Lauren Tom

Born in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois in 1951, Lauren Tom's grandparents had emigrated to the U.S. from China, and she was frequently teased about her heritage as a child. She sought refuge in her dance classes, which paid off when at age 17, she auditioned for the touring production of "A Chorus Line" and won the part.

She would join the play's Broadway cast just a few years later in the role of Connie, and spent the early '80s largely on the Broadway stage in the shows "Doonesbury" and "Hurlyburly." Meanwhile, Tom began auditioning for screen roles as well, landing a two episode appearance on "The Facts of Life" (CBS, 1979-1988) in 1982.

She would make numerous guest appearances on TV series, and even played the small role of a stock broker in Oliver Stone's "Wall Street" (1987). After a turn as Helen the Dim Sum Girl in the Robin Williams comedy "The Cadillac Man" (1990), Tom was cast in the inspiring drama "The Joy Luck Club" (1993), making her a much more recognizable face overnight.

She would memorably play Julie, girlfriend to Ross and foil to Rachel on the second season of "Friends" (NBC, 1994-2004) the following year. In the coming years, Tom would play recurring roles on numerous TV shows including "Grace Under Fire" (ABC, 1993-1998), "Men in Trees" (ABC, 2006-2008) and "Supernatural" (WB, 2005-), in addition to providing the voice of Amy Wong on "Futurama" (Fox, 1999-2013) and Minh Souphanousinphone on "King of the Hill" (Fox, 1997-2010).

In 2017, Mack joined the cast of the family series "Andi Mack" (Disney Channel, 2017-) on the Disney Channel.