Ken Jeong

Ken Jeong is an American actor, comedian and licensed physician known for his scene-stealing comic roles and his unusual path from practicing medicine to a career in entertainment. He gained wide recognition for playing the gangster Leslie Chow in the Hangover film trilogy and the eccentric Ben Chang on the sitcom Community, and he has remained a familiar presence on television as a panelist on the singing competition The Masked Singer.

Early life

Jeong was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Korean immigrant parents and was raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. A strong student, he attended Duke University, where he was involved in stand-up and improvisational comedy while completing his undergraduate degree. He went on to earn his medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed his residency in internal medicine in New Orleans, becoming a licensed physician. For several years he balanced clinical work with performing comedy in his off hours.

Career

Jeong's entertainment career developed gradually as he won comedy contests and took small acting roles. His breakthrough came with a supporting part in the 2007 comedy Knocked Up, which led to further film work. He achieved broad fame in 2009 with The Hangover, in which his portrayal of the volatile criminal Mr. Chow became one of the film's most talked-about elements; he reprised the role in the sequels released in 2011 and 2013. During the same period he joined the ensemble cast of Community, playing the unpredictable Spanish teacher and later student Ben Chang across the show's run, a role that further established his comic reputation.

He continued to appear in a range of studio comedies and family films, and in 2018 he was part of the ensemble cast of Crazy Rich Asians, a commercially successful romantic comedy notable for its predominantly Asian cast. Drawing on his medical background, Jeong created and starred in the sitcom Dr. Ken, which aired for two seasons and was based loosely on his experiences as a doctor.

Recent work

In recent years Jeong has been a fixture on The Masked Singer, serving as one of the program's regular panelists since its debut. He has also directed and performed stand-up specials, lent his voice to animated projects, and continued to take film and television roles. He frequently speaks about his wife's experience with cancer and uses his platform to support related causes, while occasionally returning to themes from his medical career in his comedy. Jeong remains one of the more recognizable comic character actors of his generation, valued for his willingness to commit fully to broad, physical roles.