Brenda Song (born March 27, 1988) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Wendy Wu in the action film Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, London Tipton in the comedy franchise The Suite Life, and Anne Boonchuy in the animated series Amphibia.
She voiced and motion captured the role of Kaitlyn Ka in the game The Quarry.
Early Life[]
Brenda Song was born on March 27, 1988, in Carmichael, California. Her father is Hmong and her mother is Thai. Song has two younger brothers, Timmy and Nathan Song. Her paternal grandparents were from the Xiong clan but changed their last name to Song when the family immigrated to the United States. When she was six years old, Song moved with her mother to Los Angeles, California, to support her acting career. She was homeschooled and earned a high school diploma at age 16. Song graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2009.
Career[]
Song started working in show business as a child fashion model in San Francisco after being spotted in a shopping mall by an agent from a modeling school. She began acting at the age of five or six, in a Little Caesars commercial, and then a Barbie commercial. Her first film role was in the 1995 Requiem, an AFI student short film by actress Elizabeth Sung. The film won a CINE Golden Eagle award. She appeared in another short film directed by Elizabeth Sung called The White Fox.
After a small role in Leave It to Beaver (1997), Song appeared in the Nickelodeon television series 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd, after which she had numerous small roles in television shows such as 7th Heaven, Judging Amy, ER, Once and Again, The Brothers García, Popular, Bette, The Bernie Mac Show, The Nightmare Room, For the People, and George Lopez. Two of Song's early roles led to recognition in the Young Artist Awards. Her role in the 2000 Disney Channel Original Movie, The Ultimate Christmas Present, won her the award for "Best Performance in a TV Movie Comedy, Supporting Young Actress. Her 2002 appearance on The Bernie Mac Show led to her nomination for "Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series, Guest Starring Young Actress.
In 2002, Song signed a contract with Disney and appeared in a number of its shows and movies such as Get a Clue, Phil of the Future and Stuck in the Suburbs. In 2005, Song began appearing as London Tipton in the Disney Channel Original Series, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Song was often praised for her performance in the series, causing her to appear regularly in other Disney projects including American Dragon: Jake Long, The Emperor's New School and Amphibia. Brenda also reprised her role as London Tipton in The Suite Life on Deck, Wizards of Waverly Place, Hannah Montana and The Suite Life Movie.
In 2022, Song starred in the horror video game The Quarry, where she voiced and motion captured the character Kaitlyn.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Requiem | Young Fong | Short film |
| 1996 | Santa with Muscles | Susan | |
| 1997 | Leave It to Beaver | Susan Akatsu | |
| 1999 | The White Fox | Sandy | Short film |
| 2002 | Like Mike | Reg Stevens | |
| 2006 | Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior | Wendy Wu | Lead Role |
| 2008 | College Road Trip | Nancy | |
| 2009 | Boogie Town | Natalie | |
| 2010 | The Social Network | Christy Ling | |
| 2010 | Little Sister | Storyteller | |
| 2011 | The Little Engine That Could | Shiny Passenger Train (voice) | Direct-to-DVD film |
| 2011 | Cinnamon | Cinnamon (voice) | Direct-to-DVD film |
| 2012 | First Kiss | Samantha | Short film |
| 2019 | Changeland | Pen | |
| 2019 | Secret Obsession | Jennifer Allen Williams | |
| 2020 | Bobbleheads: The Movie | Kelani (voice) | Direct-to-DVD film |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–1995 | Thunder Alley | Kathy | 2 Episodes |
| 1995 | Fudge | Jennie | 2 Episodes |
| 1999 | Once and Again | Chrissy | Episode: "There Be Dragons" |
| 1999 | MADtv | Trick-or-Treater | Episode: "Halloween Special Edition" |
| 1999 | Popular | Mandy Shepherd | Episode: "Fall on Your Knees" |
| 2000–2002 | 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd | Sariffa Chung | Main role; 19 Episodes |
| 2000 | 7th Heaven | Cynthia | 2 Episodes |
| 2000 | The Ultimate Christmas Present | Samantha Kwan | Disney Channel Original Movie |
| 2000 | The Brothers García | Jenny | Episode: "Love Me Tender" |
| 2001 | Bette | Stacey | Episode: "The Invisible Mom" |
| 2001 | ER | Lynda An | Episode: "Fear of Commitment" |
| 2001 | Judging Amy | Vanessa Pran | Episode: "Darkness for Light" |
| 2002 | The Bernie Mac Show | Shannon | Episode: "The King and I" |
| 2002 | The Nightmare Room | Tessa | Episode: "Dear Diary, I'm Dead" |
| 2002 | George Lopez | Jennifer | Episode: "Token of Unappreciation" |
| 2002 | Get a Clue | Jennifer | Disney Channel Original Movie |
| 2002 | For the People | Ellie | Episode: "The Double Standard" |
| 2003 | That's So Raven | Amber | Episode: "A Dog by Any Other Name" |
| 2003 | Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Mitzi Suzuki (voice) | 2 Episodes |
| 2003 | One on One | Asoniti | Episode: "Keeping It" |
| 2004–2005 | Phil of the Future | Tia | 8 Episodes |
| 2004 | Costume Party Capers: The Incredibles | Alex (voice) | Television film |
| 2004 | Stuck in the Suburbs | Natasha Kwon-Schwartz | Disney Channel Original Movie |
| 2005–2008 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | London Tipton | Main role; 85 Episodes |
| 2006 | Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior | Wendy Wu | Disney Channel Original Movie; Also co-producer |
| 2006 | Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn't Happen | Treat (voice) | Television film |
| 2006 | American Dragon: Jake Long | Cheerleader Tracey (voice) | Episode: "Bring It On" |
| 2007 | The Emperor's New School | Dancing Queen (voice) | Episode: "The Emperor's New Tuber/Room for Improvement" |
| 2008 | Macy's Presents Little Spirit: Christmas in New York | Paige | Television film |
| 2008 | Special Delivery | Alice Cantwell | Television film |
| 2008–2011 | The Suite Life on Deck | London Tipton | Main role; 71 Episodes |
| 2009 | Phineas and Ferb | Wendy (voice) | Episode: "Unfair Science Fair" |
| 2009 | Wizards of Waverly Place | London Tipton | Episode: "Cast-Away (to Another Show)" |
| 2009 | Hannah Montana | Episode: "Super(stitious) Girl" | |
| 2011 | The Suite Life Movie | Disney Channel Original Movie | |
| 2011 | Pixie Hollow Games | Chloe (voice) | Disney Channel Television special |
| 2012 | Key & Peele | Purple Falcon | Episode: "Power Falcons" |
| 2012–2013 | Scandal | Alissa | Recurring role; 4 Episodes |
| 2013 | New Girl | Daisy | Recurring role; 4 Episodes |
| 2013–2014 | Dads | Veronica | Main role; 19 Episodes |
| 2014, 2018 | Robot Chicken | Various voices | 2 Episodes |
| 2014 | The League | Rosette | Episode: "The Hot Tub" |
| 2015 | Miles from Tomorrowland | Frida (voice) | 3 Episodes |
| 2016 | Life in Pieces | Bonnie | Episode: "Bite Flight Wing-Man Bonnie" |
| 2016–2017 | Pure Genius | Angie Cheng | Main role; 13 Episodes |
| 2016 | Freaktown | B-1000 | |
| 2017 | Superstore | Kristen | 2 Episodes |
| 2017 | Angry Angel | Allison Pyke | Freeform television film |
| 2018–2020 | Station 19 | JJ | Recurring role; 10 Episodes |
| 2019–2022 | Amphibia | Anne Boonchuy (voice) | Lead role |
| 2019–2022 | Dollface | Madison Maxwell | Main role; 20 Episodes |
| 2020 | The Eric Andre Show | Herself | Episode: "The ASAP Ferg Show" |
| 2022 | The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder | Vanessa Vue | Episodes: "Snackland" and "Get In" |
Video games[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Quarry | Kaitlyn |
Web series[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–2011 | London Tipton's Yay Me! Starring London Tipton | London Tipton | Web series; 3 Episodes |
| 2019 | Teen Girl in a Frog World | Anne Boonchuy (voice) | Web series; 4 Episodes |
| TBA | Blue Eye Samurai' | Web series |
