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T A M L Y N   TOMITA
ARTIST, ACTRESS, ADVOCATE
from karate kid 2 to picture pride to joy luck club to?


History:

TAMLYN TOMITA first made her debut in media entertainment when she played "Kumiko" in The Karate Kid: II (1986). Since then, she's starred in seven other films, the most well-recognized of which are The Joy Luck Club (as "Waverly"), Come See the Paradise (as "Lily Kawamura"), Picture Bride (as "Kana"), and Four Rooms.

Tamlyn has also made numerous television appearances on shows such as Babylon 5, Chicago Hope, Vanishing Son, Livin' Single, Sisters and Santa Barbara. Until recently, she was also a star on the UPN show The Burning Zone but has since left to pursue other career interests.

Tamlyn's recent project is Hundred Percent, a comedy film depicting a group of Generation X Asian-Americans, which also stars (among others) Garrett Wang.

Click on the pictures to visit the other websites that feature additional information on this hard-working actress as she seek roles that doesn't stereotypes people's impression of her. Check out the films that she has participates in by attending the movies and/or purchasing the films that features her (i.e. Picture Bride, Joy Luck Club Hundred Percent, Karate Kid: II, Come See the Paradise, etc.) To do so, just check out the respective film's description within this website and click on the picture's logo to purchase the vhs/dvd online. If you want to discover some secrets about Tamlyn, enter her " FORBIDDEN TERRITORY".

INTERVIEW:
Tamlyn Tomita tells it like it is. In this exclusive interview, she takes APA (and its readers) to task on WWII, being sucky, and the adrenaline rush that theater provides.

When meeting Tamlyn Tomita, one is tempted to use a whole bunch of F- words to describe her: Fiery. Feisty. Fun. Fantastic. Lucky for us, Tamlyn lets her acting do the talking. And really, a quick peek at her exhaustive profile reveals a little something for everyone: she's got the halcyon days of our youth covered (Karate Kid Part II). She's done her share of female-empowering family sagas (The Joy Luck Club). She knows how to walk the tightrope between big-budget, blow-em-up blockbusters (The Day After Tomorrow) and the little guys tucked away in some corner of indie-ville. (Greg Pak's Robot Stories.) So is it any surprise that the woman who has it all holds absolutely nothing back when she's onstage, no more than a few feet from the closest audience member, giddy with the idea that by the end of her performance, she has left you bleary-eyed and slack- jawed?

Well, no. Because, to loosely paraphase her, it's what actors live for. More importantly, it's what guides her fearless (wouldn't you know it: another f-word) instincts and drive for self-betterment. And if all else fails? Well, she just hopes that she doesn't f*** it all up. -- Chi Tung
To read the rest of her interview with UCLA's Asia Arts - click HERE

Theatrical Films:

    Tamilyn Tomita
  1. Soundman (1998) Tamlyn has a small and possibly uncredited cameo in this independent film about a sound recordist who loses touch with reality.
  2. Living Out Loud (1998) Tamlyn has a brief appearance in this Holly Hunter movie as "the other woman" whom Hunter's husband leavesher for.
  3. hundred percent (1997) as Thaise - This film has received numerous glowing reviews but has yet, to my knowledge, to see any release beyond film festivals.
  4. Touch (1997) - Tamlyn makes a brief appearance in this Paul Schrader-directed movie from an Elmore Leonard novel as an attorney who goes up against star Tom Arnold.
  5. The Killing Jar (1996) as Diane Sanford - A man accused of a shocking murder must search through his nightmares and repressed memories to reveal the truth and clear his name. Meanwhile, more cadavers are popping up.
  6. Four Rooms "The Misbehavers" (1995) as the mother - Parents leave their two children in a hotel room in the unsatisfactory care of a the hotel's bellboy. Chaos ensues.
  7. Picture Bride (1994) as Kana - A young woman travels from Japan to Hawaii for an arranged marriage with a man she has never met. She finds that her new husband and her new life are not what she expected. Directed by Kayo Hatta.
  8. The Joy Luck Club (1993) as Waverly - An excellent ensemble film based on the Amy Tan novel about the lives of several Chinese women and their daughters. Directed by Wayne Wang.
  9. Come See the Paradise (1990) as Lily Kawamura - A world War II-era story of a union activist and his Japanese-American wife who, along with her family, is relocated to an internment camp during the war. Directed by Alan Parker.
  10. Vietnam Texas (1990) as Lani - Vietnam vet-turned-priest, father Thomas, thought he had left his past behind him. But when an old war buddy tells him of the sighting of the priest's Vietnamese daughter in Houston's Little Saigon and that she is in the custody of the powerful gangster wong, he plunges into battle again.
  11. Orange Curtain (Character unknown)
  12. Hawaiian Dream (Character unknown)
  13. The Karate Kid Part II (1986) as Kumiko - A karate student accompanies his teacher to his ancestral home in Okinawa where he learns about culture, conflict and love. Directed by John G. Avildsen
Tamilyn Tomita

 

Short Films:

 

Notes On a Scale (1994) A 10 minute short film directed by Ken Kashima.


Television:

  1. The Sentinal "Smart Alec" (1997) - as Suzanne Tomaki
  2. PBS Storytime (1996) - Tamlyn read THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES and DUCKAT in show #123 of this children's storytelling program
  3. Burning Zone (1996) - series regular as Dr. Kimberly Shiroma
  4. Chicago Hope (1996) - recurring role as the ex-wife of a series regular
  5. Tamilyn Tomita
  6. Sisters (1995) - as Kiri
  7. Vanishing Son: "Single Flame" (1995) - as Lanchi
  8. Highlander "The Samurai" (1994) - as Midori Koto
  9. One West Waikiki (1994) - Premiere episode as Taylor
  10. Vanishing Son II (1994) - as Lanchi
  11. Vanishing Son IV (1994) - as Lanchi
  12. Babylon 5 "The Gathering" (1993) - as Lt. Cmdr. Laurel Takashima in the Pilot episode
  13. Raven "Return of the Black Dragons" (1992) - as Kim Tanaka
  14. Tamilyn Tomita
  15. Quantum Leap "Temptation Eyes" (1992) - as San Francisco psychic Tamlyn Matsuda
  16. Time Trax
  17. Livin' Single - as ad agency executive, Mary
  18. Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990 TV Movie) - as Sally Togawa
  19. The Trials of Rosie O'Neill (1990)
  20. To Heal the Nation (1988 TV Movie) - as Vietnam Memorial architect Maya Lin
  21. Tour of Duty
  22. Hiroshima Maiden (PBS TV Movie) - as Mieko
  23. Santa Barbara (1984) - recurring role as Ming Li



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