Benedict Wong bio, age, wife and kids, ethnicity, height, Marvel 2024

Benedict Wong Biography

Benedict Wong is a British actor of Chinese descent, most recognized for his roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, debuting in "Doctor Strange" (2016). He is also a theater actor and does voice-overs for animated films.

Childhood and Youth

Benedict was born in the town of Eccles, Greater Manchester, in the northwest of England on July 3, 1971. His parents, Paula and Pinua, hail from Hong Kong. They had emigrated to Ireland in their time, but eventually settled in a town near Manchester.

Not much is known about his childhood, as the actor rarely discusses his family and childhood in interviews. He mentioned that he has been a big fan of Marvel comics since his childhood, especially Spider-Man.

After high school, he ended up at Salford College, where he took a two-year acting course. It was during this period that he got his first job - the guy was selling tickets at the "Green Room" theater.

Early Roles

The future actor began his creative career in theater, with his debut in the production "Kai Mei Sauce," a play written by his cousin Kevin. This was in 1993, and the performance was broadcast on BBC radio. Simultaneously, Benedict began trying his hand at film, and his first films were "Screenplay," "Last of the Summer Wine," and "The Chief," in which Wong appeared in episodes.

Benedict Wong in the series Last of the Summer Wine

In 2002, the actor played one of the main roles in the series "15 Storeys High." This was a British sitcom that was warmly received by critics and loved by many viewers. Benedict Wong and Sean Lock played flatmates. The humor was built on the contrast of their characters: Lock was Vince, a misanthrope and cynic, while Wong was the naive optimist Errol. Two seasons with 12 episodes each were filmed.

15 Storeys High - 'would you rather' game

Following this, the actor appeared in the series "Look Around You," where he was entrusted with the role of Dr. Franklin Fu, and appeared in the social thriller about the life of immigrants in London, "Dirty Pretty Things," where he met Chiwetel Ejiofor and Audrey Tautou.

Benedict Wong in the movie Dirty Pretty Things

In 2007, Wong appeared in the film "Grow Your Own." The comedy told the story of a village whose inhabitants led a rather dull life until one day a family arrived who brought new emotions and amusing situations to the measured existence of the locals.

However, real success was still far away: Benedict starred in the teenage adventure series "Spirit Warriors," the films "Shanghai" and "The Wrong Mans," which did not gain much popularity. Much more successful was the science fiction film "Prometheus," directed by Ridley Scott. Although the actor was given a secondary role as the pilot Ravel, he managed to work with such celebrities as Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, and Michael Fassbender.

In the historical television series "Marco Polo," the actor was given one of the main roles - the Mongolian ruler Kublai Khan. According to the plot, Marco Polo, played by Italian actor Lorenzo Richelmy, arrives in China, which was then under the rule of the Mongols. Here, the hero will have to learn a lot and win the trust of the Khan.

Benedict Wong on the set of the series Marco Polo

In 2013, he got a role in Lucy Kirkwood's production "Chimerica," a massive three-hour play exploring the relationship between China and the US. He was cast as Zhang Lin, a participant in the Tiananmen Square protests.

Almost simultaneously, Benedict got the lead role in the production "The Arrest of Ai Weiwei" [Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was arrested in 2011 for political reasons], which had a wide resonance.

Benedict Wong not only bears a strong resemblance to Weiwei but marvellously captures his mixture of resilience, rage, wiliness and wit: there's one richly comic sequence where he discusses with his captors how to make the best hand-pulled noodles.

The Guardian about the play The Arrest of Ai Weiwei

In 2015, Wong found himself on the set of the film "The Martian" with Matt Damon. Benedict was given a supporting role as Director Bruce Ng. The director was again Ridley Scott, with whom Wong worked well on the filming of "Prometheus," and among the actors was Benedict's good acquaintance Chiwetel Ejiofor, who soon played an important role in Wong's career.

Marvel Cinematic Universe and Other Projects

Benedict and Chiwetel had lunch together during a break in the filming of "The Martian" when his colleague told Benedict about the upcoming shooting of "Doctor Strange". Despite being a Marvel Comics fan, Wong had never heard of this superhero and searched for his name online:

We were working on 'The Martian' together and having lunch, and he told me he was going to be doing this thing called 'Doctor Strange.' I looked it up on the internet and saw a photo of Strange with Wong peeping out on the side, and my jaw dropped. I joked about having a petition called 'Wong for Wong.' One day, I got this mysterious email asking me to audition.

Coincidentally, Doctor Strange's sidekick, a sorcerer and master of mystical arts, was named Wong, which translates from Chinese as "king".

Benedict Wong Manifested His Role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Subsequently, Benedict returned to the role of Wong in the films "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame", "Spider-Man: No Way Home", "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness", and "She-Hulk".

In parallel, Benedict appeared in several buzzed-about projects, such as "The Big Short", "Deadly Class", "What We Do in the Shadows", "The Personal History of David Copperfield", "Gemini Man", "Annihilation", an episode of the series "Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams", and others.

In addition, the actor also does voiceovers for cartoons. His voice can be heard in "Lady and the Tramp" (2019), "Raya and the Last Dragon", "The Magician's Elephant", and others.

Benedict Wong on the set of “Avengers: Endgame”

Benedict Wong's Personal Life

The actor is private about his personal life and has kept it carefully hidden, so for a long time, no one knew if he had a lady love. Benedict's partner is named Nina, they got married in 2003 and have been inseparable since.

In 2016, Nina accompanied her husband to the premiere of "Doctor Strange". Her loose dress couldn't hide her rounded belly, but no one ever found out when and who was born to the couple.

Benedict Wong Now

In 2023, the actor appeared in the science fiction series "The Three-Body Problem" (Netflix version) alongside Eiza Gonzalez, John Bradley, and Liam Cunningham. This is an adaptation of Liu Cixin's bestseller about alien civilizations trying to halt human progress. Benedict portrayed one of the key characters – Detective Da Shi, the loyal partner of scientist Wang Miao.

In addition to this, the creators of MCU considered launching a "Doctor Strange" spin-off with the wizard Wong as the main character. The directors believe it's time to focus on this character and let him take center stage.

Ethel Pate Journalist