Desmond Chiam

Australian actor Desmond Chiam earned his big break in American television as a fearsome elf soldier on the New Zealand-lensed fantasy series "The Shannara Chronicles" (MTV/Spike, 2016- ). The Australian native began appearing in short films in 2007 before graduating to guest roles on television in his country of origin, including the long-running soap opera "Neighbours" (7 Network, 1985- ).

He relocated to Los Angeles, and after graduating from the University of Southern California's Masters in Screenwriting program, stepped behind the scenes to create and produce "We, the Band" (2015), a satire of rock bands and their members that screened at several media festivals before airing on YouTube. Guest roles on Stateside programs, including "Bones" (Fox, 2005-2017) preceded his breakout role as the Elf general Riga, who led an elite team of warriors known as the Crimson in a fight to rid the series' fictional setting, the Four Lands, of magic.