Raymond Ma

Birthplace: Hong Kong

Biography

Raymond Ma is an American actor of Chinese descent, born in 1965. His exact birthday is not publicly confirmed in major sources, and his birthplace is listed inconsistently — some profiles say the United States, while others note he was born in Hong Kong before emigrating to the U.S. as a teenager. He has been acting for over forty years, with hundreds of film and television credits. He won the Most Promising Director Award at the Pacific Film Institute in 1984 in Hawaii, and later expanded into producing, writing, and directing.

As an actress, Ma is best known for Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), The Muppets (2011), and Starsky & Hutch (2004), with early career highlights including The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and Old School (2003). His TV credits span House, M.D., Boston Legal, The West Wing, Lost, The Kominsky Method, Bob Hearts Abishola, and Survivor's Remorse. More recently he appeared in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) and The Paper Tigers (2020, 98% on Rotten Tomatoes). Beyond acting, Ma has directed and produced several award-winning short films, including I Don't Have a Phone (2016), which won Best Short, Best Script, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Score at the L.A. Shorts Awards. On stage, he performed in David Henry Hwang's Chinglish (2013, South Coast Repertory) and toured nationally with Joy Luck Club (2012–2014).