Born in San Francisco, California, Bai Ling grew up on a steady diet of martial arts, ballet, music, and books. Her first job was on television, playing the character Summerlee in a series called The Fresh Prince of Everything. After that she appeared in a number of television shows, including Swing TV, Kung Fu, and Lemonade Tycoon. She then appeared in the series Defiance, playing the role of mom Rose. In the latter, she plays the role of Megatron, the menacing villain. At the age of 16, Bai Ling began to show an interest in acting, and was cast in a number of small parts in films including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Conan the Barbarian, Gremlins, Bridesmaids, Toy Story, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Then, in the middle of the nineties, Bai Ling began to appear in more well-known films, playing the role of Debra in the movie A Christmas Story, the young John in the comedy Bridesmaids, and the blonde, evil secretary in Toy Story 3. Then, in the feature film Artificial Eyes, she played the role of Megatron. All of these roles were extremely popular among audiences in the United States. With the success of these films, director Mike Nichols decided to make a spin-off of the characters. This new film, Transformers, would feature the evil Decepticon leader Megatron. It was also to be directed by the same man who had been in charge of the successful animated movie series of the decade – Steven Spielberg.
Transformer Prime was a huge success both in the United States and in Australia, especially when it was made into an animated series on Nickelodeon. The second season of the series featured a song that became popular, called “I Give You My Love”, by Michael Jackson. That song, combined with the music from the first season of the show, became a huge hit in the United States and around the world. While the new movie series featured an all-star cast of famous Australian actors, including Nick Carter and Jennifer Aniston, it still retained the unique and engaging style of the show. As is true with many of the characters in the series, the female lead of the show, Bai Ling, was absolutely gorgeous.
Apart from being gorgeous, Bai Ling was an accomplished actress, musician, and writer. Her talent for acting came to light when she was selected as the lead singer of the Chinese rock band, Criico. The band’s lead singer was singer-guitarist David Cook and bassist/singer Peter Collins. She appeared in over twenty songs and even performed a duet with her then boyfriend, Steve Irwin on his ABC television program, Great Show. Later, Bai Ling guest-starred on a Chinese soap opera, KaJong!, along with various Chinese American actors and actresses.
In between those appearances on television and in movies, Bai Ling established a connection with Hollywood. She met and befriended a number of famous Chinese American actors and actresses, among them Lindang Siu, Yul Brynner, Tom Selleck, Mary Tyler Moore, and George Clooney. All of these people became big names in Hollywood and established impressive careers in the industry. Among those actors, Bai Ling achieved significant success in the late sixties and seventies. Her acting career spanned four decades, during which time she appeared in over forty films.
On the day that her acting career ended, Bai Ling received a two-year suspended sentence for the unauthorized crossing of the Yellow River from China into Taiwan. Her sentence was later reduced to one year. While in jail, she met and became friends with the former First Lady of China, Mrs. Ping. At the request of Mrs. Ping, Bai Ling visited China, where she spent almost six months in jail, under strict supervision, working in the Shiluan Prison in Yangshuo. After her release from prison, Bai Ling returned to the United States and retired to San Francisco, where she opened a center for ethnic Chinese American youth, which is today known simply as “Ping Pong.”
