Hank Chen (born November 1, 1989) is an American actor and comedian best known for Life-Size 2 and Robin Williams's final theatrical release, The Angriest Man in Brooklyn.
Early life and education Born as Henry Chen in Silver Spring, Maryland to Taiwanese immigrants, Chen spoke Mandarin Chinese at home before learning English. His parents are engineers. He has a younger sister.
Chen grew up in a religious and conservative household. He is a founding member of advocacy group, OneWheaton supporting LGBT students and alumni from his alma mater.
Raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., Chen graduated with an International Baccalaureate diploma from Springbrook High School. At Wheaton College, he majored in sociology with minors in Communications and English, and studied theatre at the University of Westminster in London. Chen remained near Chicago after graduation to work, take acting classes, and perform comedy. He trained with The Second City and joined Stir Friday Night, a sketch comedy ensemble of Asian-American performers. Other SFN alumni include Danny Pudi and Steven Yeun. He attended the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University MFA program, moving to Brooklyn, New York, where he began his career with a credit on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Career Film and television Chen has appeared on television since 2011 with credits including Blue Bloods, Lopez, and Transparent.
He made his film debut in The Angriest Man in Brooklyn opposite Robin Williams, followed up by roles in Reese Witherspoon-starrer Home Again, and Janicza Bravo's first full-length feature, Lemon.
In 2018, Chen co-starred in Freeform's Life-Size 2 opposite Tyra Banks and Francia Raisa. In 2021, Chen co-starred in Lifetime's Holiday in Santa Fe opposite Mario Lopez and Emeraude Toubia.
Social media As a young vlogger, Chen was very active on social media which led to many opportunities including being selected to host Verizon's online campaign for 4G LTE in 2011. Chen was the co-host of RealBeauty.com's comedy and fashion show, Visible Panty Lines from Hearst Corporation in 2012.
In 2013, Chen was among one of 100 influencers selected by Ford Motor Company to participate in the Ford Fiesta Movement in which creators were given a Ford Fiesta and sent on "missions" for 6 months. At the conclusion of the campaign, he was awarded "Best Vlog" for his first mission, Fiesta Aqua Agent.
Stand-up comedy Chen's debut comedy special, Hank Chen: I'm Not Supposed to be Here was taped and produced by Brian Volk-Weiss and his company, Comedy Dynamics at the El Portal Theatre six days after he was involved in a motorcycle collision in spring 2023. He was prescribed painkillers, wheeled on-stage, and performed sitting on a couch with a fractured pelvis. The special premiered on streaming platforms, satellite radio, and in-flight programming later that year.
After recovering from his injuries in summer 2023, he was recruited by producers, Seven Graham and Alyssa Poteet to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland with LGBTQIA+ comedy show, Alphabet Soup. The show was well-reviewed and made additional international festival headlines when it became known the performers were staying at old Second World War base and Cold War nuclear bunker, Barnton Quarry due to the inflated costs of reasonable accommodations during that time of year in Edinburgh. Graham made the decision "after being quoted £35,000 on Airbnb for a month’s stay."
Filmography Film Year Title RoleNotes 2014 The Angriest Man in Brooklyn Damien 2014 Queers in the Kingdom: Let Your Light Shine Himself Documentary 2015 The Dark Side Patrick 2015 Bob Thunder: Internet Assassin Hank Chen 2016 When You Have Big Boobs Kevin Short 2016 Carry Me Assistant Short 2017 Lemon Lee 2017 Home Again Jason G. 2026 Ugly Cry Nurse Ethan
Television Year Title Role Notes2011 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit P.A. Episode: "Pursuit"2011 Blue Bloods Harry Bell Episode: "Model Behavior"2012 Big Morning Buzz Live Himself Episode: "Deborah Ann Woll/The Lumineers"2013 High Maintenance Hank Episode: "Elijah"2014 Transparent Clayton Episode: "Moppa"2014 Criminal Minds Chuck Ross Episode: "Fate"2015 Community Various 2 episodes2015 Rizzoli & Isles Waiter Episode: "Imitation Game"2015 Baby Daddy Jonathan Episode: "What Happens In Vegas"2015 Switched at Birth New Waiter Episode: "Borrowing Your Enemy's Arrows"2015 Eastsiders Hipster Guy #2 3 episodes2016 Disengaged Dezi Episode: "Dresses"2016 Grace and Frankie Employee Episode: "The Bender"2016 Lopez Mr. Chen 2 episodes2016 NCIS: Los Angeles Minjun Rhee Episode: "Parallel Resistors"2016 Mars 2060: The Colony Files Dennis McAlister Episode: "Solar Conjunction"2017 Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders Dave McHenry Episode: "Cinderella and the Dragon"2017 Casual Brent Episode: "The Table"2017 Strangers Hank Episode: "Couples Counseling"2017 The New 30 Joshua 4 episodes2018 Scandal Justice Spivey's Clerk Episode: "Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself"2018 Legion Ryan Episode: "Chapter 14"2018 Alex, Inc. Dale Episode: "The Rube Goldberg Contraption"2018 Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Himself Episode: "3.14"2018Life-Size 2 Brendan Television movie2019 The OA Homer's Roommate 2 episodes2021Holiday in Santa Fe Kevin Television movie2023Hank Chen: I'm Not Supposed To Be Here Himself Stand-Up Special2024 Hacks Lawrence Episode: "Join The Club"2026 It’s Getting Late with Owen Reed Daniel Lin Main Cast
Podcast Series Year Title Role Notes 2023-2024 Macaw Suzuki 2 episodes
References
External links
Hank Chen on Instagram Hank Chen on Facebook