Garrett Wang

Starbase Indy is proud to annouce that Garrett Wang will be at this year's convention!!

Garrett was Ops/Communication Officer Harry Kim on Star Trek: Voyager. A graduate of Starfleet Academy, Harry boarded the Starship U.S.S. Voyager after a stellar academic career, embracing the challenges of space exploration as the crew traveled through the unknown region of space known as the Delta Quadrant.

Wang was a natural for the role of Ensign Kim, mirroring everything the character was about: a young man fresh from his training, bright and talented but wet behind the ears and a bit unsure of himself. Likewise, Garrett was a novice to the TV world, having only one credit besides his stage experience before Star Trek: Voyager, but his innate gifts, dedication and easy-going charm quickly established him as a force to reckoned with.

Besides holding his own among a very talented ensemble cast, he proved his chops as a leading man in such moving and powerful episodes as "Non Sequitur," "The Disease," "Nightingale," and what many consider to be the best Voyager episode ever, "Timeless."

If Garrett differs from his character in any major way, it's that he's far less serious and glum than Harry. Anyone who has worked with Garrett on the set or seen him at a convention can attest to his endearing and enduring sense of playfulness. "I've always been a person that's entertained people, whether it be friends or my parents," he said in a 2000 chat. "They'd come over to our house, and I would do impersonations and accents and what-not, just to make them laugh. I've often told people that I'd probably be happy being a lounge singer in Las Vegas, as long as I'm entertaining."

Just ask him to do an impression of any of his castmates. "Chaotica, where are you? I am the Spider Queen," he'll say in a squeaky voice. But he doesn't stop there. Once at a Congressional Asian Conference event, he had an opportunity to take that mischievousness to the highest levels. While former president Bill Clinton was giving a long speech to the conference, "I worked with the Secret Service backstage on getting the voice just right," Garrett recounted. "When I joined him I asked if I could imitate him, so I said a few sentences. As I did it, Clinton began turning red and said 'Well, that's pretty good, thank you!'"

Maybe the ex-prez can pull a few strings and finally get poor Ensign Kim a promotion!

Background

Born in Riverside, California to Chinese immigrant parents, Wang spent his formative years on the move. He lived in Indiana, Bermuda and Tennessee. He moved to Los Angeles and attended UCLA where he majored in Asian Studies and dabbled in theater. He credits UCLA theater professor Jenny Roudtree as a key influence in his development as an actor. "Jenny was responsible for my first breakthrough," he explains. "She inspired me to go beyond the status quo."

Wang, in his first performance outside of college, garnered unprecedented critical acclaim for his portrayal of John Lee in the lead of Chay Yew's "Porcelain" at Burbage Theater. Despite a busy schedule, Garrett has continued to perform in various staged readings such as "Model Minority" for the Los Angeles Theater Center, "Woman Warrior" for the Mark Taper Forum and "A Language of Their Own" for the Intiman Theater.

Prior to joining the cast of Star Trek: Voyager, Garrett guest starred in the premiere episode of the ABC series All American Girl starring Margaret Cho. "I believe that I now have a huge responsibility in being one of a very small number of Asian Americans appearing on television regularly," Wang explains. "My goal now is to do the best job possible playing Harry Kim and to begin repaying my parents for the unaccountable financial support they have given me throughout the years."

Other Work

While Voyager was still in production and since it wrapped, Wang has acted in several independent feature films including "The Auteur Theory" with Armin Shimerman, and more recently "Demon Island." In 2005 he appeared in the Steven Spielberg-produced epic miniseries "Into the West."

In 1997, he was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" by People magazine. Additionally, E! Entertainment Television once selected Garrett as one of the "20 Coolest Bachelors" in the country.

Wang returned to the Trek realm by joining the cast of the independently-produced Internet webisode "Star Trek: Of Gods and Men" directed by Voyager castmate Tim Russ. But while Russ and other Trek stars reprised their familiar characters, Wang played a new role, once of a disposition completely opposite to Harry Kim. "Garrett does play a badass," Russ told fans at a convention. "He is really nasty in this thing." The first part of the three-part miniseries will be available as a free download starting Saturday, December 22, at 17:01 EST. Visit www.startrekofgodsandmen.com to watch.

Wang has also starred in another Russ production, a short film called "Deja'Vu" (no relation to the Denzel Washington feature), which you can get on DVD from www.bobandjimprojects.com.

He has recently been cast in an independent feature starring Anthony Montgomery titled "Why Am I Doing This?" about African- and Asian-Americans trying to make it in Hollywood. That is targeted for release in December 2009.

Biography provided by: StarTrek.com