Marcus Chong

Marcus Chong (né Wyatt;[1] July 8, 1967)[2] is an American actor. He is known for playing Huey P. Newton in Panther (1995), directed by Mario Van Peebles, Tank in The Matrix (1999), directed by The Wachowskis, and Miguel Mendez in Street Justice (1991-1993).

Early life

Chong was born Marcus Wyatt in Seattle, Washington, to an African-American father and a Chinese-American mother. His biological father, Martin Wyatt, was a sports reporter in San Francisco for KGO-TV.[3] He was adopted by Tommy Chong and Shelby Chong in 1978.[4][5]

Career

Chong began acting at age nine. His first role was portraying the young Frankie Warner in the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generations (1979). Wyatt was a guest star in Little House on the Prairie, in "Blind Journey" part 2.[6]

Chong originated the role of student Lee Cortez in the Broadway production of Stand-Up Tragedy,[2] written by Bill Cain which opened at the Criterion Center Stage Right and closed in October 1990 after 13 performances.[7] The short-lived role nevertheless earned him a 1991 Theatre World Award; he was also nominated Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play.

In the early 1990s, Chong played the recurring character Miguel Mendez on the TV show Street Justice. He later appeared in the Vanishing Son action series as Fu Qua Johnson.

In 1999, Chong appeared as Tank in The Matrix. In May 2003, Chong filed a lawsuit at Los Angeles County Superior Court against Warner Bros and AOL Time Warner, saying Warner was in breach of a 1998 verbal agreement, and a 2000 contract to continue the character of Tank in the film's two sequels.[8] It was reported that a breakdown in talks caused by his salary demands and threatening phone calls prompted The Wachowskis to write Chong's character out of the second and third films in the series.[8]

In 2001, Chong appeared in Season 3 of the TV series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit ("Inheritance").

In 2010 he had a role in season 4 of Burn Notice.[9]

The documentary "The Marcus Chong Story" by Marcus Chong was released in 2018.

The Kill Off, a book written by Chong, was published 2019.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1980The Reference SectionLeadShort film
1980Cheech & Chong's Next MovieJohnny
1980Blood Beach2nd Kid
1988Evil AltarTroy Long
1990The Knife and Gun ClubGeorgeTelevision film
1991Flight of Black AngelDragonflyTelevision film
1992Venice/VeniceGuest at Party
1992American HeartTerry Cosmos
1994Vanishing SonFu Qua JohnsonTelevision film
1994Vanishing Son IIFu Qua JohnsonTelevision film
1994Vanishing Son IVFu Qua JohnsonTelevision film
1995PantherHuey Newton
1996Pure DangerFreethrowDirect-to-video
1997The Uncontrollable ProfessorChucky
1997Fatal FightKevin
1998High FreakquencyJordan Barnes
1999The MatrixTank
2005The Crow: Wicked PrayerWar
2009Concrete RiverBaseShort film
2013Son ShineDarrell BrownShort film
2013Not 4 SaleHarry BelafonteShort film; also associate producer

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1978Little House on the PrairieSamsonEpisode: "Blind Journey: Part 2"
1979Roots: The Next GenerationsFrankie Warner2 episodes
1979The Lazarus SyndromeJerryEpisode: "Peace and Love, Willie Jackson"
1979DallasJimmy MonroeEpisode: "The Heiress"
1982The Facts of LifeYoung BoyEpisode: "Starstruck"
1989Hard Time on Planet EarthTimEpisode: "The Way Home"
1989DragnetBilly RobertsEpisode: "The Connection"
1991–1993Street JusticeMiguel Mendez24 episodes
1995Chicago HopeRamsey ColemanEpisode: "A Coupla Stiffs"
2000Linc'sKenEpisode: "People Like Us"
2001Law & Order: Special Victims UnitDarrell GuanEpisode: "Inheritance"
2002Law & Order: Criminal IntentJohn "Johnny" WestEpisode: "Seizure"
2009Numb3rsJonesEpisode: "Ultimatum"
2010Burn NoticeCalebEpisode: "Brotherly Love"

References

  1. "Marcus Chong Biography on filmreference.com". Retrieved 2007-05-28.
  2. "Marcus Chong - Performer". The Broadway League.
  3. DAN RALEY, "Where Are They Now? Martin Wyatt, former Huskies running back", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 30 January 2007, accessed 8 December 2013
  4. "This Actor's Dad Is A Famous Actor Too & He Reveals Why Warner Bros. Producers Had Him Arrested". I Love Old School Music. 2018-04-26. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  5. "Marcus Chong Biography (1967-)". www.filmreference.com. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  6. "Little House on the Prairie Season 5 Episode 13". TV.com.
  7. "Stand-Up Tragedy". The Broadway League.
  8. "Matrix's 'Tank' sues makers over replacement". The Guardian. 20 May 2003.
  9. Burn Notice: Season 4, Episode 15: Brotherly Love at IMDb
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