Celebrity Nooz: Rae Dawn Chong

Rae Dawn Chong (Actress) as Sarah Walker - Soul Man

Updated: 10/29/2006

Name: Rae Dawn Chong

Born: February 28, 1961 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Claim To Fame: This is a real hard one for me. She has been in so many different roles. She broke out and became popular in the 80's and early 90's. Her first film was 'Quest For Fire' but for me I think I'll always associate her with two movies. 'Soul Man' and 'Commando'

Family Life: C. Thomas Howell (July 1989 - 1990) (divorced)
Owen Baylis (1982 - ?) (divorced) 1 son

Father is Tommy Chong (of Cheech & Chong)

Info: She began her career on Canadian television in her preteen years. Her first major TV role was on the popular 1974 sitcom 'The Wiz Kid of Riverton.'

Trivia: Rae Dawn was going to play Willis's girlfriend on "Diff'rent Strokes" (1978), but producers thought that she wasn't ethnic looking enough and cast Janet Jackson instead.

She is Afro-Asian. Her mother is African-American/America Indian, and her father is Scottish-Irish/Chinese-Canadian.

Discovered Chris Pratt (who now stars on the WB's "Everwood" (2002)) while he was a waiter at a restaurant in Hawaii where she was eating dinner one evening.

Rae Dawn Chong is mentioned in the Alice In Chains song "Love Song" from their Sap EP.

MF Doom aka Viktor Vaughn, on the Vaudeville Villain album, composed a song entitled Rae dawn, at one point the lyrics read, " New drink, named it after Chong's daughter, triple shot of Yak with a chaser of bong water.

Where Are They Now: Still busy acting, Rae Dawn has a movie coming out early next year and was in a movie 'Max Havoc' this year. She also was in a couple of TV series the past few years.

In 2000 Rae Dawn tried her hand at directing, producing and writing in the movie "Cursed Part 3."

She is an active volunteer for many charities, she strongly supports Habitat for Humanity and Byron Katie's work with inmates in prisons.

Write To Rae Dawn Chong:
Rae Dawn Chong
c/o David Fox
Myman Abell Fineman Greenspan & Light LLP
11601 Wilshire Blvd Fl 22
Los Angeles, CA 90049

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