Born into a family of doctors and educated in China at the Shanghai Film Academy and the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Languages, Joan Chen was discovered by veteran Chinese director Jin Xie while observing a filming with a school group. Her performance in Xiao hua (1979) (A.K.A. "The Little Flower") won China's Best Actress award, and resulted in the Chinese press dubbing her "The Elizabeth Taylor of China" for having achieved top stardom while still in her teen years. She came to the U.S. to attend college in 1981, first at the State University of New York at New Paltz, later at California State University at Northridge. She a succession of small parts in movies and T.V., with her first break coming in 1986 when, in true Hollywood legend, producer Dino De Laurentiis noticed her in the parking lot of Lorimar Studios and cast her in Tai-Pan (1986). The film bombed, but it led to her being cast as the ill-fated Empress in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor (1987), which won critical acclaim. This, and her role as enigmatic mill owner Josie Packard in the cult TV series Twin Peaks (1990), are her best-known roles in Europe and North America. However, Hollywood's practice of type-casting East Asians has led to a dearth of major roles for Chen since then, and in recent roles, she has often been cast as a villainess.
After taking a few years off to start a family, Joan returned to the screen in important supporting roles playing women in early middle age, such as the mother of a principle adult character. As a result, her career is flourishing again on both sides of the Pacific. Her two directing efforts were well-received critically, and in a 2008 interview she revealed she planned to direct again but was putting that off until her daughters were grown, since directing took her away from them too much, whereas acting could be done on a part-time basis.
Known For
Credits
Cast Credits
A Murder at the End of the World (2023)
Starring as Lu Mei
(6 episodes)
- Episode 1x07: Chapter 7: Retreat (Dec 19, 2023)
- Episode 1x05: Chapter 5: Crypt (Dec 5, 2023)
- Episode 1x04: Chapter 4: Family Secrets (Nov 28, 2023)
- Episode 1x03: Chapter 3: Survivors (Nov 21, 2023)
- Episode 1x02: Chapter 2: The Silver Doe (Nov 14, 2023)
- Episode 1x01: Chapter 1: Homme Fatal (Nov 14, 2023)
Marco Polo (2014)
Starring as Empress Chabi
(20 episodes)
- Episode 2x10: The Fellowship (Jul 1, 2016)
- Episode 2x09: Heirs (Jul 1, 2016)
- Episode 2x08: Whitehorse (Jul 1, 2016)
- Episode 2x07: Lost Crane (Jul 1, 2016)
- Episode 2x06: Serpent's Terms (Jul 1, 2016)
- Episode 2x05: Lullaby (Jul 1, 2016)
- Episode 2x04: Let God's Work Begin (Jul 1, 2016)
- Episode 2x03: Measure Against the Linchpin (Jul 1, 2016)
- Episode 2x02: Hug (Jul 1, 2016)
- Episode 2x01: Hunter and the Sable Weaver (Jul 1, 2016)
- Episode 1x10: The Heavenly and Primal (Dec 12, 2014)
- Episode 1x09: Prisoners (Dec 12, 2014)
- Episode 1x08: Rendering (Dec 12, 2014)
- Episode 1x07: The Scholar's Pen (Dec 12, 2014)
- Episode 1x06: White Moon (Dec 12, 2014)
- Episode 1x05: Hashshashin (Dec 12, 2014)
- Episode 1x04: The Fourth Step (Dec 12, 2014)
- Episode 1x03: Feast (Dec 12, 2014)
- Episode 1x02: The Wolf and the Deer (Dec 12, 2014)
- Episode 1x01: The Wayfarer (Dec 12, 2014)
Serangoon Road (2013)
Starring as Patricia Cheng
(10 episodes)
- Episode 1x10: Episode 10 (Nov 29, 2013)
- Episode 1x09: Episode 9 (Nov 22, 2013)
- Episode 1x08: Episode 8 (Nov 15, 2013)
- Episode 1x07: Episode 7 (Nov 8, 2013)
- Episode 1x06: Episode 6 (Nov 1, 2013)
- Episode 1x05: Episode 5 (Oct 20, 2013)
- Episode 1x04: Episode 4 (Oct 13, 2013)
- Episode 1x03: Episode 3 (Oct 6, 2013)
- Episode 1x02: Episode 2 (Sep 29, 2013)
- Episode 1x01: Episode 1 (Sep 22, 2013)
The Outer Limits (1995)
Guest starring as Major Dara Talif
- Episode 4x24: Phobos Rising (Dec 4, 1998)
Twin Peaks (1990)
Starring as Jocelyn "Josie" Packard
(18 episodes)
- Episode 2x18: On the Wings of Love (Apr 4, 1991)
- Episode 2x17: Wounds and Scars (Mar 28, 1991)
- Episode 2x16: The Condemned Woman (Feb 16, 1991)
- Episode 2x15: Slaves and Masters (Feb 9, 1991)
- Episode 2x13: Checkmate (Jan 19, 1991)
- Episode 2x12: The Black Widow (Jan 12, 1991)
- Episode 2x11: Masked Ball (Dec 15, 1990)
- Episode 2x10: Dispute Between Brothers (Dec 8, 1990)
- Episode 2x06: Demons (Nov 3, 1990)
- Episode 2x04: Laura's Secret Diary (Oct 20, 1990)
- Episode 1x08: The Last Evening (May 23, 1990)
- Episode 1x07: Realization Time (May 17, 1990)
- Episode 1x06: Cooper's Dreams (May 10, 1990)
- Episode 1x05: The One-Armed Man (May 3, 1990)
- Episode 1x04: Rest in Pain (Apr 26, 1990)
- Episode 1x03: Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer (Apr 19, 1990)
- Episode 1x02: Traces to Nowhere (Apr 12, 1990)
- Episode 1x01: Pilot (Apr 8, 1990)
Guest starring as Jocelyn "Josie" Packard
- Episode 3x17: The Return, Part 17 (Sep 3, 2017)
Knight Rider (1982)
Guest starring as Su-Lin
- Episode 3x01: Knight of the Drones (1) (Sep 30, 1984) [Uncredited]
Oscars (1953)
Guest starring as Joan Chen
(2 episodes)
- Episode 1994-03-21: The 66th Annual Academy Awards (Mar 21, 1994)
- Episode 1988-04-11: The 60th Annual Academy Awards (Apr 11, 1988)