolical
      6.8
      TV Mini Series
      • written by
      • 2022

    Producer



    • Awkwafina Is Hangin' with Grandma
      TV Series
      • executive producer
      • 2023
    • Sandra Oh and Awkwafina in Quiz Lady (2023)
      Quiz Lady
      6.7
      • producer
      • 2023
    • Awkwafina in Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens (2020)
      Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens
      7.5
      TV Series
      • executive producer
      • 2020–2023

    • In-development projects at IMDbPro

    Videos116

    "Cat-Walker"
    Clip 0:40
    "Cat-Walker"
    Why 'The Little Mermaid' Cast Will Never Forget Filming "Kiss the Girl"
    Clip 3:22
    Why 'The Little Mermaid' Cast Will Never Forget Filming "Kiss the Girl"
    Why 'The Little Mermaid' Cast Will Never Forget Filming "Kiss the Girl"
    Clip 3:22
    Why 'The Little Mermaid' Cast Will Never Forget Filming "Kiss the Girl"
    Is Nicolas Cage an Immortal Vampire, or Does He Just Play One in 'Renfield'?
    Clip 2:19
    Is Nicolas Cage an Immortal Vampire, or Does He Just Play One in 'Renfield'?
    Awkwafina on the Roles That Changed Her Life
    Clip 1:17
    Awkwafina on the Roles That Changed Her Life
    'Shang-Chi' Director Destin Daniel Cretton Answers Our Burning Questions
    Clip 2:54
    'Shang-Chi' Director Destin Daniel Cretton Answers Our Burning Questions
    Simu Liu Answers 5 Burning Questions About 'Shang-Chi'
    Clip 3:38
    Simu Liu Answers 5 Burning Questions About 'Shang-Chi'

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Official sites
      • Facebook
      • Instagram
    • Alternative name
      • Nora Lum
    • Height
      • 5′ 1″ (1.55 m)
    • Born
      • June 2, 1988
      • New York City, New York, USA
    • Children
      • No Children
    • Parents
        Wally Lum
    • Relatives
        Gum Fang "Jimmy" Lum(Great Grandparent)
    • Other works
      TV commercial: Google Pixel 3 with 2 Chainz
    • Publicity listings
      • 2 Interviews
      • 2 Articles
      • 1 Pictorial
      • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Is of Korean & Chinese descent.
    • Quotes
      I'm OK with having an Asian aspect if it's done in a genuine way. I'm not OK with someone writing the Asian experience for an Asian character. Like, that's annoying and I make it very clear, I don't ever go out for auditions where I feel like I'm making a minstrel out of our people.
    • Trademark
        Low, raspy voice.

    FAQ11

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