Irene Ng
Sze Irene Ng | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 28, 1974 Penang, Malaysia |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, educator, banker, preschool director |
| Years active | 1991–1999, 2008, 2018 |
| Known for | Portraying Shelby Woo in The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo |
Sze Irene Ng (born July 28, 1974) is an American professional known for her work as an actress, educator, banker, and as the founder and director of Mencius Mandarin Preschool located in Greenwich, Connecticut. She gained prominence for portraying Shelby Woo in the television series The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo.
Early life
Ng was born in Penang, Malaysia and spent her early years under the care of her maternal grandparents while her parents pursued studies in the United States. In 1989, she relocated with her family to Allentown, Pennsylvania. Her father operated a factory producing fire-resistant filing cabinets, and her mother was employed as a nurse. Ng completed her secondary education at William Allen High School, where she graduated as valedictorian in 1993 alongside her sister. At the age of 16, she attracted the attention of television agents after winning a beauty pageant in Pennsylvania.
Acting career
Ng began her acting journey with the ABC soap opera All My Children in 1991, appearing in a total of 18 episodes. In 1993, she featured in the films The Joy Luck Club and Heaven & Earth. Her television guest appearances include roles on Law & Order and Teen Angel. In 1996, Ng took on the lead role in Nickelodeon's Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, marking one of the pioneering instances of an Asian American actress headlining a TV series. The show aired for three seasons until 1998. Additionally, she appeared on Nickelodeon's game show Figure It Out in 1997. Her final film appearance was in The Sterling Chase (1999). Although she stepped away from acting in the early 2000s, Ng made occasional returns with minor roles on Law & Order (2008) and Showtime's The Affair (2018).
Later and personal life
While pursuing her acting career during the 1990s, Ng attended Harvard University, earning a BA degree in economics in 1997. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and reached finalist status for the Rhodes Scholarship. Subsequently, she obtained childcare management certification from New York University and earned the Child Development Associate credential. Following her academic achievements, Ng worked seven years as a banker at Merrill Lynch, with frequent business trips to China. In 2009, she established Mencius Mandarin Preschool in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she currently fulfills the role of director.
Ng married David Rosa in 2008; they have two children and live in Greenwich.
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Joy Luck Club | 15-year-old Lindo | |
| Heaven & Earth | Torture Girl #1 | ||
| 1999 | The Sterling Chase | Cathy |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | All My Children | An Li Chen Bodine #1 | 18 episodes |
| 1996-1998 | The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo | Shelby Woo | Lead role |
| 1996-2008 | Law & Order | Xuan-Lan Nguyen | "Double Blind" episode |
| Employee | "Knock Off" episode | ||
| 1997 | Figure It Out | Herself | Single episode |
| 1998 | Teen Angel | Nia | "Look Ma, No Face" episode |
| 2018 | The Affair | Ms. Ma | "#4.2" episode |
