# Forrest Wheeler
**Forrest Wheeler** (韦智林; born 2004) is an American actor known for playing Emery Huang, the middle son of the Huang family, on the ABC sitcom *Fresh Off the Boat*, which ran for six seasons from 2015 to 2020[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5549251/bio/) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/fresh-off-the-boat/cast/1000061801/). Born in [Santa Monica, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-monica-california), he began acting classes at age seven and worked in commercials, voice-overs, and guest television roles before joining the sitcom at age 11[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5549251/bio/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2004, Santa Monica, California[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5549251/bio/) |
| Signature role | Emery Huang, middle brother on *Fresh Off the Boat* (ABC, 2015–2020, six seasons)[2](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/fresh-off-the-boat/cast/1000061801/) |
| Early roles | A Cambodian boy in *The Incredible Burt Wonderstone* (2013); young Kuai-Liang in *Mortal Kombat: Legacy II*; *Such Good People*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5549251/bio/) |
| Guest and voice work | *Community*, *New Girl*, *Chasing Life*; voice of Prince Jin in *Sofia the First* (2017)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5549251/bio/) • [3](https://www.nrmagazine.com/cinema/people/60839/forrest-wheeler) |
| Awards | Young Artist Award and Young Entertainer Award ensemble wins, 2016; Young Artist Awards leading-actor nominee, 2017[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5549251/awards/) • [3](https://www.nrmagazine.com/cinema/people/60839/forrest-wheeler) |
| Training | First acting class at age 7; black belt in karate; Xtreme Martial Arts[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5549251/bio/) • [5](https://www.justjaredjr.com/2015/09/29/meet-fresh-off-the-boats-forrest-wheeler-get-to-know-him-with-10-fun-facts/) |
| Languages | English, Cantonese, and Mandarin[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5549251/bio/) |
## Early life and training
Wheeler took his first acting class at the age of seven and, within a few years, was working in commercials, live performances, and voice-overs[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5549251/bio/). His first film role came in the 2013 comedy *The Incredible Burt Wonderstone*, as a Cambodian boy who is presented with a rabbit as a pet and takes it home to his family for dinner[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5549251/bio/). Guest parts followed on the television series *Community*, *New Girl*, and *Chasing Life*, and he played the young Kuai-Liang in the web series *Mortal Kombat: Legacy II*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5549251/bio/).
Alongside acting, he trained in martial arts, earning a black belt in karate and working toward one in Xtreme Martial Arts (XMA), a fusion of martial arts with gymnastics and dance; he has described winning seven first-place trophies at a single martial arts tournament in Orlando[5](https://www.justjaredjr.com/2015/09/29/meet-fresh-off-the-boats-forrest-wheeler-get-to-know-him-with-10-fun-facts/) • [6](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/forrest-wheeler-talks-fresh-boat-season-9371/). He is ambidextrous and speaks English, Cantonese, and Mandarin[5](https://www.justjaredjr.com/2015/09/29/meet-fresh-off-the-boats-forrest-wheeler-get-to-know-him-with-10-fun-facts/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5549251/bio/).
## Fresh Off the Boat
In 2015 Wheeler was cast as Emery Huang on *Fresh Off the Boat*, an ABC comedy based on the memoir of restaurateur [Eddie Huang](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-huang), about a Taiwanese family adjusting to suburban Orlando in the 1990s[6](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/forrest-wheeler-talks-fresh-boat-season-9371/) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/fresh-off-the-boat/cast/1000061801/). It was the first network sitcom centered on an Asian-American family since *All-American Girl* in 1994[7](https://time.com/3696111/fresh-off-the-boat-constance-wu/). Wheeler went through five auditions for the part, first reading for the youngest brother Evan before being moved to Emery for a test with [Constance Wu](https://www.edgepedia.org/constance-wu) and [Randall Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/randall-park), who play the parents[6](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/forrest-wheeler-talks-fresh-boat-season-9371/).
**The character.** Emery is the middle of the three Huang brothers, between Hudson Yang's Eddie and Ian Chen's Evan. Wheeler described him as funny, easygoing, a strong student, and naturally good at whatever he picks up[6](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/forrest-wheeler-talks-fresh-boat-season-9371/) • [8](https://www.bsckids.com/2015/11/forrest-wheeler-talks-fresh-off-the-boat-interview/). In a 2015 interview he said he valued the continuity of a series role, saying he could keep growing with Emery in a way a single film does not allow[8](https://www.bsckids.com/2015/11/forrest-wheeler-talks-fresh-off-the-boat-interview/).
**Recognition.** In 2016 Wheeler, Yang, and Chen shared two ensemble prizes for the show: the Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Television Series and the Young Entertainer Award for Best Young Ensemble Cast[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5549251/awards/). In 2017 he was nominated for a [Young Artist Award](https://www.edgepedia.org/young-artist-award) as Best Performance in a TV Series, Leading Young Actor, for continuing in the role[3](https://www.nrmagazine.com/cinema/people/60839/forrest-wheeler).
## Other work and advocacy
Wheeler's credits outside the sitcom include the voice of Prince Jin in the Disney Junior animated series *Sofia the First*, in the 2017 episode "The Mystic Isles: The Falcon's Eye", and the role of Billy in the 2016 short film *Power Play*[3](https://www.nrmagazine.com/cinema/people/60839/forrest-wheeler). In 2018 he interviewed his *Fresh Off the Boat* castmate [Ray Wise](https://www.edgepedia.org/ray-wise) for a StoryCorps conversation recorded in Los Angeles[9](https://archive.storycorps.org/search/interviews/?keywords%5B1%5D=actor&page_num=1&page_size=25&q=&search_context=interviews&search_type=basic&sort_by=relevance&view_by=grid&visibility=all).
In May 2019, when the series faced possible cancellation, Wheeler co-authored two [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) opinion pieces with writer Kelly Connolly and castmate Ian A. Chen arguing for its renewal[10](https://muckrack.com/forrest-wheeler). The show was renewed for a sixth and final season, which aired in 2020[2](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/fresh-off-the-boat/cast/1000061801/).
## After the series
Wheeler has no acting credits beyond his role as Emery as of this writing, and one retrospective describes him as having effectively retired from acting[11](https://www.slashfilm.com/1882116/fresh-off-the-boat-cast-now/). He attends New York University and maintains a minimal public presence, posting on social media roughly once a year[11](https://www.slashfilm.com/1882116/fresh-off-the-boat-cast-now/).
## References
1. [Forrest Wheeler – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5549251/bio/)
2. [Fresh Off the Boat – Full Cast & Crew, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/fresh-off-the-boat/cast/1000061801/)
3. [Forrest Wheeler: biographie, films et séries, crédits, Nrmagazine](https://www.nrmagazine.com/cinema/people/60839/forrest-wheeler)
4. [Forrest Wheeler – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5549251/awards/)
5. [Meet Fresh Off the Boat's Forrest Wheeler! Get to Know Him With 10 Fun Facts!, Just Jared Jr.](https://www.justjaredjr.com/2015/09/29/meet-fresh-off-the-boats-forrest-wheeler-get-to-know-him-with-10-fun-facts/)
6. [Forrest Wheeler Talks 'Fresh Off the Boat' Season 2, Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/forrest-wheeler-talks-fresh-boat-season-9371/)
7. [Fresh Off the Boat Star: I Don't Need to Represent Every Asian Mom Ever, TIME](https://time.com/3696111/fresh-off-the-boat-constance-wu/)
8. [Forrest Wheeler Talks "Fresh Off The Boat" – Interview, BSCkids](https://www.bsckids.com/2015/11/forrest-wheeler-talks-fresh-off-the-boat-interview/)
9. [StoryCorps Archive, interviews including Ray Wise interviewed by Forrest Wheeler](https://archive.storycorps.org/search/interviews/?keywords%5B1%5D=actor&page_num=1&page_size=25&q=&search_context=interviews&search_type=basic&sort_by=relevance&view_by=grid&visibility=all)
10. [Forrest Wheeler's Profile, Muck Rack](https://muckrack.com/forrest-wheeler)
11. [Fresh Off The Boat Cast: Where The Actors Are Now, SlashFilm](https://www.slashfilm.com/1882116/fresh-off-the-boat-cast-now/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Child and youth screen performers › Child performers born 2001 to 2010 › Performers born 2001 to 2005*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license