DUSTIN TRI NGUYEN Instagram: @dustintringuyen - jdspr

DUSTIN TRI NGUYEN
                       Instagram: @dustintringuyen

        Born in 1962 to an actress/dancer and an
actor/comedian/writer/producer in Saigon,
Dustin Tri Nguyen (pronounced "Gwen") and his
family left Vietnam in 1975 and relocated to a
refugee camp in Guam. When Nguyen was 18,
his family moved to Orange County, California
where he went on to pursue acting, despite his
father’s disapproval, and establish himself as one
of Hollywood’s premiere Asian-American actors
having starred on the hit TV shows "21 Jump
Street,” "Seaquest DSV" and “VIP”. He went on
to star in the films LITTLE FISH, THE REBEL
and THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS 2.

        Nguyen saw traction when he signed a
contract with daytime soap opera “General
Hospital” where he began to study acting
seriously. Dustin says, “It was like film school because I got to follow 22 different
directors around and ask questions.” His big break came when he auditioned for
“Magnum, P.I.” and landed the leading guest star role in a two-hour special. This
eventually led him to his groundbreaking role on “21 Jump Street”.

                                                  Currently, Dustin can be seen starring in
                                                  and directing Justin Lin’s series “Warrior”
                                                  on Cinemax. The Show, based on the
                                                  writings of Bruce Lee, is set in late 1870s
                                                  San Francisco during the Tong Wars in
                                                  Chinatown. In the Series he plays the “Big
                                                  Bad” Zing. Dustin is especially looking
                                                  forward to season 2 where due to his
                                                  popularity, he will be returning as Zing
                                                  and directing the sixth episode of the
                                                  show. He says “I was dying to play a
really cool villain and direct.” This past season also saw Dustin guest starring on the
NBC hit Drama “This Is Us.”

       In more recent years, Dustin has transitioned to directing and producing films
under his Vietnam-based Dreamscape DBS; the production company he shares with his

producer wife, Bebe Pham. 2015 was a particularly good year for Dustin as his second
directorial effort, JACKPOT, was chosen to represent Vietnam for Best Foreign
Language Films at the 2016 Oscars. The film was one of the surprise hits with
Vietnamese audiences that year as it was inspired by the true events of a poor countryside
lottery peddler who returned the winning lottery ticket to its rightful owner. By summer
of 2016, JACKPOT collected 3 Golden Kite Awards (Vietnam’s highest cinematic award)
for Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Screenplay, in addition to People’s Choice Award
for the Best Film of 2015. Recently he acquired the Vietnamese remake rights for the
Korean movie MY WIFE IS A GANGSTER and many other directing opportunities in
the U.S.

         Dustin was the first Asian American actor
many had seen on prime time television without an
accent. Fans watched him every week without fail on
“21 Jump Street” playing undercover detective, Harry
Truman Ioki, with piercings, a long mullet and a
leather jacket while riding a motorcycle. He played
cool and badass when Asian American men on screen
were always portrayed as weak, nerdy and sexually
neutered. Not only that, his character played against
the stereotypical accountant or computer programmer
that most Asian Americans were typecast into. After he
had wrapped four seasons of “21 Jump Street” Dustin
booked more film and televisions roles. Many of his
fans were delighted to see him on “VIP”, the campy
action-comedy show starring Pamela Anderson, where
he once again played against stereotype.

       In 2014, Dustin collaborated as an actor in a Vietnamese adaptation of
Dostoyevsky’s A GENTLE CREATURE. This film, GENTLE, earned him a Leonardo da
Vinci Horse Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 2015 Milan International Film
Festival. In the same year, Dustin starred in Universal Pictures’ sequel to THE MAN
WITH THE IRON FISTS.

         In 2013, he made his directorial debut with a script he wrote which was his
personal homage to Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns, called ONCE UPON A TIME IN
VIETNAM - the first fantasy-martial-arts-drama in Vietnam. The film was picked up by
Lionsgate for North America distribution, as well as being distributed in England,
Germany, Italy, France, Australia and South America. The movie explored what society
thinks a man and hero should be and he incorporated several Buddhist ideas – so much so
that Vietnamese media thought it was a Buddhist movie. He says, “One of the things that
really stayed with me in Buddhism is the idea that until we can manage our anger – that
fire inside us – our ‘house’ will burn… Our Biggest battle really is inside us.”

       In 2011, Dustin was awarded Best Actor at the Vietnamese International Film
Festival for his performance as an abusive and bitter single father raising two children in
the Mekong Delta in FLOATING LIVES. In 2009, Dustin was awarded the Vietnamese

Golden Lotus Award (Vietnam’s Highest Film Award) for Best Actor in the motion
picture THE LEGEND IS ALIVE, as well as the Golden Kite Award (Vietnam’s Cinema
Association) for the very same role. He was also awarded the Golden Rooster (China’s
most prestigious film award) for Favorite International Actor for this very role. Dustin
played Long, a mentally challenged man, whose only wish is to bring his recently
deceased mother’s ashes to America. Along his journey, Long encounters and reluctantly
involves himself with a young girl who has been sold to human traffickers.

         In 2008, Dustin starred in Justin Lin's film FINISHING THE GAME, which had
premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2006, Dustin starred in his first villain role
in the Vietnamese blockbuster THE REBEL, a French-Vietnamese 1920's period action-
drama. It marked his first return to Vietnam in 32 years.

                                                      In 2005 Dustin won the much
                                                      sought after role in the Australian
                                                      based critically acclaimed film
                                                      LITTLE FISH starring opposite
                                                      Academy Award-winner Cate
                                                      Blanchett. In the film Dustin plays
                                                      ‘Jonny,’ Blanchett’s love interest in
                                                      a story that revolves around her
                                                      ‘Tracy,’ an ex-heroin-addict trying
                                                      to rebuild her life. The film
                                                      premiered at the Toronto
                                                      International Film Festival and went
                                                      on to become the number-one film
in Australia. Along the way, it collected 5 Australian Film Institute Awards and 3 Film
Critics’ Awards. LITTLE FISH then opened in New York to rave reviews. Critics took
note of Dustin's performance and transformation into a leading man among the A-list
cast. This very performance earned him the 2007 Asian Excellence Award for Best
Supporting Actor in a feature film.

         Dustin's martial arts expertise was fully showcased in 2000 when he starred in a
Levi's Jeans' European "Hero" campaign, which expanded upon his ever-growing
international profile. The campaign was uniquely groundbreaking in that it was the first
time Levi's had ever used an Asian star in their awarded winning campaigns. For Dustin,
it offered the first opportunity to apply his love for the martial arts along with his
dramatic training as he collaborated with director Jonathan Glazer (UNDER THE SKIN,
SEXY BEAST, BIRTH) on the fight choreography. Nguyen to this day is still fit and in
fighting form putting to practice several martial arts – including Muay Thai, Tae Kwon
Do, Eskrima and Jeet June Do – in many of his projects.

        Though Nguyen constantly credited the Asian American actors before him like
Clyde Kusatsu, who worked with and advised him on the set of “Magnum P.I.,” it’s not
lost on him that he is one of the reasons current Asiana American actors are now
receiving the visibility they deserve. With this new age of Asian American representation
in film and television that Nguyen helped pioneer, the scene is set for his return.

Dustin currently lives in Vietnam with his wife, Bebe Pham, and their two
children.

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