Michelle Ang


Michelle Ang is a New Zealand film and television actress based in New York City. In 2016, Ang was nominated for an Emmy for her work on .

Early life and education

Ang was born 17 October 1983, in Christchurch, to Indonesian Chinese parents who had emigrated to New Zealand. Ang has completed studies at Victoria University of Wellington for a double degree, a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration in Accounting with Commercial Law and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. Ang was a talented ballet dancer when she was younger, and performed in The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Romeo and Juliet with the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

Career

Ang made her film debut in Futile Attraction. Ang also appeared in a series of low-budget New Zealand short films including Forbidden Fury in 2004. Her most recent film credit was on No.2, directed by Toa Fraser and nominated for Audience Choice Awards at the Cannes Film Festival.
Ang got her start in television at a young age through the hit family series McDonald's Young Entertainers. Here, she got to show her skills at singing and dancing, much like the Mickey Mouse Club show on US television. She is best known for her role as Lori Lee in the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, in which she was a major character in 2002 – 2003, and guest-starred in 2004. Also in 2004, she auditioned for the Cho Chang role in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but in the end the role was given to Katie Leung. Before that she played Tai-San in the New Zealand post-apocalyptic drama The Tribe, present in the core cast from 1999 to 2001, and featuring in the final episodes of the 2002 series. Ang also guest starred in the final 2 episodes of ' as Akemi. She played the role of Tracy Hong in seasons 1 and 2 of the New Zealand TV series Outrageous Fortune in 2005 and 2006.
In 2007, Ang appeared in the American television drama, South of Nowhere.
In 2012, Ang features in the MTV series Underemployed as an aspiring writer who has to settle for working at a donut shop.
In 2015, Ang starred in the web series ' as Alex, a passenger caught on a flight at the beginning of the zombie apocalypse, and went on to join the main cast in the main series Fear the Walking Dead.

Influences

Ang has named The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle as the book that has most influenced her.

Recognition

Ang was nominated for a Logie at the Australian television awards, for most popular new female talent for her role in Neighbours.
Ang was one of the compères for the 2005 Chinese New Year Festival in Wellington, held on Saturday 5 February.
Ang received an Emmy nomination for her work on .

Personal life

Ang welcomed her first child, a son called Koda, with her partner Alex in November 2016.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations