Tamlyn Tomita Biography

Fast Facts

• One of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World
• Has been an activist in the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community for more than 20 years and has been adamant about not taking stereotypical roles
• Received a Drama-Logue Award for her role in the theater production "Winter Crane․"
• Majored in history at UCLA with the intention of becoming a teacher before deciding to get into acting
• Auditioned for "The Karate Kid: Part II" on a whim, having never taken acting lessons before
• Quote: "What I found out in the process of creating a character, [is] learning the story, figuring out․․․your agenda․․․You're trying to educate people that there are stories out there that can't be overlooked․"
• Was Queen of the Nisei Week Japanese Festival in 1984 for the Nisei Week Foundation, which promotes Japanese and Japanese-American heritage and traditions in Southern California