Marie Matiko

Marie Matiko (born September 12, 1971, in California) is an American actress. --- Marie Matiko is of Chinese, Japanese and Filipino heritage. She endured a stern cultural upbringing, which ultimately fostered discipline and an inherent passion for the arts as a child, where she could freely express herself. "When I was in grade school, I wanted to become a concert pianist", Matiko said, who began playing piano at just four years of age. "I had always been taught to stifle my emotions, so if something upset me, I would go to my piano and play an angry concerto." In high school, she auditioned for the Young Americans where she was taught singing, dancing and performing in a conservatory setting. She was an Environmental Engineering major at UCLA. While still in college, she auditioned for the first national tour of Miss Saigon,and suddenly her career path took a sharp detour. She traded an ROTC scholarship for the role of "Gigi/Mimi" when she was picked by producer Cameron Macintosh at her first professional audition for the First National tour of Miss Saigon. Thus, Matiko set out to travel the country. While on the road, she continued taking academic classes at community colleges, in addition to acting, singing and dancing courses. From the Berklee College of Music in Boston to the Cleveland Institute of Music, she sought out the best instructions in virtually every city. While on the road in Boston, within hour of watching THE JOY LUCK CLUB with fellow cast member Minae Noji (General Hospital), Matiko decided she wanted to be a film actress. After leaving Miss Saigon, Matiko returned to Los Angeles where she embarked on a rigorous regimen of acting lessons. "I feel I’ve been training like an Olympic athlete.", Matiko said. In 2008, Matiko finished her degree from UCLA during the Hollywood Writer's Strike. --- Marie Matiko is known for her starring roles as Julia in The Art of War and as Betty in the 2006 film Date Movie. She has starred opposite leading men Craig T. Nelson, Tom Sizemore, Wesley Snipes, Mark Wahlberg, Patrick Warburton and Chow Yun-fat. For her performance in The Art of War, she garnered the nomination for Best Actress in a Feature Film at the 2001 AX Awards (the Asian-American Film and TV awards). Matiko was one of the AX Awards Top 20 Newcomers in 2006. In New Line Cinema's The Corruptor, produced by Oliver Stone, Marie Lan Matiko debuted on film as the love interest of Chow Yun-Fat. Challenging acting work from the start, she won the role of May, a heroine-addict and indentured servant trapped by NY Chinatown’s Triads. Under the direction of James Foley (Glengarry Glen Ross), Chow Yun-Fat and Mark Wahlberg share textured scene work alongside Matiko. In Fox’s 2007 release Date Movie, Matiko made a notable comedic debut alongside Fred Willard and Jennifer Coolidge, playing Betty.