China Chow

English actress, model (b. 1974)

China Chow

Born|

China Eiko Chow

(1974-04-15) 15 April 1974 (age 50)

Southwark, London, England

Occupation(s)| Actress, model
Years active| 1997–2007 (acting)
Parents|

* Michael Chow (father)
* Tina Chow (mother)

Relatives| Zhou Xinfang (grandfather)
Tsai Chin (aunt)
Adelle Lutz (aunt)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese| 周佳納
Simplified Chinese| 周佳纳
| Transcriptions

Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin| Zhōu Jiānà
Wade–Giles| Chou1 Chia1-na4
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping| Zau1 Gaai1naap6

China Eiko Chow[a] (born 15 April 1974)[1] is a British-born American actress and model.

## Early life and education

[edit]

Chow was born in London to restaurateur Michael Chow and his wife, model/designer Tina Chow (née Lutz). Her paternal grandfather was the Peking Opera's Zhou Xinfang.[2] Her paternal aunt is actress and former "Bond girl" Tsai Chin.[3] Her maternal aunt is the artist Adelle Lutz. Through Lutz's 1987 marriage, her uncle is David Byrne.

Her parents left London for New York in 1980, when she was 5 years old. They then relocated to Los Angeles in 1985.[4] Her mother, who was born in Ohio, was of German and Japanese ancestry and her father is Chinese.[5] She has a younger brother, Maximilian (b. 1978). Her parents divorced in November 1989.[6][7]

In 1992, Chow's mother Tina died of AIDS. The same year, Chow's father married Eva Chun, a Korean fashion designer.[8] In February 2019, her father married his fourth wife, Vanessa Rano, who is 49 years his junior.[9][10]

She attended the Lycée Français de Los Angeles.[11] After graduating, she went to Boston University for two years before transferring to Scripps College in Claremont, California, where she graduated with a psychology degree in May 1997.[4] She was the first in her family to graduate from college.[12]

## Career

[edit]

Chow was discovered as a prospective fashion model by Roger Museenden.[12] She spent several years following in her mother's footsteps working as a model for Shiseido cosmetics, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. Her modeling led to her being named one of Harper's Bazaar's "It Girls" in 1996 and an appearance in the December 1996 edition of Vogue's "The Next Best-Dressed List".[13]

In 2000, she posed for Maxim and was featured in their gallery, Girls of Maxim. She was ranked No. 22 and No. 54 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women (2000 and 2001, respectively).[14][15][16]

Chow made her acting debut in 1998, starring opposite Mark Wahlberg in The Big Hit. In 2004, she appeared in Frankenfish. Three years later, Chow appeared on USA Network's first season of Burn Notice. She was the host and a judge of Bravo's Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, which premiered on 9 June 2010.[17]

Chow provided the voice of Katie Zhan in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.[18][19]

## Personal life

[edit]

Chow was in a relationship with actor Mark Wahlberg for four years after meeting on the set of the 1998 film The Big Hit.[11] She was in a relationship with English actor and comedian Steve Coogan from 2007 until 2011.[20][21][22][23] She has also been romantically linked to actor Keanu Reeves. Since February 2018, she has been in a relationship with English musician Billy Idol.[24]

## Filmography

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1998  | The Big Hit | Keiko Nishi  | [25]
2001  | Head Over Heels | Lisa  | [26]
2002  | That '70s Show | China  |
2002  | Spun | Escort  |
2003  | Sol Goode | Amber Stevens  |
2003  | Blessings | Jennifer Foster  |
2004  | Frankenfish | Mary Callahan  |
2004  | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Katie Shan (voice)  |
2007  | Burn Notice | Lucy Chen  |
2017  | SPF-18 | Producer  |

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ In this Chinese name, the family name is  Chow.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
2. ^ Kuczynski, Alex (19 April 1998). "SHOPPING WITH: CHINA CHOW; Mirror, Mirror, Who's the Best Dressed of All?". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
3. ^ Profile of China Chow, The New York Times (22 December 2011).
4. ^ a b "China Chow". PAPER. 1 April 1998. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
5. ^ Wloszczyna, Susan (23 April 1998). "China Chow a spicy 'Big Hit' in film debut". USA Today. Archived from the original on 18 November 2012.
6. ^ "Ciao Tina". Maureen Orth. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
7. ^ "Michael Chow's empire". W Magazine. January 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
8. ^ Morris, Bob. 20 December 2011. Morris, Bob (20 December 2011). "China Chow, With a Look of Her Own Making nytimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
9. ^ Heyman, Marshall (27 April 2019). "This Totally Over-the-Top Wedding Was L.A.'s Hottest Event". Town & Country. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
10. ^ "⠀⠀M on Instagram: "Phoenix Chow. The youngest collector in history @jonasbrwood 🔨🌸Ⓜ️. ~O-O~ #threetrax"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
11. ^ a b Morris, Bob (20 December 2011). "China Chow, With a Look of Her Own Making". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
12. ^ a b "China Chow biography". tribute.com. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
13. ^ China Chow, With a Look of Her Own Making; The New York Times; 20 December 2011.
14. ^ Girls of Maxim — Hot 100 Women 2000, Maxim (1 May 2000).
15. ^ Girls of Maxim — Hot 100 Women 2001, Maxim (1 May 2001).
16. ^ "Maxim Magazine Hot 100 Women of 2001". FreeJose.com. Archived from the original on 2 March 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2007.
17. ^ Ng, David (22 August 2012). Bravo's 'Work of Art' Appears Unlikely to Return for 3rd Season. Los Angeles Times.
18. ^ Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Tech Info; GameSpot; 7 June 2005
19. ^ Grand Theft Auto – San Andreas Manual [dead link]; Rock Star Games; 2005
20. ^ "Steve Coogan". W Magazine. September 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
21. ^ Morris, Bob (20 December 2011). "China Chow, With a Look of Her Own Making". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
22. ^ "Keanu Reeves and Ex China Chow Spotted 'Flirting' — Right Next to BF Billy Idol". MSN.
23. ^ "A Closer Look at Keanu Reeves' Dating History". Us Weekly. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
24. ^ "CHINA CHOW on Instagram: "TWO YEARS AND COUNTING. Happy Anniversary @billyidol x"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
25. ^ "The Big Hit (1998) imdb.com". IMDb. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
26. ^ "Head over Heels (2001) imdb.com". IMDb. Retrieved 30 December 2016.

## External links

[edit]

* China Chow at IMDb

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* France
* BnF data