Better Luck Tomorrow

Background:

Chinese-American actress/musician Karin Anna Cheung honed her craft at Cal State Northridge and the East West Players Conservatory in Los Angeles. She won the female lead role in her film debut, director Justin Lin's acclaimed drama "Better Luck Tomorrow" (2002), and has since appeared in several short films as well as in the Sci Fi Channel original film "Abominable" (2006). She also has guest starred in an episode of Nickelodeon's sitcom "Drake & Josh."

Meanwhile, the 5' 5½" artist has continued to write songs and performed her own songs around Los Angeles.

Chinese-American

Childhood and Family:

A Chinese-American, Karin Anna Cheung was born in Los Angeles, California, on November 2, 1974. Cheung, who has been pursuing music, received a degree in art from Cal State Northridge. She was trained acting by Glen Chin at the East West Players Conservatory in Los Angeles.

True Artist

Career:

A singer-turned-actor, Karin Anna Cheung began acting after studied under Glen Chin at the East West Players Conservatory in Los Angeles. She toured with the Sundance Children's Theater and made his television debut in the show "Karaoke Nights" (2001).

In 2002, Cheung got her first film role in director/co-writer Justin Lin's drama "Better Luck Tomorrow." In the film about Asian American overachievers who enter a world of petty crime and material excess to overcome boredom, she played the female lead role of Stephanie Vandergosh, opposite Parry Shen, Jason Tobin, Sung Kang, Roger Fan, and John Cho.

Loosely based on the murder of Stuart Tay by four Sunny Hills High School honor students on December 31, 1992, in the suburb of Fullerton, California, "Better Luck Tomorrow" garnered general positive reviews, becoming the official selections in that year's Sundance Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. It also received a Grand Jury Prize nomination at the Sundance Film Festival (2002) and John Cassavetes Award nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards (2004).

Following her stunning film debut, Cheung appeared in two short films, Kai Soremekun's 17-minute drama/thriller "Lock Her Room," which was inspired by Elizabeth Massie's book, and Dominic Mah and Jennifer Phang's 24-minute "The Matrices" (both in 2003). She then disappeared from screen for three years before eventually returning in 2006, playing a guest role as a flight attendant, in an episode of Nickelodeon's sitcom starring Drake Bell and Josh Peck, "Drake & Josh." She also co-starred as C.J. in the Sci Fi Channel original film about the cryptid Bigfoot or the Abominable Snowman, "Abominable" (2006), which premiered on April 10 in New York City. The suspense/horror film also features Matt McCoy, Lance Henriksen, Jeffrey Combs, Dee Wallace Stone, and Rex Linn.

Cheung was last seen on 2007 AZN Asian Excellence Awards. Meanwhile, she continues to work on music and has performed around Los Angeles singing her own songs.

Awards:
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