---
name: "Lori Tan Chinn"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/lori-tan-chinn"
fi1m_id: "lori-tan-chinn"
imdb_id: "nm0157937"
tmdb_id: 171743
wikidata_id: "Q20667591"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "7 July 1948"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 5
average_fi1m_score: 70
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-10-22T02:47:44.337737+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Lori Tan Chinn

## Identity

Lori Tan Chinn

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/lori-tan-chinn
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** lori-tan-chinn
- **IMDb ID:** nm0157937
- **TMDB ID:** 171743
- **Wikidata ID:** Q20667591
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lori_Tan_Chinn, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20667591, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0157937/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/171743

Actor. Born 7 July 1948 in Seattle, Washington, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 7 July 1948, Seattle, Washington, USA
- **Active:** 1992–present
- **Average Fi1m score:** 70, as actor, over 5 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 76 (2), 2020s 65 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 70 to 67 across 5 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Comedy 4, Crime 3, Action 1, Adventure 1, Animation 1, Drama 1
- **Screen time:** 7 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $629m across 4 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lori_Tan_Chinn, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20667591, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0157937/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/171743

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Glengarry Glen Ross*](https://film.one/film/glengarry-glen-ross.md) (86), [*Joy Ride*](https://film.one/film/joy-ride.md) (70), [*Kung Fu Panda 4*](https://film.one/film/kung-fu-panda-4.md) (54)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Lori Tan Chinn

> Lori Tan Chinn is a sharp comic presence, especially when an ensemble gives her people to size up and answer back. We value her timing; we would like the scripts to ask for more than another outspoken grandmother.

In *Joy Ride* (2023), Lori Tan Chinn’s Nai Nai Chen takes one look at four visitors to her flat and says exactly what she thinks. We enjoyed that bluntness because the joke needs so little preparation. She gives the encounter a briskness that suits Adele Lim’s rude road comedy. It is a small supporting role, but a useful introduction to an actor who knows how to make an immediate impression.

Lim has help: Nena Erb cuts the set pieces in short, hard bursts, while Paul Yee keeps faces readable with bright, flat photography. Michael N. Wong’s interiors, including Nai Nai’s flat, establish who lives there and how comfortably. Chinn fits this quick, economical way of telling a joke. We recommend the film with reservations about its late speeches, which slow a comedy whose chief virtue is its speed.

In *Glengarry Glen Ross* (1992), Chinn is credited as Coat Check Girl; years of theatre work had not translated into substantial screen parts. That is James Foley’s gripping ensemble drama, but it is hardly the place to get to know her work. Television gave her more space, first as Mei Chang in *Orange Is the New Black* (2013), then as the grandmother in *Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens* (2020). Her improvisational partnership with Awkwafina matters here, giving a performer long used to supporting other people a chance to help shape the comedy.

The caution is that she is so often cast as a grandmother or an older authority figure. Her skill at those parts should encourage writers to give her more to do, not excuse them from doing so. Her voice roles include Granny Boar in *Kung Fu Panda 4* (2024), though that brisk, fitfully funny sequel is too thin to recommend. For more than a brief encounter with her, try *Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens*.

## Biography

Lori Tan Chinn is an American actress and comedian. She began her career on Broadway, appearing as Miss Higa Jiga in the 1970 musical *Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen*. She was a member of the Katherine Dunham Company and performed African dance with Syvilla Fort.

Chinn has appeared in numerous film and television roles. She played Mei Chang in the series *Orange Is the New Black* and Nora's grandmother in *Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens* (2020–2023). Her film credits include Nai Nai Chen in *Joy Ride* (2023) and the voice of Granny Boar in *Kung Fu Panda 4* (2024). She also voiced Auntie Chen in *Turning Red* (2022).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, ibdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (5)

- *A Man on the Inside* (2024), Fi1m 72, as Susan Yang — [page](https://film.one/tv/a-man-on-the-inside.md)
- *Kung Fu Panda 4* (2024), Fi1m 54, as Granny Boar (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/kung-fu-panda-4.md)
- *Joy Ride* (2023), Fi1m 70, as Nai Nai Chen — [page](https://film.one/film/joy-ride.md)
- *Mickey Blue Eyes* (1999), Fi1m 66, as Chinese Waitress — [page](https://film.one/film/mickey-blue-eyes.md)
- *Glengarry Glen Ross* (1992), Fi1m 86, as Coat Check Girl — [page](https://film.one/film/glengarry-glen-ross.md)

## Complete filmography (37)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Sleepwalker* (2026), as Bai Zhao
- *31 Candles* (2025), as Jaya
- *Jentry Chau vs the Underworld* (2024), series, as Gugu (voice)
- *A Man on the Inside* (2024), series, as Susan Yang — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/a-man-on-the-inside.md)
- *Late Bloomers* (2024), as Inez
- *Kung Fu Panda 4* (2024), as Granny Boar (voice) — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/kung-fu-panda-4.md)
- *Strange Planet* (2023), series, as Guide (voice)
- *Joy Ride* (2023), as Nai Nai Chen — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/joy-ride.md)
- *Ghosts of Christmas Always* (2022), as Arlene
- *Turning Red* (2022), as Auntie Chen (voice)
- *Teenage Euthanasia* (2021), series, Actor
- *Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens* (2020), series, as Grandma
- *Chloe and Theo* (2015), as Landlady
- *Final Recipe* (2013), as Mrs. Wang
- *Orange Is the New Black* (2013), series, as Mei Chang (voice), Mei Chang — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/tv/orange-is-the-new-black.md)
- *Miss D* (2012), as Mrs. Ling
- *The Guitar* (2008), as Mrs. Tzu
- *Year of the Fish* (2007), as Shuk Yee
- *Law & Order: Trial by Jury* (2005), series, as Mrs. Park
- *From Other Worlds* (2004), as Mrs. Kim
- *South Pacific* (2001), as Bloody Mary
- *Mickey Blue Eyes* (1999), as Chinese Waitress — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/mickey-blue-eyes.md)
- *It's Like, You Know...* (1999), series, as Daisy
- *Ransom* (1996), as Woman on Street #3 — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/ransom.md)
- *Spin City* (1996), series, as Samaritan Nun
- *Living in Oblivion* (1995), as Costume Designer
- *It Is Now Our Time: Peter Sellars’ The Merchant of Venice* (1994), as Nerissa
- *The Adventures of Pete & Pete* (1993), series, as Gym Coach
- *Glengarry Glen Ross* (1992), as Coat Check Girl — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/glengarry-glen-ross.md)
- *What About Bob?* (1991), as Bus Driver
- *Law & Order* (1990), series, as SEC Investigator — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/law-and-order.md)
- *Revealing Evidence: Stalking the Honolulu Strangler* (1990), Actor
- *She-Devil* (1989), as Vesta Rose Woman
- *Roseanne* (1988), series, as Iris — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/roseanne.md)
- *Mathnet* (1987), series, as Miss Jessica
- *Brass* (1985), as Hilda
- *Author! Author!* (1982), as Mrs. Woo

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/lori-tan-chinn