Ming-Na, whose name translates to "enlightenment", was born on the picturesque island of Macau, situated approximately forty miles from the bustling metropolis of Hong Kong. Her mother, Lin Chan Wen, made the difficult decision to divorce Ming-Na's father when she was just a toddler, leaving her to navigate the challenges of growing up without both parents. Ming-Na has an older brother named Jonathan, with whom she shares a special bond.
Following the divorce, Ming-Na's family relocated to Hong Kong, where her mother embarked on a new career as a nurse. It was during this time that her mother met Soo Lim Yee, a successful U.S. businessman, and the two soon tied the knot. At the tender age of four, Ming-Na made the bold decision to leave her childhood home and move with her family to Queens, New York.
Five years later, they transferred to Yee's hometown of Pittsburgh, where his family operated the Chinatown Inn restaurant. Ming-Na's brother, Jonathan, and her half-brother, Leong, currently manage this esteemed establishment. Struggling to find her place in school, Ming-Na made the unconventional decision to change her name to Maggie & Doris, a choice that would later influence her journey as an actress.
It was during her third-grade Easter play, where she played a lovable but klutzy bunny, that Ming-Na discovered her passion for acting. Despite her mother's initial disapproval, Ming-Na pursued her dreams, graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in theatre. Her first acting job was secured in 1988 on the soap opera "As the World Turns".
Ming-Na's big break came when she was cast in the critically acclaimed film "The Joy Luck Club" in 1993. When she required a ride to the film's premiere, her acting instructor kindly offered one of his students, Eric Michael Zee, to chauffeur her. The two began dating in 1994 after Ming-Na relocated permanently to Los Angeles and married Zee in 1995, adopting his surname and dropping her last name, Wen.
In a recent interview, Ming-Na revealed that she has now become like the iconic actress Ann-Margret. Eric Michael Zee is a screenwriter and, along with Ming-Na, manages the boy band At Last.
