Maurissa Tancharoen

Maurissa Tancharoen (/məˈrɪsə ˌtænəˈrn/; born November 28, 1975[1] in Los Angeles, California)[2] is an American television producer, writer, actress, singer, lyricist and dancer.

Maurissa Tancharoen
Tancharoen at the 2014 PaleyFest
Born
Maurissa Tancharoen

(1975-11-28) November 28, 1975
Other namesMaurissa Tancharoen Whedon
OccupationActress, television producer, television writer, singer, lyricist, dancer
Years active1988–present
Spouse(s)
(m. 2009)
Children1
RelativesKevin Tancharoen (brother)

Career

Tancharoen's first paid script came in 2001 when she sold Revolution Studios an untitled pitch in which two Asian American FBI agents investigate a gang in South Central Los Angeles by working undercover as Korean grocery store clerks.[3] Her production credits include working as assistant to producer Mark Tinker on NYPD Blue and to William M. Finkelstein on Brooklyn South, as well as being co-executive producer of the series DanceLife.[2]

As a writer and story editor Tancharoen has worked on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Starz series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, Drop Dead Diva, Dollhouse[4] and the short-lived sitcom Oliver Beene.[2] She also worked on Spartacus: Vengeance.[5]

In addition to writing, Tancharoen also played a brief acting role in Dollhouse as the active Kilo (like the other Los Angeles actives named from the NATO phonetic alphabet), and co-wrote and performed lyrics for "Remains" with Jed Whedon for the Dollhouse episode "Epitaph One". She co-wrote Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and appeared onscreen as Groupie #1, as well as on the DVD audio track "Commentary! The Musical", in which she sings about the scarcity of non-stereotyped roles in television and film for actors of Asian origin.[6] She appeared onscreen as a singer in Joss Whedon's 2011 adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing.,[7] provided Zelda's singing voice in the season 2 episode "The Musical" of The Legend of Neil, a spoof based on the video game The Legend of Zelda, and performed backing vocals and danced in the video for The Guild parody song "(Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar" released August 17, 2009.[8]

Tancharoen worked with Jed Whedon and Joss Whedon on The Avengers,[9][10] and was a showrunner and executive producer for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.[11]

Personal life

Tancharoen is Asian-American and has said that her surname is of Thai origin (ตันเจริญ).[12] She attended Occidental College, where she wrote two plays that won the Argonaut & Moore literary award.[3] Her father, Tommy Tancharoen, is a transportation coordinator for Hollywood movies. Her brother Kevin Tancharoen is a director, whose feature film debut is 2009's Fame. On April 19, 2009, she married fellow writer Jed Whedon, brother of Joss Whedon.[13] Their first child, daughter Benny Sue Whedon,[14] was born on March 5, 2015.

In her younger years, Tancharoen was a member of the girl band Pretty in Pink.[15] The band broke up before seeing major success and shortly after Tancharoen was diagnosed with lupus that required chemotherapy.[16]

Awards

In 2009, Tancharoen won a Streamy Award for Best Writing for a Comedy Web Series for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

Studio album

  • "Wake Up" (with Pretty In Pink) (Motown, 1991)[17]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1988 Moonwalker Dancer Segment: "Badder"
2003 Headache EKG Nurse Short
2005 I? Jessica Short
2008 Promotion Short
2012 Much Ado About Nothing Additional Cast
2014 Lust for Love Hazel

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2005 King of the Hill Yuppie Woman #1 (voice) Episode: "Mutual of Omabwah"
2008 Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Groupie #1 Episode: "Act III"
2009 The Legend of Neil Zelda (singing voice) Episode: "Les Neilérables"
2009 Floored and Lifted Mo Episode: "That's Fine"
2009–2010 Dollhouse Kilo Episodes: "The Public Eye", "Meet Jane Doe", "Epitaph Two: The Return"
2011 The Guild Alina Episodes: "Ends and Begins", "Revolving Doors", "Downturn"
2011, 2013 Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kana Episodes: "Scorpion & Sub Zero: Parts 1 & 2", "Liu Kang and Kung Lao Reunite in Macau"
2013 LearningTown Young Wand-A Episodes: "Princess", "Viral", "Storm"
2019 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Sequoia Episode: "Code Yellow"

Other work

Year Title Notes
1998–2000 NYPD Blue Assistant to Mark Tinker (31 episodes)
2003 Oliver Beene Staff writer (TV series)
2007 DanceLife Co-executive producer (TV series)
2008 Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Writer ("Act I-III")
2009 Drop Dead Diva Story editor (8 episodes), writer ("Crazy")
2009–2010 Dollhouse Story editor, writer (13 episodes)
2011 Spartacus: Gods of the Arena Co-producer (6 episodes), writer ("Missio")
2012 Spartacus: Vengeance Co-producer (5 episodes)
2013–2020 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Creator, executive producer, writer (17 episodes), showrunner (44 episodes)
2016 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot Executive producer (6 episodes)

Notes

  1. State of California. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Sacramento, California, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.
  2. Maurissa Tancharoen Archived 2014-11-29 at the Wayback Machine biographical information, DoctorHorrible.net. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  3. Charles Lyons. "Revolution catches FBI pitch", Daily Variety Gotham, June 11, 2001, page 6: " 'This is my first official gig as a screenwriter,' Tancharoen said. 'It's a break for me, and I am so grateful for the opportunity. Revolution is an amazing place to be.' "
  4. Mike Hale (August 2, 2008). "In Online Musical, the Mad Doctor Is In". The New York Times. p. 7 Arts. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  5. "Spartacus Gods Of The Arena Episode 3 Photo Preview". Cinemablend.com. 2011-01-29. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  6. Liz Shannon Miller. "Dr. Horrible DVD: Yes, it's worth your money," NewTeeVee.com, December 10, 2008.
  7. @MoTancharoen (August 17, 2009). "#1 on itunes! Wow. And yes ..." twitter.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011. #1 on itunes! Wow. And yes that's me dancing, and yes, I sing on the bg vocals. @theguild rocks! #datemyavatar video!!!
  8. "Joss Whedon Writes Thank You Letter to Fans for Years of Support, 'Avengers' Success". Hollywood Reporter. 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  9. Caroline van Oosten de Boer, Milo Vermeulen (2012-05-09). "The Purple - Purple prose". Whedonesque.com. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  10. Joss Whedon's S.H.I.E.L.D. Comes to ABC, SuperheroHype.com, retrieved August 29, 2012
  11. Exclusive: Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen Archived 2008-07-19 at the Wayback Machine (interview), DoctorHorrible.net, July 19, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-21. (includes audio)
  12. Official Dr. Horrible Twitter updates: Maurissa and Jed are getting married in less than 48 hours Maurissa Tancharoen Whedon
  13. https://www.instagram.com/p/BRSCt57l4fu/
  14. Sir, Elaine. "LA Natives You Ought To Know: Maurissa Tancharoen Whedon, Screenwriter". dailytruffle.com. The Daily Truffle. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
  15. Warrior Princess: Maurissa Tancharoen Whedon finds support through friends and family Archived 2014-09-03 at the Wayback Machine lupus.org. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  16. Jet Magazine, 1991
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