Zoë Carroll Chao (born September 19, 1985) is an American television and stage actress and screenwriter, principally known for her roles as Isobel in Strangers and Zoë in The Afterparty.
Early life Chao was born in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Her mother has Irish and English ancestry, while her father is of Chinese descent. Her paternal grandmother immigrated from China to Michigan. Chao has stated that she grew up in a family of visual artists. After graduating from the Wheeler School in 2004, she received her BA in art history from Brown University and her MFA from the graduate acting program at UCSD.
Career Chao has participated in theatre productions, including La Jolla Playhouse's Sideways, Surf Report, and WoW Festivals' Our Town, and Ensemble Theatre Company's Amadeus. In 2016, she appeared in the Off Broadway play Friend Art at Second Stage. She has worked with directors Christopher Guest, Les Waters, Ping Chong and Chris Ashley.
Chao also starred in her own TV series, God Particles, which she wrote and produced. She co-produced the 2017 short Like Animals. She is perhaps best known for starring as Isobel in Strangers, the first three episodes of which were screened at the Sundance Film Festival.
In 2022-23, Chao was in the main cast of the Apple TV+ mystery comedy series The Afterparty. In 2024, Chao appeared as Nina Mazursky in the animated television series Creature Commandos, written and created by James Gunn for the DC Universe based on the team of the same name.
In April 2024, it was announced that Chao was cast in the comedy Let's Have Kids!, opposite Karen Gillan; written by Adam Sztykiel, making his directorial debut, the announcement included plans to film sometime that year.
Personal life During the filming of Strangers, Chao relocated from New York City to Los Angeles.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 2006 My Girlfriend's Abroad 2014 The Gordon Game Wife Short2015 Dirty Beautiful Jamie Dirty Garden Short Center Pedal Y Short 2017 Like Animals Mary Short2019 Where'd You Go, Bernadette Soo-Lin Almost LoveHaley2020 Downhill Rosie The High Note Katie I Used to Go Here Laura 2021 Long Weekend Vienna 2022 Family Squares Kelly Senior Year Tiffany Blanchette 2023 Your Place or Mine Minka Somebody I Used to Know Ramona If You Were the Last Jane Kuang 2024 Nightbitch Jen 2025 The Roses Sally
Television Year Title Role Notes 2011 The Protector BAO House Girl Episode: "Beef" 2012 Hart of Dixie Dr. Lee Episode: "Disaster Drills & Departures" 2014 God Particles Rue 4 episodes The Comeback Shayna 4 episodes 2015 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn Ms. Nakamura Episode: "Sweet Foot Rides" Monster Girls Halfoff TV short 2016 Rizzoli & Isles Mimi Tanaka Episode: "A Shot in the Dark" That's What She Said TV miniseries 2017–18 Strangers Isobel Main role 2018 Succession Joyce Miller's Staff Episode: "Sad Sack Wasp Trap" 2019 The OA Mo 2 episodes Living with Yourself Kaylyn Recurring role 2020–21 Love Life Sara Yang Main role (season 1)Guest role (season 2) 2021 Modern Love Zoe Episode: "The Night Girl Finds a Day Boy" 2022–23 The Afterparty Zoë Zhu Main role 2023 Celebrity Jeopardy! Herself Contestant Party Down Lucy Dang Main role (season 3) 2024–25 Creature Commandos Nina Mazursky (voice) Main role (season 1)
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 2015 International Academy of Web Television Awards Best Female Performance in a Comedy God Particles 2023 Critics Choice Association Celebration of Asian Pacific Cinema & Television Actress Award for Television The Afterparty 2024Varietys 10 Actors to Watch
References
External links