Christopher Chung (actor)
Christopher Chung | |
|---|---|
| Born | Christopher Patrick Chung 13 July 1988 |
| Occupations | Actor, singer and personal trainer |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Spouse | Frances Mayli McCann |
Christopher Patrick Chung (born 13 July 1988) is an Australian actor, singer and personal trainer. He is best known for playing Roddy Ho in the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses, which earned him a nomination for the 2025 British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also stars in the 2026 TV adaptation of My Brilliant Career on Netflix.
Early life and education
[edit]Christopher Patrick Chung[1] was born on 13 July 1988[2] to an Irish mother from Limerick and a Malaysian Chinese father. His parents met at a party while studying in London in the 1970s.[3][4] Chung grew up in Mornington[3] and Mount Eliza, suburbs of Melbourne located on the Mornington Peninsula.[5]
He attended Padua College, graduating in 2006.[6][7] At his school, there were only a handful of children of Chinese heritage.[3]
Chung was part of the local amateur dramatic group, auditioned for musical competitions including Australian Idol and The X Factor, and attended workshops at St Martin's Youth Theatre. Through St. Martin’s, he was invited to the Ward Acting Studio in New York for a six-month intensive course. At the time, he was working in retail after having dropped out of college.[8]
Chung also completed an acting course in Philadelphia, before moving to London, UK in 2012.[3]
Career
[edit]In 2011, Chung appeared in one episode of the Australian soap opera Neighbours.[9] Six months after moving to London, he was cast in his first UK television role as Archie Wong in BBC’s Waterloo Road.[3][10][11] He also performed on stage, playing Kurt in Heathers: The Musical at West End theatre and Paris in Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare’s Globe.[3][12]
After theatres closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chung briefly contemplated taking a break from acting. Shortly after, he was cast in his breakout role as Roddy Ho in the British spy drama series Slow Horses on Apple TV+ (2022–present).[3]
In 2024, Chung starred in Steve McQueen's wartime drama film Blitz.[13] In 2025, he was cast as Cassio in Doctor Who season 2, with Ncuti Gatwa playing the doctor.[14]
He plays leading role Harry Beecham, opposite Philippa Northeast's Sybylla, in the Netflix historical drama series My Brilliant Career (2026), based on Miles Franklin's 1901 novel of the same name. Filmed in South Australia,[13] the series premiered on 13 August 2026. Beecham's role was not written as a Chinese Australian, but the series creator, Liz Doran, wanted to explore the complex history of early Chinese settlers in Australia.[15]
Recognition and awards
[edit]For his role in Slow Horses, Chung was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in the 2025 BAFTAs,[16] and became the third male actor of East Asian descent to be nominated.[3]
Personal life
[edit]Chung met Scottish actress Frances Mayli McCann in 2014 while auditioning for a Miss Saigon remake.[17][18] The couple got engaged in 2016[18] and were married—first in a traditional Chinese ceremony in Melbourne in 2020,[19] and then in a western-style wedding in Glasgow, Scotland in 2021.[20][21] They live in London.[18][22]
Endorsements and other ventures
[edit]Chung works as a personal trainer at the Fred’s Gym in North Hampstead, London.[12][23] In an interview with The Observer, he said that he’s “hesitant to give up the profession because it keeps him grounded.”[22]
Filmography
[edit] | This section needs more citations. (June 2025) |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Australian Idol | Contestant | Season 4, Top 100 |
| 2009 | Memoirs of an Alien | Kindel | BBC pilot, never aired |
| 2011 | Neighbours | Clay Lambert | 1 episode |
| 2013–2014 | Waterloo Road | Archie Wong | Season 9, 12 episodes |
| 2020 | Doctors | Choi Minjun | 1 episode |
| 2022–present | Slow Horses | Roddy Ho | 30 episodes |
| 2025 | Doctor Who | Cassio | 1 episode[24] |
| 2026 | Dragon Striker | Additional voices | 1 episode |
| My Brilliant Career | Harry Beecham | 6 episodes |
Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Six Men's Health | Alex | [25] |
| 2010 | I'll Meet You in New York | Male | Short film[26] |
| Paranoia | Chan | [25] | |
| 2014 | Night Bus | Chris | |
| 2019 | Secret Santa | Glen | Short film |
| 2022 | Bus Girl | Mr Beau | Short film |
| 2023 | Gods of Their Own Religion | C2 | |
| 2024 | Blitz | Fred | [13] |
| TBA | Sandwich Man | Short film Post-production |
Theatre
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The King & I | Prince Chulalongkorn | Panorama Theatre Group[25] |
| 2004 | Fame | Lead vocalist | Panorama Theatre Group[25] |
| 2005 | Grease | Roger | Panorama Theatre Group[9] |
| 2009 | Seasons of Excellence | Dr Jekyll / Mr Hyde | VCE[clarification needed][25] |
| 2011 | I Wish You a Boat/Almost Home | Various | Ward Studio Company (Philadelphia)[25] |
| 2018 | Heathers: The Musical | Kurt Kelly | The Other Palace & Theatre Royal Haymarket[25] |
| Romeo and Juliet | Paris | Globe Theatre |
TV commercials
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | It's Your Future Initiative | Spokesman | Producer Australian Government |
| 2010–2011 | Sky Movies HD | Geek | Director Fredrik Bond |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Filme und Sendungen mit Christopher Chung – Apple TV". Apple TV (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 11 November 2025.
- ↑ "Christopher Patrick's Instagram post: "30 cupcakes for turning 30 from my dear friend @sweetthingscakery..."". Instagram.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ferguson, Donna (19 September 2025). "'Directors would be like – this is the Asian part': Slow Horses' Christopher Chung on battling to become a leading man". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- ↑ Yossman, KJ (2 December 2022). "'Slow Horses' Star Christopher Chung Teases Season 2, Future Projects". Variety. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ↑ Jhoty, Ben (17 May 2022). "Chris Chung Is Ready To Redefine The Aussie Movie Star". Men's Health. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ↑ Padua College Alumni. "Congratulations Christopher (class of 2006)". Facebook. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- ↑ Telfer, Brendon (8 August 2026). "Your Peninsula Radio". RPP FM - Your Peninsula Radio. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- ↑ Bunbury, Stephanie (14 December 2022). "How this Australian actor went from uni dropout to dream TV". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- 1 2 "Christopher Chung Profile". The Mandy Network. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- ↑ "Waterloo Road Series 9 Episode 1". BBC. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- ↑ "Check Out Our New Pupils & Teachers For Series 9". Shed Media Scotland Ltd. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- 1 2 Landler, Mark (24 September 2025). "He May Be a 'Slow Horse,' but He's in Peak Condition". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- 1 2 3 Marsh, Walter (19 June 2025). "Netflix greenlights locally made My Brilliant Career series". InDaily. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ↑ "Christopher Chung joins Doctor Who Season 2 for 'one hell of a meeting'". 21 February 2025.
- ↑ Marsh, Walter (13 August 2026). "From Slow Horses to Outback thirst trap: Christopher Chung's brilliant career". InDaily. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- ↑ "Bafta TV Awards 2025: The list of nominations". BBC News. 27 March 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- ↑ Azwar, Rahemma (19 September 2025). ""You have to say no to things to get where you want to be": Actor Christopher Chung's wild ride". GQ.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 1 2 3 "Meet Slow Horses star Chris Chung's West End leading lady wife Frances Mayli McCann". HELLO!. 24 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ Frances Mayli McCann (11 January 2020). "My big fat Chinese wedding🎎". Retrieved 21 February 2023 – via Instagram.
- ↑ Frances Mayli McCann (23 September 2021). "Mr and Mrs Chung". Retrieved 21 February 2023 – via Instagram.
- ↑ Asal (10 September 2024). "Christopher Chung And His Wife, Frances, Had Two Weddings". ComicBookSci-Fi. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- 1 2 Daly, Miles Ellingham, Brian. "Chris Chung interview: 'People are astounded I'm not obno..." The Observer. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Daly, Miles Ellingham, Brian. "Chris Chung interview: 'People are astounded I'm not obno..." The Observer. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ "Doctor Who season 2 - Christopher Chung joins the Whoniverse". BBC. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Christopher Chung: Actor". New Faces Talent. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- ↑ "I'll Meet You in New York". saumitramathur.com. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
External links
[edit]- Christopher Chung at IMDb
- Carraro, Valentina (12 August 2026). "Interview with Christopher Chung: Out of Line" (text + photos). The Italian Rêve.
- Living people
- 1988 births
- 21st-century Australian male actors
- Australian expatriate male actors in the United Kingdom
- Australian people of Chinese descent
- Australian people of Irish descent
- Australian people of Malaysian descent
- Male actors from Melbourne
- People educated at Padua College (Melbourne)
- People from Mount Eliza, Victoria