James Franklin Wong[1] (born March 28, 1987)[2][3] is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his 2011 music video, "Ching Chong: Asians in the Library Song" and for his role as Ted in the web series Video Game High School. In 2017, he and YouTuber Meghan Camarena co-hosted the video game themed variety show Polaris Primetime, which was created as part of Disney's "D|XP" programming block on Disney XD.
Jimmy Wong | |
|---|---|
 Wong in 2012 | |
| Born | James Franklin Wong March 28, 1987 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Middlebury College |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2010–present |
| Known for | Video Game High School |
| Notable work | "Ching Chong: Asians in the Library Song" |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives |
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Wong has appeared in feature films such as John Dies at the End, The Circle, and the live-action version of Mulan.
Early life
editWong grew up in Normandy Park, Washington.[4] He graduated from Middlebury College in 2009, where he majored in theater and drama.[4][1] After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles to become an actor.[1]
Career
editWong garnered national news coverage in March 2011, when he uploaded his music video, "Ching Chong: Asians in the Library Song" to YouTube. He created the video as a response to a UCLA student's vlog rant against Asian students using mobile phones in the UCLA library,[5][6] one which MSNBC qualified as "offensive."[7] NPR suggested that Wong's video response was one that "effectively turn[ed] the tables on the original rant," offering an alternative method of defense against cyberbullying.[8] Wong later said in an MSNBC interview that while he was initially frustrated by the video rant, he realized that humor offered a better response, as he hoped to "put a positive spin on all of it." Furthermore, he stated, an eye for an eye approach would only encourage "this behavior to continue."[7] "Ching Chong: Asians in the Library Song" went viral and was covered nationally by the American media.[9][10][11][12]
That same year, he co-launched and co-hosted the YouTube cooking show Feast of Fiction with Ashley Adams.
Wong later portrayed Ted in the web series Video Game High School.[13] He was also invited by Lionsgate and Google to create the web series District Voices.[14] In 2014, Wong was ranked #73 on New Media Rockstars Top 100 Channels.[15]
Wong played Ling in Disney's 2020 live action remake of the 1998 Mulan animated movie.
Gaming
editWong is an avid player of Magic: The Gathering, specifically the Commander format. He hosts a podcast with co-host Josh Lee Kwai called The Command Zone, where he and Josh discuss their experiences playing the Commander format. Wong is referred to by his co-host as "Jimmy the Red" due to fact that he often plays red decks when playing commander.[16] He has also been called upon by Wizards of the Coast to preview new sets at exhibitions and on their YouTube channel.[17] In 2021, he appeared in the podcast Dungeons & Daddies, where he played a demonic human-paladin character named Jodie Foster.[18]
Wong portrays the character Jay in the 2022 video game BONELAB.[19]
Personal life
editHis father is Chinese, from Canton, and his mother is of Chinese and Mongol ancestry.[4] He is the younger brother of filmmaker Freddie Wong.[20]
Partial filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Ching Chong: Asians in the Library Song" | Composer and singer | YouTube music video |
| 2012 | John Dies at the End | Fred Chu | Feature film |
| 2012–2013 | MyMusic | Leader | Web series |
| 2012–2014 | Video Game High School | Ted Wong | Web series |
| 2014 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – District Voices | District 9 Voice | TV mini-series |
| 2015 | Dude Bro Party Massacre III | Sizzler | Feature film |
| 2016 | Edgar Allan Poe's Murder Mystery Dinner Party | Constable Jimmy | YouTube series, 4 episodes |
| 2017 | The Circle | Mitch | Feature film |
| Polaris Primetime | Co-host | with Meghan Camarena, broadcast on Disney XD's "D|XP" block[21] | |
| 2017–2018 | Parker Plays | Recurring guest | TV series, 8 episodes |
| 2020 | Mulan | Ling | Feature film[22] |
| 2021 | Wish Dragon | Din Song | Feature film[23] |
Awards
edit- 2015: Won: International Academy of Web Television Awards – Best Ensemble Performance/Comedy, Video Game High School (shared with other cast members)
- 2014: Won: Streamy Awards – Best Action or Sci-Fi Series, Video Game High School (shared with cast and crew members)
- 2014: Won: Streamy Awards – Best Ensemble Cast, Video Game High School (shared with other cast members)
- 2017: Won: Guinness World Records - Most videogame characters identified in one minute[24]
References
edit- ^ a b c Sydney (May 5, 2011). "Interview with Jimmy Wong Of Alexandra Wallace Fame". Untemplater. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- ^ Wong, Jimmy (March 28, 2018). "For my birthday this year, I present my own personal Top 32 bracket for March. If you like it Twitter, yall know what to do". Twitter. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ Wong, Jimmy (August 12, 2020). "also lol i'm 33, they wanted a 12-14 year old to play aang. so not really in the books for me anyway". Twitter. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ a b c Nguyen, Stacy (April 7, 2011). "Hit singer Jimmy Wong on Alexandra Wallace and why angry responses are unproductive". Northwest Asian Weekly. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
- ^ Zhan, Julie (July 7, 2011). "Never stop working. If you're doing something you love, then it shouldn't be a problem". The Other Asians. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
- ^ Roderick, Kevin (March 24, 2011). "Jimmy Wong as Internet savior". LA Observed. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ^ a b "Jimmy Wong makes 'ching chong' a love song". MSNBC. March 23, 2011. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- ^ Pell, Dave (March 21, 2011). "Jimmy Wong Saves The Internet". NPR. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- ^ All Things Considered (March 24, 2011). "A Racial Rant Inspires An Internet Balladeer". NPR. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- ^ Chansanchai, Athima (March 18, 2011). "UCLA student's 'Asians' rant ignites YouTube responses". Today (U.S. TV program). Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- ^ Samuel, Sharon (March 17, 2011). "'Ching Chong' Shot Heard Around Social Media World". The New York Observer. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- ^ Walker, Rob (June 28, 2012). "On YouTube, Amateur Is the New Pro". New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- ^ Sun, Rebecca (December 12, 2014). "THR's at-a-glance look at the week in representation news". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (October 20, 2014). "Jimmy Wong, Rob Czar and iJustine's Justine Ezarik made videos for Lionsgate and Google". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- ^ "The NMR Top 100 YouTube Channels: 75-51!". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ^ "Podcasts - RocketJump". RocketJump. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^ Magic: The Gathering (June 20, 2016), Access Magic: Eldritch Moon, Episode 1, archived from the original on December 22, 2021, retrieved June 13, 2017
- ^ "Dungeons and Daddies (Podcast Series 2019) - IMDb". IMDb.
- ^ "Bonelab (Video Game 2022)". IMDb.
- ^ Austen, Ben (December 16, 2011). "The YouTube Laugh Factory: A Studio System for Viral Video". Wired. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- ^ Lafayette, Jon (June 14, 2017). "Disney XD Set to Launch Gamer Programming Block". Broadcasting Cable. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Casts Jimmy Wong & Doua Moua Deadline Hollywood, Retrieved August 14, 2018
- ^ [1] South China Morning Post, Retrieved June 12, 2021
- ^ "Most videogame characters identified in one minute". Guinness World Records. June 27, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
External links
edit- Jimmy Wong at IMDb
- Jimmy Wong's channel on YouTube
- Jimmy Wong on Twitter
- Jimmy Wong on Facebook
