Tamlyn Tomita

Tamlyn Naomi Tomita (born January 27, 1966) is a Japanese-American actress and singer. She made her screen debut in a leading role in The Karate Kid Part II(1986), and later was leading and supporting roles in films Come See the Paradise (1990), The Joy Luck Club (1993), Picture Bride (1994), Four Rooms(1995), Robot Stories (2003), The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and Gaijin 2: Love Me as I Am (2005).
Tomita also has played several recurring roles on television series, include 24, Glee, Teen Wolf and How to Get Away with Murder. She starred on the Epixdrama series Berlin Station (2016), and in 2017 began starring in the ABC medical drama The Good Doctor.
== Early life ==
Tomita was born in Okinawa, the daughter of Shiro and Asako Tomita. Her father was a Japanese-American who was interned at Manzanar, California, during part of World War II, then later became a Los Angeles police officer, rising to the rank of sergeant and helping to form the first Asian Task force in that Department.[1] Her father died of cancer in 1990. Tomita graduated from Granada Hills High School in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.[2][not in citation given]
Before becoming an actress, Tomita won the title of Queen at the Nisei WeekPageant in Los Angeles in 1984,[3] and Miss Nikkei International in 1985. In 1987, Tomita made her Japanese singing debut on the label Polydor. She released a single and an album.[4]
== Career ==
=== Film ===
In 1984, Tomita got her big break by traveling as Queen of Nisei Week to Hawaii, where she was selected as part of a casting call by director John G. Avildsen to make her acting debut in The Karate Kid Part II.[5][6] She later had major roles in a number of independent movies. Her biggest role was in the 1990 drama film Come See the Paradise.[6][7] In 1993, she co-starred opposite Ming-Na Wen in the ensemble cast drama The Joy Luck Club[6] and the next year she had a role in the 1994 independent film Picture Bride. In 1995 Tomita appeared alongside Antonio Banderas in the Robert Rodriguez-directed segment of the vignetteanthology comedy Four Rooms.[8]
In the 21st Century, Tomita has had roles in other independent films and co-starred in several major Hollywood productions, including playing Janet Tokada in The Day After Tomorrow. In 2005, she starred in the Brazilian drama film Gaijin 2: Love Me as I Am and also had leading roles in the independent films Robot Stories in 2003 and Only the Brave in 2006. Tomita also appeared in The Eye and Tekken.
=== Television ===
Tomita appeared as a character named Ming Li on the NBC daytime soap opera Santa Barbara from May to September 1988.[2][9] In 2008, she made her return to daytime soaps with recurring role on the ABC's General Hospital.[10] In 2012 she had another recurring role on NBC's Days of Our Lives.
From 1996 to 1997, Tomita was regular cast member in the short-lived UPN drama series, The Burning Zone as well as the pilot movie for Babylon 5. During her career she guest starred on Seven Days, Quantum Leap, Living Single, Murder, She Wrote, Chicago Hope, Will & Grace, Nash Bridges, The Shield, Strong Medicine, Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, The Mentalist, Private Practice, True Blood, Zoo, Tour of Duty, and many other dramas and comedies. She had recurring roles on Crossing Jordan, JAG, 24, Eureka, Heroes, Law & Order: Los Angeles, Glee, Teen Wolf, Resurrection, How to Get Away with Murder, and Chasing Life.
In 2016, Tomita played a series regular role on the Epix drama series Berlin Station. The following year she began starring as a series regular on the ABC medical drama The Good Doctor.[11]
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1986	The Karate Kid Part II 	Kumiko 	
1987	Hawaiian Dream 	Karren Saito 	
1990	Vietnam, Texas 	Lan 	
1990	Come See the Paradise 	Lily Yuriko Kawamura / McGann	
1993	The Joy Luck Club 	Waverly 	
1994	Picture Bride 	Kana 	
1994	Notes on a Scale 	 	
1995	Four Rooms 	Wife 	Segment "The Misbehavers"
1995	Requiem 	Fong 	Short film
1997	The Killing Jar 	Diane Sanford 	
1997	Touch 	Prosecutor 	
1998	Hundred Percent 	Thaise 	
1998	Soundman 	Butch's Wife 	
1998	Living Out Loud 	Bob's Wife 	
1999	Life Tastes Good 	Julie Sado 	
2000	Betty Anderson 	Detective Miyamoto 	Short film
2003	Robot Stories 	Marcia 	
2003	Day of Independence 	Choir Member 	Short film
2004	The Perfect Party 	Mom 	
2004	The Day After Tomorrow 	Janet Tokada 	
2005	Gaijin 2: Love Me as I Am	Maria Yamashita Salinas 	
2005	True Love & Minosa Tea 	Rebecca Nakasone 	Short film
2006	Only the Brave 	Mary Takata 	
2006	Peace 	Sandy Sakai 	Short film
2007	Pandemic 	Melissa Lo 	Short film
2008	The Eye 	Mrs. Cheung 	
2008	Finding Madison 	Beth 	
2009	Why Am I Doing This? 	Donna 	
2009	Tekken 	Jun Kazama 	
2010	The Mikado Project 	Viola 	
2010	Nómadas 	 	
2010	Starlight Inn 	Grace Kim 	Short film
2011	The Charles Kim Show 	Herself 	Short film
2012	White Room: 02B3 	Five 	Short film
2014	Awesome Asian Bad Guys 	Tamlyn / Pamlyn (2013) 	
2014	Teacher of the Year 	Vivian Lew 	
2014	Operation Marriage 	Lee 	Short film
2015	Daddy 	Sharlene Hong 	
2016	The Good Neighbor 	Heather Cromwell 	
2016	The Unbidden 	Lauren Lee 	
2016	Seppuku 	Linda 	Short film
2017	Real Artists 	Anne Palladon 	Short film
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1987 	Tour of Duty 	VC Peasant Woman 	Episode: "Sitting Ducks"
1987–1988 	Santa Barbara 	Lily Murakami, Ming Li 	31 episodes
1988 	Hiroshima Maiden 	Miyeko Matsuda 	Television film
1988 	To Heal a Nation 	Maya Ying Lin 	Television film
1989 	The Karate Kid 	Additional Characters (voices) 	Episode: "My Brother's Keeper"
1990 	Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes 	Sally 	Television film
1992 	Quantum Leap 	Tamlyn Matsuda 	Episode: "Temptation Eyes - February 1, 1987"
1992 	Raven 	Kim Tanaka 	Episode: "Return of the Black Dragon"
1993 	Babylon 5: The Gathering 	Lt. Cmdr. Laurel Takashima 	Television film
1994 	Time Trax 	Toshi 	Episode: "Return of the Yakuza"
1994 	Vanishing Son II 	Lanchi 	Television film
1994 	One West Waikiki 	Taylor Chun 	Episode: "'Til Death Do Us Part"
1994 	Highlander: The Series 	Midori Koto 	Episode: "The Samurai"
1994 	Living Single 	Mary 	Episode: "Bristle While You Work"
1994 	Vanishing Son IV 	Lanchi 	Television film
1994 	Murder, She Wrote 	Det. Sharon Matsumoto 	Episode: "Death in Hawaii"
1995 	Vanishing Son 	Lan Chi 	Episode: "Single Flame"
1995 	Sisters 	Kiri Adams 	Episodes: "For Everything a Season: Part 1", "Renaissance Woman"
1996 	Chicago Hope 	Tina - Sutton's Ex #3 	Episode: "Ex Marks the Spot"
1996–1997 	The Burning Zone 	Dr. Kimberly Shiroma 	Episodes: "Pilot", "The Silent Tower", "St. Michael's Nightmare", "Arms of Fire", "Night Flight", "Lethal Injection", "Touch of the Dead", "Hall of the Serpents", "Blood Covenant", "Faces in the Night", "Midnight of the Carrier"
1997 	The Sentinel 	Suzane Tomaki 	Episode: "Smart Alec"
1997 	Raven: Return of the Black Dragons 	Kim Tanaka 	Television film
1998 	Chicago Hope 	Jennifer Watanabe 	Episode: "McNeil and Pray"
1999 	Seven Days 	Michelle 	Episode: "Walter"
1999 	Will & Grace 	Naomi 	Episode: "I Never Promised You an Olive Garden"
1999 	The Last Man on Planet Earth 	Agent Kara Hastings 	Television film
2000 	Runaway Virus 	Monique Chao 	Television film
2000 	Nash Bridges 	Amy Chin 	Episodes: "Man Hunt", "Blow Out"
2000 	The Michael Richards Show 	Ming 	Episode: "USA Toy"
2001 	Destiny 	 	Television film
2001 	FreakyLinks 	Emma Reed 	Episode: "Subject: The Final Word"
2001 	Walking Shadow 	Rikki Wu 	Television film
2001 	Providence 	Mary Cassidy 	Episode: "Civil Unrest"
2001 	Crossing Jordan 	Dr. Grace Yakura 	Episodes: "The Dawn of a New Day", "You Can't Go Home Again", "Digger, Part 1"
2002 	The Shield 	Wanda Higoshi 	Episode: "Pilot"
2002 	For the People 	Dr. Chaney 	Episode: "Come Blow Your Whistle"
2002–2003 	JAG 	Lt. Cmdr. Tracy Manetti 	Episodes: "Dangerous Game", "Offensive Action", "Ready or Not", "When the Bough Breaks", "The Killer", "Second Acts", "Ice Queen"
2002–2003 	24 	Jenny Dodge 	Episodes: "Day 2: 8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m.", "Day 2: 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.", "Day 2: 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.", "Day 2: 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.", "Day 2: 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m."
2003 	The Agency 	Elizabeth—Female Kidnapper 	Episodes: "Our Man in Korea", "Our Man in Washington"
2003 	Threat Matrix 	Special Agent Nicole Hill 	Episode: "Under the Gun"
2004 	Strong Medicine 	Dr. Nash 	Episode: "Goodbye/Rest in Peace"
2004–2005 	North Shore 	Xiao 	Episodes: "Illusions", "The End"
2005 	Jane Doe: Now You See It, Now You Don't	Helen Morrison 	Television film
2006 	Commander in Chief 	Randy 	Episode: "No Nukes Is Good Nukes"
2006 	Stargate SG-1 	Shen Xiaoyi 	Episodes: "The Scourge", "Crusade"
2006, 2008 	Stargate Atlantis 	Shen Xiaoyi 	Episodes: "No Man's Land", "Remnants"
2006–2007, 2009	Eureka 	Kim Anderson 	Episodes: "Before I Forget", "Once in a Lifetime", "Phoenix Rising", "Ship Happens", "Shower the People"
2007 	Women's Murder Club 	Sachiko Johannes 	Episode: "Maybe Baby"
2007–2008, 2010	Heroes 	Ishi Nakamura 	Episodes: "Chapter Nine: Cautionary Tales", "Chapter Twelve: Our Father", "Chapter Fifteen: Pass/Fail"
2008–2009 	General Hospital 	Giselle 	6 episodes
2008 	Saving Grace 	Tori Chen 	Episode: "Have a Seat, Earl"
2008 	Twenty Good Years 	 	Episode: "Come Fly with Me"
2008 	Two Sisters 	Shakti 	Television film
2009 	Monk 	Eileen Hill 	Episode: "Mr. Monk Fights City Hall"
2009 	The Mentalist 	Lauri Medina 	Episode: "Bloodshot"
2009 	Criminal Minds 	Dr. Linda Kimura 	Episode: "Amplification"
2009 	CSI: Miami 	Dr. Sarah Fordham 	Episode: "Seeing Red"
2009 	Private Practice 	Katie's Lawyer 	Episode: "Strange Bedfellows"
2010 	Memphis Beat 	Noreen Drake 	Episode: "I Want to Be Free"
2010–2011 	Law & Order: LA 	Miwako Nishizawa 	Episodes: "Hondo Field", "Bailona Creek", "Playa Vista", "Silver Lake", "Runyon Canyon", "Hayden Tract", "Big Rock Mesa", "Angel's Knoll", "Plummer Park", "Cathay Circle"
2011 	The Chicago Code 	Prosecutor 	Episode: "Bathhouse & Hinky Dink"
2011 	The Protector 	Katrina 	Episode: "Bangs"
2012 	Days of Our Lives 	Dr. Ellen Yu 	6 episodes
2012 	Make It or Break It 	Dr. Lim 	Episode: "Listen to the Universe"
2012 	Touch 	Kazuko Osugi 	Episode: "Gyre, Part 1"
2012 	Hollywood Heights 	Sarah Medeiros 	Episodes: "Jetsetter", "Fresno"
2013 	Bones 	Dr. Alice Crawford 	Episode: "The Doll in the Derby"
2013 	True Blood 	Ms. Suzuki 	Episodes: "Who Are You, Really?", "Dead Meat"
2014–2017 	Teen Wolf 	Noshiko Yukimura 	Episodes: "Galvanize", "Riddled", "Letharia Vulpina", "The Fox and the Wolf", "De-Void", "Insatiable", "The Divine Move", "Muted", "Time of Death", "Smoke and Mirrors", "Creatures of the Night", "Strange Frequencies", Ouroboros", "Damnatio Memoriae", "Codominance", "Ghosted"
2014 	Resurrection 	Dr. Toni Willis 	Episodes: "The Returned", "Unearth", "Home", "Torn Apart", "Revelation"
2014–2015 	How to Get Away with Murder 	Judge Carol Marrow 	Episodes: "He Deserved to Die", "Hello Rasholnikov"
2014 	NCIS: Los Angeles 	Homeland Security Agent Shana Rollins	Episode: "Leipei"
2015 	Chasing Life 	Dr. Mae Lin 	Episodes: "Life, Actually", "No News is Bad News", "One Day", "The Last W", "Bottle of Secrets"
2015 	Zoo 	Minako Oz 	Episode: "The Silence of the Cicadas"
2016 	Berlin Station 	Sandra Abe 	Episodes: "Station to Station", "Lights Don't Run on Loyalty", "Riverrun Dry", "By Way of Deception", "Until Druck", "Just Decisions", "Proof of Life", "False Negative", "Thomas Shaw", "Oratorio Berlin"
2017–present 	The Good Doctor 	Allegra Aoki 	Main cast
2018 	The Man in the High Castle 	Tamiko Watanabe 	Episodes: "Imagine Manchuria", "Sensõ Kõi", "Sabra", "Kasumi (Through the Mists)", "Baku"