Ken Leung

Kenneth Leung (born January 21, 1970) is an American actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he has gained attention for playing Miles Straume in the ABC drama series Lost (2008–10) and Eric Tao in the HBO drama series Industry (2020–present).

Leung has had roles in television shows such as the CBS crime series Person of Interest (2012–13), the NBC medical series The Night Shift (2014–15), and the Marvel Television series Inhumans (2017) as well as notable guest roles on the HBO crime series The Sopranos (2007) and the CBS legal series The Good Wife (2011). He also played in supporting roles in Rush Hour (1998), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Red Dragon (2002), Saw (2004), The Squid and the Whale (2005), Inside Man (2006), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Old (2021) and Project Hail Mary (2026).

On stage, Leung made his Broadway debut playing a Chinese immigrant in the musical revival Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002). He has also taken roles in the Terrence McNally play Corpus Christi (1998) and the Dustin Lance Black play 8 (2011).

Early life and education Leung was born on January 21, 1970, in New York City, to Chinese parents, and was initially raised in the Two Bridges section of the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Leung attended New York University studying physical therapy. He discovered acting in his junior year, studying with Catherine Russell and Nan Smithner, Norton stated that Leung turned a tiny role into one of the movie's most hilarious moments - so much so that the filmmakers expanded the scene because audiences laughed so hard.

In 1998, he played James the Less and God in Terrence McNally's passion play, Corpus Christi, and in 2002 made his Broadway debut in the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie, also appearing on the cast recording. In 2007, he starred in the independent film Shanghai Kiss,

In 2020, Leung began playing a main role in HBO's Industry as Eric Tao, a Managing Director (MD) on the Cross Product Sales (CPS) desk at Pierpoint. The show's creators stated that Leung is "one of the great actors of his generation, 100%...He’s out of this world.” Leung attracted attention online for his distinctive screen presence as Eric Tao. Yahoo News noted that some users that searched for popular GIFs of Leung used the phrase "strict Asian Obama" when they did not know Leung's name, due to the two sharing similar appearances and mannerisms.

In 2024, he played Commander Zhao in the Netflix series Avatar: The Last Airbender. They have one son, born in 2015, and reside in Brooklyn.

Filmography Film

Television Year Title Role Notes 1995, 2000, 2002 Law & Order Forensic Technician Chung Episodes: "Progeny" and "Jeopardy" Stephen Wong Episode: "Narcosis" Tommy Wong Episode: "The Wheel" 1997 New York Undercover David Kwan Episode: "Vendetta" 2000 Wonderland Episode: "Spell Check" Deadline Fung Episode: "Pilot" 2001 Oz Bian Yixue Episode: "Conversions" 2004 The Jury Ken Arata Episode: "Memories" Whoopi Terrence Episode: "Identity Crisis" Strip Search Liu Tsung-Yuan Television film Sucker Free City Lincoln Ma 2005 Hate Mo 2007 The Sopranos Carter Chong Episode: "Remember When" 2008–2010 Lost Miles Straume Series regular; 45 episodes 2011 The Good Wife Shen Yuan Episode: "Great Firewall" 2012–2013 Person of Interest Leon Tao 4 episodes 2013 Zero Hour Father Reggie 8 episodes Deception Donald Cheng 2 episodes 2014–2016 The Night Shift Topher Zia Main role (seasons 1–3); 35 episodes 2019–2020 High Maintenance Gene 3 episodes 2019 The Blacklist Michael Sima 6 episodes 2020–present Industry Eric Tao Main role 2022–2023 Pantheon Bai Fu / additional voices Voice; 4 episodes 2023 Strange Planet Bartender Voice; episode: "Careful Now" 2023–2024 Velma Darren Voice; 5 episodes 2024 Avatar: The Last Airbender Commander Zhao Main role (season 1) TBA Superfakes Don

Theatre Year Title Role Venue 1994The Goong Hay KidThe Goong Hay KidNuyorican Poets Café, Off-Broadway 1998 Corpus Christi James Manhattan Theatre Club, Off-Broadway 2002 Thoroughly Modern Millie Ching Ho Marquis Theatre, Broadway 2011 8 Dr. William Tam Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Broadway 2022 Evanston Salt Costs Climbing Basil Pershing Square Signature Center, Off-Broadway