Ruibo Qian

Ruibo Qian (born 1 January 1983) is an American stage, film, and television actor and musician. She is best known for her roles as Penelope Wu in the Black Mirror episode "Smithereens", as Dr. Bethany in Manchester by the Sea, and as Zheng Yi Sao in the HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death.

Early life Qian was born in Shanghai and grew up in Texas. She obtained a BFA in acting from Boston University School of Theater Arts and an MFA also in acting from New York University.

Career Qian has appeared in a number of stage, film, and television programmes since 2013.

In 2017, Qian acted in Signature Theatre's production of The Red Letter Plays: F**king A and played the violin and guitar on stage.

In 2023, Qian joined the cast of Our Flag Means Death in its second season. She plays Susan, who is revealed to be Zheng Yi Sao, a character based on the real historical figure. John Anderson of The Wall Street Journal praised Qian's performance, writing “Ruibo Qian right now may be the funniest woman on television”.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role 2016 Manchester by the Sea Dr. Bethany 2018 Viral Beauty Tara Zhang 2019 Before You Know It Pregnant Lady

Television Year Title Role Notes 2013 Whatever This Is. Shannon 2014 Broad City Janelle 2015 Eat Our Feelings Kate 2015 Above Average Presents Hipster 3 (as Rubio Qian) 2015 Jessica Jones Mei Episode: "AKA Ladies Night" 2014–2016 Mozart in the Jungle Triangle Tanya Recurring role, 10 episodes 2018 New Amsterdam Yong-Mi 2019 The Code Lt. Elena Jin 2019 The Good Fight Hanna 2019 Black Mirror Penelope Wu Episode: "Smithereens" 2019 Orange Is the New Black 'Mad Megan' Prince 2 episodes 2019 Living with Yourself Breastfeeding Woman 2020 The Sinner Perkins 2020 High Maintenance Syd Li 2021 Evil Mila 2022 Servant Mommy 2023 Our Flag Means Death Zheng Yi Sao/Susan Recurring role, 6 episodes 2025–present Daredevil: Born Again Detective Angie Kim 9 episodes 2026CIALin WuEpisode: "Bridge of Lies"

Theater Year Title Role Director Venue 2014 You For Me For You Junhee Yury Urnov Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company 2014 Water by the Spoonful Orangutan Edward Torres Old Globe Theatre 2015 Red Flamboyant Vung/Trung Trac Laura Savia Calvary-St. George's Parish 2016 Tiger Style! Jennifer Chen Moritz von Stuelpnagel Huntington Theatre Company 2017 Bull in a China Shop Jeannette Marks Lee Sunday Evans Lincoln Theater 2017 The Red Letter Plays: F**king A Various roles Jo Bonney Signature Theatre Company 2019 The Great Leap Connie Lisa Peterson American Conservatory Theater 2019 Significant Other Laura Lauren English San Francisco Playhouse 2019 Becky Nurse of Salem Witch Anne Kauffman Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2021 P.S. Adult Ona Teddy Bergman Ars Nova (theater) 2022 Golden Shield Eva May Adrales Manhattan Theatre Club 2022 Dial M for Murder Maxine Stafford Arima Old Globe Theatre 2023 The Merry Wives of Windsor Mrs. Page James Vasquez