Tai Nguyen

Tai Nguyen (born 25 February 1975) is a Vietnamese-Australian actor. Nguyen began his acting career and best known for his role as Jack Tran Nguyen on the 1994 Australian teen drama series Heartbreak High.

Early life Nguyen was born in Saigon, Vietnam. His family escaped Vietnam by boat in 1980. After spending time in a Malaysian refugee camp, the family was sponsored by a Dutch Reform Church to settle in Tasmania, Australia where he spent his early childhood. Nguyen has appeared as himself in a documentary by the ABC about the plight of refugees.

Career Nguyen primarily works in television, having appeared in several productions over the past two decades. His first major acting role was in 1994 on the TV series Heartbreak High alongside Alex Dimitriades, Tony Martin and Sarah Lambert which gained significant press in Australia at the time for its groundbreaking gritty portrayal of multiculturalism in Australian schools. His second role in 1996 was a swimming athlete training for the Olympics on the TV series Sweat alongside Heath Ledger and Martin Henderson.

Nguyen's television work includes Heartbreak High, Sweat and Wildside.

In 2017 he appeared alongside Richard Roxburgh in Blue Murder: Killer Cop, a two-part Australian television miniseries based on true events, produced by Seven Network.

Filmography Year Title Role 1994 Heartbreak High Jack Tran Nguyen 1996 Sweat Nhon "Noodle" Huong Tran 1997 Kamikazi Taxi Driver 1997 Nightride Nurse 1999 Wildside Phong Ling 1999 Fresh Air Tripod 2001 Life Support Young Man 2002 Young Lions John 2007 Death's Requiem Cigarette Seller 2008 Glass The Cleaner 2013 The Woman On The Top Floor Man next door 2017 Blue Murder: Killer Cop Detective Filkins 2021 The Tailings Marcel