Jodi Long
(born January 7, 1954) is an American actress.
She was raised in
Queens, New York. Her parents are Kimiye (
n??e
Tsunemitsu), a showgirl performer of
Japanese American descent, and Lawrence K. Long, of Chinese-Scottish background who emigrated to the United States from Australia and had a career as a
tap-dancer
vaudevillian and later as a PGA golf professional.
Having graduated with a
BFA
from the acting conservatory at
SUNY Purchase, Long had roles in many feature films including
Patty Hearst
,
RoboCop 3,
Striking Distance and
The Hot Chick. On television she appeared as a regular on such series as
Cafe Americain,
All American Girl
and
Miss Match, all of which were short-lived.
In addition to her credited roles, Long appeared uncredited in a brief black-and-white cut-scene in the music video for
Bizarre Love Triangle by the British group
New Order, directed by American artist
Robert Longo, in which she argues with
E. Max Frye (where she emphatically declares "I don't believe in
reincarnation because I refuse to come back as a bug or as a rabbit!").
On stage she appeared in the 2002 Broadway revival of
Flower Drum Song, winning an Ovation Award for her performance during the Los Angeles tryout. Her parents, both of whom were
vaudeville-style performers, appeared on the
Ed Sullivan Show on May 7, 1950 as the singing, dancing, comedy act,
Larry and Trudie Leung
. They were the subjects of a documentary film,
Long Story Short
, which was directed by Christine Choy, an Academy Award-nominated director and written by Long. The documentary film won the 2008 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival's Grand Jury's Honorable Mention for a Documentary Award as well as the Audience Award.