Whatever Happened to Rosalind Chao, the Actress Who Played Soon-Lee on ‘M*A*S*H’?
What To Know
- Rosalind Chao, who played Soon-Lee on the record-breaking M*A*S*H series finale, began her acting career as a child,
- She reprised her role as Soon-Lee in the spinoff AfterMASH.
- Chao continued her successful career with notable roles.
One of the most memorable television moments of the 1980s was M*A*S*H’s series finale. At the time, it set records as the highest-rated TV episode ever, if you can even call it an episode. That thing ran for almost two and a half hours! And right in the middle of all the laughter and tears, a new storyline emerged between Corporal Maxwell Klinger (Jamie Farr) and a Korean refugee named Soon-Lee, played by Rosalind Chao.
Chao captured the hearts of TV audiences that night. While many folks first met her at the 4077th, she started acting long before setting foot on the M*A*S*H set. A quick look at her credits reveals a pretty darn steady career ever since.
Born in Los Angeles, Chao grew up in a family that knew a lot about hard work. Her parents ran a successful pancake house that doubled as a Chinese food restaurant in the evenings right across the street from Disneyland.
20th Century Fox Television./Courtesy Everett Collection
Here’s how she described her formative years to Vanity Fair in 2024: “The pancakes were amazing. The Chinese food was for the palate of somebody in Orange County. It was right outside of Disneyland, and I never got to go. That’s probably why I love Disneyland so much now. My parents were immigrants who were working hard, and I was in the booth doing my homework, and I’d see families come in all excited. Then when I was old enough, I was waiting tables or washing dishes.”
Chao got her start in the entertainment business as a kid doing local commercials and popping up in classic TV shows like Here’s Lucy. By 1977, viewers began noticing Chao across a bunch of different primetime programs, including The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, The Incredible Hulk, and The Amazing Spider-Man. For that last one, she appeared in a couple of episodes that were later edited together to play as a feature film in other countries called The Chinese Web.
Everett Collection
Getting back to M*A*S*H, Chao’s debut proved to be one of the highlights of the finale. The character of Soon-Lee was one that was resourceful, strong, and deeply protective of those that she loved, all while navigating the harsh realities of war. And somehow, against all odds, she managed to find a genuine connection with the camp’s most famous dress-wearing corporal.
CBS knew it had a good thing going with Klinger and Soon-Lee, so the network brought the newlyweds along for the spinoff series AfterMASH in the fall of 1983. The new show followed Colonel Sherman T. Potter (Harry Morgan), Father John Mulcahy (William Christopher), and Klinger as they took jobs at a veterans hospital in Missouri. Chao was one of the few actors to carry over, and the writers gave her a lot of interesting material. The series examined her character’s adjustment to life as a new American citizen in the Midwest during the 1950s. Even though the show had a lot of heart, it struggled to hold on to the massive audience of its predecessor and ended up wrapping after a couple of seasons.
Mario Casilli/TV Guide/20th Century Fox Television/Everett Collection
Losing AfterMASH did not slow Chao down one bit. She soon stepped into another huge television universe that would define her career for the next decade or so. Fans of Star Trek will immediately recognize her as Keiko O’Brien, the brilliant botanist and eventual wife of Chief Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney). She debuted on Star Trek: The Next Generation, tying the knot onboard the Enterprise. When her TV husband transferred to a new assignment, Chao moved right along with him on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Around the same time she was wandering around the galaxy, Chao was also making a big impact on the silver screen. In 1993, she starred in the movie adaptation of Amy Tan‘s novel The Joy Luck Club. Chao’s performance as a modern Chinese woman navigating a complex relationship with her immigrant mother drew praise from just about everyone who saw it and proved she was capable of carrying a major theatrical release.
Buena Vista Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
A look through Chao’s resume from the late ’90s into the 2000s and beyond makes it pretty darn clear that she never really stopped working. Viewers might have spotted her playing the strict but caring Dr. Kim on The O.C., or perhaps in guest roles on shows like Six Feet Under and This Is Us. She also appeared in fun feel-good movies like the 2003 remake of Freaky Friday and the romantic comedy Just Like Heaven. And even more recently, Chao has appeared in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Mulan and in the Netflix series 3 Body Problem.
These days, fans curious about what Chao has been up to, can keep up with her on social media platforms like X and Instagram. Her own self-description found on her profile over on X captures this lady’s charm perfectly: “actor, matchmaker, mom, foodie, and busybody… not necessarily in that order.”
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