Comedy / Film & TV
Ken Jeong
born 1969 · comedian, actor, physician
Detroit-born comedian and licensed physician, famous as Mr. Chow in The Hangover and Ben Chang in Community.
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Ken Jeong was born in Detroit to South Korean immigrant parents, but the family soon moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, where he grew up and where his father taught economics. He trained as a doctor at the University of North Carolina and practiced internal medicine in California while performing stand-up comedy at night. A small part in Knocked Up (2007) was followed by his breakout as the unpredictable gangster Leslie Chow in The Hangover (2009) and its sequels, and by six seasons as the eccentric Spanish teacher Ben Chang on NBC's Community. He went on to write, produce and star in the ABC sitcom Dr. Ken, and he became a familiar face as a panelist on The Masked Singer. His tie to Detroit is his birthplace; his career was built elsewhere.
Highlights
- Leslie Chow in The Hangover trilogy (2009–2013)
- Ben Chang in NBC's Community (2009–2015)
- Created and starred in the ABC sitcom Dr. Ken (2015–2017)
- Panelist on The Masked Singer; licensed physician in California