Christopher Chung (actor)

Christopher Chung
(2022)
Born
Christopher Patrick Chung

(1988-07-13) 13 July 1988
OccupationsActor and singer
Years active2001–present
SpouseFrances Mayli McCann

Christopher Patrick Chung (born 13 July 1988) is an Australian actor and singer. He first gained prominence in 2013 when he appeared in series 9 of the British high school drama series Waterloo Road on BBC One, and became more widely known for his role as Roddy Ho in the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses from 2022 onwards. In 2026, he stars in a leading role in the TV adaptation of My Brilliant Career on Netflix.

For his role in Slow Horses, Chung was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Early life and education

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 became interested in acting through a school production of Aladdin when he was in Year 6, starring opposite Sarah Reilly. He participated in acting workshops at St Martin's Youth Theatre and auditioned for singing competitions during his teen years. He began his studies at university, but withdrew.[8]

He was 21 when he decided to take an intensive course at the Ward Acting Studio in New York,[8] and also took a course in Philadelphia.[3]

Career

In 2011 Chung appeared in one episode of the long-running Australian soap Neighbours.[9]

In 2012 he moved to London, aged 24.[3][8] His first television role in the UK was as Archie Wong, a student who secretly teaches his languages teacher Mandarin, in Waterloo Road on BBC One.[3][10][11]

He then performed on stage, including playing Kurt in Heathers: The Musical, and Paris in Romeo and Juliet at the Globe.[3] After theatres closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was wondering if he should take a break from acting, before winning a career-defining role. [3] Chung achieved worldwide fame as the Roddy Ho in the British spy drama series Slow Horses on Apple TV+ (2022–present),[3] with the sixth season dropping on 26 September 2026. He is responsible for having created some of the character's lines, including the final line in season 1: "They tried to cage me up – but you can't cage a dragon",[12] and his character becomes even more prominent in the sixth season.[3]

He starred in Steve McQueen's 2024 wartime drama film Blitz.[13]

Chung plays a leading role as the love interest, Harry Beecham, opposite Philippa Northeast as Sybylla, in the Netflix historical drama series My Brilliant Career, based on Miles Franklin's 1901 novel of the same name. Filmed and made in South Australia,[13] the series debuted on 13 August 2026. Beecham's role was not written as a Chinese Australian, but the creator of the series, Liz Doran, wanted to explore the complex history of early Chinese settlers in Australia.[12]

Recognition and awards

For his role in Slow Horses, Chung was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in the 2025 BAFTAs,[14] and became the third male actor of East Asian descent to be nominated.[3]

Personal life

Chung married Scottish actress Frances Mayli McCann, first having a traditional Chinese ceremony in Melbourne in 2020,[15] followed by a western wedding in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021.[16]

In addition to acting, Chung works as a personal trainer in London.[17]

Acting credits

Television

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 23 episodes
2025 Doctor Who Cassio 1 episode[18]
2026 Dragon Striker Additional voices 1 episode
My Brilliant Career Harry

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2008 Six Men's Health Alex [19]
2010 I'll Meet You in New York Male Short film[20]
Paranoia Chan [19]
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

Year Title Role Theatre
2001 The King & I Prince Chulalongkorn Panorama Theatre Group[19]
2004 Fame Lead vocalist Panorama Theatre Group[19]
2005 Grease Roger Panorama Theatre Group[9]
2009 Seasons of Excellence Dr Jekyll / Mr Hyde VCE[19]
2011 I Wish You a Boat/Almost Home Various Ward Studio Company (Philadelphia)[19]
2018 Heathers: The Musical Kurt Kelly The Other Palace & Theatre Royal Haymarket[19]
Romeo and Juliet Paris Globe Theatre

TV commercials

Year Title Role Notes
2009 It's Your Future Initiative Spokesman Producer Australian Government
2010–2011 Sky Movies HD Geek Director Fredrik Bond

References

  1. ↑ "Filme und Sendungen mit Christopher Chung – Apple TV". Apple TV (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  2. ↑ "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.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 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.
  4. ↑ Yossman, KJ (2 December 2022). "'Slow Horses' Star Christopher Chung Teases Season 2, Future Projects". Variety. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  5. ↑ Jhoty, Ben (17 May 2022). "Chris Chung Is Ready To Redefine The Aussie Movie Star". Men's Health. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  6. ↑ Padua College Alumni. "Congratulations Christopher (class of 2006)". Facebook. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Telfer, Brendon (8 August 2026). "Your Peninsula Radio". RPP FM - Your Peninsula Radio. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Bunbury, Stephanie (14 December 2022). "How this Australian actor went from uni dropout to dream TV". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Christopher Chung Profile". The Mandy Network. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  10. ↑ "Waterloo Road Series 9 Episode 1". BBC. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  11. ↑ "Check Out Our New Pupils & Teachers For Series 9". Shed Media Scotland Ltd. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  12. 1 2 Marsh, Walter (13 August 2026). "From Slow Horses to Outback thirst trap: Christopher Chung's brilliant career". InDaily. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 Marsh, Walter (19 June 2025). "Netflix greenlights locally made My Brilliant Career series". InDaily. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  14. ↑ "Bafta TV Awards 2025: The list of nominations". BBC News. 27 March 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  15. ↑ Frances Mayli McCann (11 January 2020). "My big fat Chinese wedding🎎". Retrieved 21 February 2023 – via Instagram.
  16. ↑ Frances Mayli McCann (23 September 2021). "Mr and Mrs Chung". Retrieved 21 February 2023 – via Instagram.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ "Doctor Who season 2 - Christopher Chung joins the Whoniverse". BBC. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Christopher Chung: Actor". New Faces Talent. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  20. ↑ "I'll Meet You in New York". saumitramathur.com. Retrieved 6 September 2013.


This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.