Tamlyn Tomita

Actress[49]

What is Tamlyn Tomita known for?

Tamlyn Naomi Tomita, a Japanese-American actress, was born on January 27, 1966, in Okinawa City, while it was under the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands. Her parents met in Okinawa during the years between the Korean and Vietnam Wars. After the wars, her father, a Japanese-American military man, and her mother, a woman of Okinawan Japanese and Filipino descent, moved to Los Angeles, where her father joined the LAPD. Tamlyn Tomita eventually attended Granada Hills High School before moving on to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Initially planning to become a history teacher, she got crowned as the queen of the Nisei Week pageant during her junior year at UCLA, which sparked her interest in acting.

Embracing her newfound passion, Tamlyn made her screen debut in 1986 in 'The Karate Kid Part II' as Kumiko, a role she reprised later in the streaming TV series 'Cobra Kai' in 2021. Besides her breakout role, Tomita garnered recognition for her portrayal of Waverly in 'The Joy Luck Club' (1993). Her body of work embraced a mix of independent movies and Hollywood productions in films like 'Come See the Paradise' (1990), 'Picture Bride' (1994), 'Four Rooms' (1995), 'Robot Stories' (2003), 'The Day After Tomorrow' (2004), and 'Gaijin 2: Love Me as I Am' (2005).

In addition to her film career, Tamlyn Tomita has also made her mark on television. She had recurring roles in prominent TV shows such as '24', 'Glee', 'Teen Wolf', and 'How to Get Away with Murder'. In 2016, Tomita starred in the Epix drama series 'Berlin Station'. A year later, she began playing a leading role in the ABC medical drama 'The Good Doctor'. By 2020, Tomita had landed a recurring role in 'Star Trek: Picard'.

Further resources:
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
The Good Doctor - ABC
Star Trek: Picard - CBS
Cobra Kai - Netflix