Michelle Ang

Michelle Ang (born 17 October 1983) is an award-winning actor, director and producer, working primarily in film and television.

Born in New Zealand, she became a child star on national television, before garnering international attention through varied TV and film performances.

On the small screen, these have included starring roles as Omega in Lucasfilm's Star Wars: The Bad Batch, as Lori Lee in long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours, and as Alex in Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462. She received an Emmy Awards nomination in 2016 for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series.

At the cinema, Ang has had leading and supporting roles in a range of dramas and comedies. She was awarded Best Lead Actress in a Feature Film at the 2011 New Zealand Film & Television Awards, for her performance as Emily in My Wedding and Other Secrets. As a supporting cast member in Hollywood productions, she has performed alongside actors such as Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet, Martin Lawrence, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Gal Gadot and Aaron Paul. She has worked for directors such as Steven Soderbergh, Jodie Foster and Jane Campion.

In recent years, Ang's work has broadened into directing and producing. She is a member of the Directors and Editors Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand (DEGANZ). She nurtures young talent in her industry, as a guest mentor for the charitable filmmaking project Day One, based in Auckland. Ang also runs her own media production company called A Grain Of Rice.

Early life and education

Ang was born in Christchurch and is of Malaysian Chinese descent.

As a child, she was a dancer and performed with the Royal New Zealand Ballet in productions of The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet.

As a university student, she completed studies at Victoria University of Wellington for a double degree: a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration (B.C.A.) in Accounting with Commercial Law and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry.

Career

Television

Ang got her start in television at a young age through the family series Young Entertainers. Here, she got to show her skills at singing and dancing, much like The Mickey Mouse Club show on US television. She played Tai-San in the New Zealand post-apocalyptic drama The Tribe as part of the core cast from 1999 to 2001, and featured in the final episodes of the 2002 series. Ang also guest starred in the final 2 episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess as Akemi.

She played Lori Lee in the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, in which she was a major character from 2002 to 2003. She left Neighbours to finish her university studies but returned briefly in 2004. Ang was nominated for a Logie Award for Most Popular New Female Talent for her role in Neighbours. She played the role of Tracy Hong in the first two seasons of the New Zealand TV series Outrageous Fortune in 2005 and 2006. In 2007, Ang appeared in the American television drama South of Nowhere.

In 2012, Ang featured in the MTV series Underemployed as an aspiring writer who has to settle for working at a donut shop.

In 2015, Ang starred in the web series Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462 as Alex, a passenger caught on a flight at the beginning of the zombie apocalypse, and went on to appear in the main series Fear the Walking Dead. Ang received an Emmy nomination for her work on Flight 462. In 2020, she had a recurring role on The New Legends of Monkey.

In 2021, Ang starred in the Disney original animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch as Omega, a mysterious female clone of Jango Fett. She was invited to keep her native New Zealand accent for the role in homage to fellow New Zealander Temuera Morrison, who portrayed Jango Fett in the franchise.

In 2023, Ang starred as Melissa Wu in comedy series Homebound 3.0. Screened in New Zealand on Warner Bros. Discovery channel Three, the series is also available internationally via the BBC. In 2024, it was renewed for a second season, to be broadcast in 2025.

Film

Ang made her feature film debut in 2004's Futile Attraction. Ang had also appeared in a series of low-budget New Zealand short films including Forbidden Fury and Take 3. In 2006 she appeared in No.2, directed by Toa Fraser.

In 2011 Ang portrayed a nerdy Chinese New Zealander in the romantic comedy My Wedding and Other Secrets, her first lead role in a feature. It won her the Best Lead Actress in a Feature Film Award at the 2011 New Zealand Aotearoa Film & Television Awards.

Her other film credits include Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son and Triple 9.

Prior to her role in The Bad Batch, Ang had auditioned for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. As a child, she had also auditioned for the Cho Chang role in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.