# Ken Leung
**Ken Leung** (梁振邦; born 1970) is an American actor known for playing Miles Straume on the ABC series *Lost* and Eric Tao on the HBO banking drama *Industry*, with film roles including *Rush Hour*, *Saw*, *X-Men: The Last Stand*, *Star Wars: The Force Awakens*, and *Old*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ken-leung/) • [2](https://actoragecheck.com/actor/Ken-Leung/2131) After two decades as a character actor in theater, film, and television, his lead-adjacent role as the investment bank managing director Eric Tao brought him a new level of visibility in the 2020s.[3](https://tollbit.gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/industrys-ken-leung-on-growing-up-in-chinatown-and-learning-to-speak-finance?curator=MediaREDEF)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970, New York City; birth name Kenneth Leung[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ken-leung/3000029510/) |
| Signature TV roles | Miles Straume on *Lost* (2008–2010, 49 episodes); Eric Tao on *Industry* (2020–2026, 30 episodes)[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504962) |
| Broadway debut | *Thoroughly Modern Millie* (2002) as Ching Ho, a role he had carried through the 1996 reading and 1999 workshop[6](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Ken-Leung/) |
| Notable films | *Rush Hour* (1998), *Saw* (2004), *X-Men: The Last Stand* (2006), *Star Wars: The Force Awakens* (2015), *Old* (2021), *Missing* (2023), *Joker: Folie à Deux* (2024)[7](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/industry-star-ken-leung-signs-220000314.html) |
| Training | Studied physical therapy at New York University; an elective acting class led him to the profession[8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ken-leung/bio/3000029510/) |
| Recent work | Yao in *Project Hail Mary* (2026); Commander Zhao in Netflix's live-action *Avatar: The Last Airbender* (2024)[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504962) |
## Early life and training
Leung was born in New York City in 1970.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ken-leung/) He was raised in the Two Bridges section of the [Lower East Side](https://www.edgepedia.org/lower-east-side) in Manhattan; his family then moved to Midwood, Brooklyn, where he grew up before finishing high school in Old Bridge, New Jersey.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504962) At New York University he studied physical therapy, but an elective acting class set him on a different path; he has described discovering acting almost randomly at NYU through an intro speech class.[8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ken-leung/bio/3000029510/) • [3](https://tollbit.gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/industrys-ken-leung-on-growing-up-in-chinatown-and-learning-to-speak-finance?curator=MediaREDEF) He went on to study acting with Catherine Russell and Nan Smithner, and briefly with [Anne Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/anne-jackson) at [HB Studio](https://www.edgepedia.org/hb-studio).[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504962)
## Theater
Leung emerged from Manhattan's downtown theater community in the 1990s, working in non-traditional productions that included [Jeff Weiss](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-weiss)' *Hot Keys*, Terrence McNally's passion play *Corpus Christi*, and a turn as Buckingham opposite [Austin Pendleton](https://www.edgepedia.org/austin-pendleton)'s Richard III.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504962) His early career was shaped by relationships with theater groups including Ma-Yi, New Perspectives, and STAR, a traveling troupe of actor-educators based at Mount Sinai Hospital who used drama to teach young people about teen pregnancy, AIDS, and other issues.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504962) • [8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ken-leung/bio/3000029510/)
He made his Broadway debut in 2002 in the Tony Award-winning musical *Thoroughly Modern Millie*, playing Ching Ho, a part he had already performed in the show's 1996 reading and 1999 workshop.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504962) • [6](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Ken-Leung/) He returned to [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) in 2022 in the New Group production of *Evanston Salt Costs Climbing*.[6](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Ken-Leung/)
## Screen career
**Character actor years.** Leung built his screen career in small but pointed roles, becoming known for intense, often unnerving portrayals.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ken-leung/) Director Brett Ratner became an early advocate, casting him as Sang in *Rush Hour* (1998), Lloyd Bowman in *[Red Dragon](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-dragon-2002-film)* (2002), and the porcupine-skinned villain in *X-Men: The Last Stand* (2006), a character widely billed as Kid Omega though some sources identify him as Quill (Maxwell Jordan).[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ken-leung/) • [2](https://actoragecheck.com/actor/Ken-Leung/2131) Leung has said that on *Rush Hour*, his first major film, he told Ratner he wanted to treat the part as if he would never be in a film again, a mentality he has kept throughout his career.[9](https://goldenglobes.com/articles/lost-missing-industry-ken-leung-shares-his-approach-acting/) Other film work from this period includes [Detective Steven Sing](https://www.edgepedia.org/list-of-saw-characters) in *Saw* (2004) and roles in *The Family Man*, *Spy Game*, *Vanilla Sky*, *A.I. Artificial Intelligence*, and *The Squid and the Whale*.[10](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/leung-ken) • [6](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Ken-Leung/)
**Lost.** In May 2007, after Leung played mental patient Carter Chong in a final-season episode of *The Sopranos* titled "[Remember When](https://www.edgepedia.org/remember-when-the-sopranos)," *Lost* showrunners [Damon Lindelof](https://www.edgepedia.org/damon-lindelof) and [Carlton Cuse](https://www.edgepedia.org/carlton-cuse) contacted his agents about joining the show; producers created the role of Miles Straume specifically for him.[11](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/industry-ken-leung-lost) • [1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ken-leung/) Miles, a sarcastic grifter who downplays his ability to communicate with the dead, appeared in 49 episodes from 2008 to 2010.[11](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/industry-ken-leung-lost) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504962) Leung has said the show's mystery was difficult for him at first because he was the kind of actor who felt he needed to know things to play a character; once he let go of that, he found the experience rewarding.[12](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/industry-star-ken-leung-on-hbos-most-underrated-masterpiece/) His television work in the 2010s included Dr. Topher Zia on *The Night Shift* (35 episodes), Karnak on Marvel's *Inhumans*, and recurring parts on *Person of Interest*, *The Blacklist*, and *High Maintenance*.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504962)
**Industry.** Since 2020 Leung has played Eric Tao, a managing director at the London investment bank Pierpoint, in the HBO and BBC drama *Industry*, appearing in 30 episodes through 2026.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504962) After two quiet but critically acclaimed seasons, the show's profile rose sharply when it moved into HBO's Sunday primetime window for season 3, drawing its largest audiences to that point.[7](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/industry-star-ken-leung-signs-220000314.html) Leung has said that finance was and remains foreign to him, so he built the performance from within rather than by imitating anyone, adopting the mindset of a character who is "calling the shots."[12](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/industry-star-ken-leung-on-hbos-most-underrated-masterpiece/) The role has made him so identifiable that people in finance sometimes assume he actually works in banking.[13](https://theblast.com/770227/ken-leung-industry-fans-keep-mistaking-real-banker/)
**Recent film and television.** Leung played Admiral Statura in *Star Wars: The Force Awakens* (2015) and Jarin in [M. Night Shyamalan](https://www.edgepedia.org/m-night-shyamalan)'s *Old* (2021), then took roles as Kevin in the screenlife thriller *Missing* (2023), Dr. Victor Liu in *Joker: Folie à Deux* (2024), and Commander Zhao in Netflix's live-action *Avatar: The Last Airbender* (2024).[9](https://goldenglobes.com/articles/lost-missing-industry-ken-leung-shares-his-approach-acting/) • [7](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/industry-star-ken-leung-signs-220000314.html) He shot a leading role in [Justin Lin](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-lin)'s *Last Days* (2025), based on the story of [John Allen Chau](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-allen-chau), and plays Yao in *Project Hail Mary* (2026), the adaptation of Andy Weir's novel starring Ryan Gosling.[7](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/industry-star-ken-leung-signs-220000314.html) • [6](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Ken-Leung/) In 2024 he signed with Paradigm for representation in all areas, while continuing to be represented by Brillstein.[7](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/industry-star-ken-leung-signs-220000314.html)
## Personal life
Leung is based in Brooklyn with his wife and son, who was born in 2015; he has said that fatherhood changed how he chooses work, with location and schedule now his first questions about any project.[14](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/ken-leung-industry-shang-chi-batman-b2175999.html) In 2019 his younger brother Kevin drowned in Thailand, and Leung spent two years writing an essay about his brother and the struggle to bring his body home, published by *GQ* in 2021.[14](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/ken-leung-industry-shang-chi-batman-b2175999.html) His father was a high school teacher whose students sometimes asked for autographs, one of the few occasions the family discussed his career.[14](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/ken-leung-industry-shang-chi-batman-b2175999.html) In 2026 he appeared in his first major fashion campaign, for Theory's Spring 2026 collection.[13](https://theblast.com/770227/ken-leung-industry-fans-keep-mistaking-real-banker/)
## Recognition
Leung's role in *Shanghai Kiss* earned him a Special Mention for Breakout Performance at the 2007 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, and he shared Gold Derby Ensemble of the Year awards for *Lost* in 2008, with nominations in 2009 and 2010.[8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ken-leung/bio/3000029510/) In 2024 he won the Supporting Actor Award for Television at the AAPI Cinema & [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television) honors, and in 2026 he received nominations for a Dorian Award for Best Supporting TV Performance in a Drama and a TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama, both for *Industry*.[8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ken-leung/bio/3000029510/)
## References
1. [Ken Leung, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ken-leung/)
2. [Ken Leung, ActorAgeCheck](https://actoragecheck.com/actor/Ken-Leung/2131)
3. ['Industry's' Ken Leung on growing up in Chinatown and learning to speak finance, Gothamist](https://tollbit.gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/industrys-ken-leung-on-growing-up-in-chinatown-and-learning-to-speak-finance?curator=MediaREDEF)
4. [Ken Leung, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ken-leung/3000029510/)
5. [Ken Leung (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504962)
6. [Ken Leung, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Ken-Leung/)
7. ['Industry' Star Ken Leung Signs With Paradigm, Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/industry-star-ken-leung-signs-220000314.html)
8. [Ken Leung Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ken-leung/bio/3000029510/)
9. [From "Lost" to "Missing" to "Industry," Ken Leung shares his approach to acting, Golden Globes](https://goldenglobes.com/articles/lost-missing-industry-ken-leung-shares-his-approach-acting/)
10. [Leung, Ken, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/leung-ken)
11. [Industry's Ken Leung Looks Back on Lost and Working with Tom Cruise, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/industry-ken-leung-lost)
12. ['Industry' Star Ken Leung on HBO's Most Underrated Masterpiece, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/industry-star-ken-leung-on-hbos-most-underrated-masterpiece/)
13. [Ken Leung Says 'Industry' Fans Keep Mistaking Him For A Real Banker, The Blast](https://theblast.com/770227/ken-leung-industry-fans-keep-mistaking-real-banker/)
14. [Ken Leung: 'My kid gets to pretend to be Shang-Chi instead of Batman and Superman', The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/ken-leung-industry-shang-chi-batman-b2175999.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Le to L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 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