Thuy Trang
Encyclopedia
Thuy Trang was a Vietnamese American
actress. She was best known for her role as Trini Kwan
, the original Yellow Ranger in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
television series.
(ARVN) and was tasked to protect the capital Saigon from the Communist
Vietnam People's Army
during the fall of Saigon
in 1975. The Communist forces overcame his battalion, which was low on ammunition and air support, during a fierce battle. He decided to return home to retrieve his family, but the route was blocked by the North Vietnam
ese Army. Fearing for his life, he fled South Vietnam
and was given political asylum by the United States
. He vowed to bring his family to the United States and contact U.S. government officials to politically pressure the Communist government of the unified Vietnam
.
In 1975, when Trang was two years old, the rest of the family (Thuy, her mother, two brothers and a sister) were forced to flee Saigon and in 1979 they secretly boarded a cargo ship
along with hundreds of other persecuted
Southern Vietnamese traveling to Hong Kong
, with the ultimate aim of reaching the United States. Trang herself was very ill at the time and almost did not survive.
Upon arrival in Hong Kong, Trang's father petitioned the U.S. government for political asylum for his family. After some time living in a Hong Kong
detention camp, Trang and her family were reunited in Little Saigon, California in 1980. The reunion was short lived, however, as her father died of cancer
in 1982. Trang began to study kung fu around the age of nine.
Trang graduated from Banning High School and earned a scholarship to study civil engineering
at the University of California, Irvine
, planning to follow her father and older siblings into engineering. However, around 1992 she was approached by a talent scout, sparking an interest in acting.
Through the talent scout she got small roles in a couple of TV commercials/advertisements before getting her first major role in 1993 when she landed the role of Trini Kwan, the Yellow Ranger, on the original cast of the TV series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
Trang was on the show for about one and a half seasons. She left the show along with Austin St. John and Walter Emanuel Jones, with whom she became very good friends, and was replaced by Karan Ashley. She went on to play Kali, one of the lead villains in the 1996 movie The Crow: City of Angels.
Earlier the same year, she also appeared in Spy Hard as a manicurist. However, she was incorrectly credited as a masseuse, her credit being somehow switched with Tara Leon, who played a masseuse in the same short scene.
She was set to appear in Cyberstrike, which never entered production. Trang also appeared in a video documentary called The Encyclopedia of Martial Arts in 1995 as an interviewee.
. She and former actress/model Angela Rockwood-Nguyen, wife of Dustin Nguyen
, were passengers in a car traveling on Interstate 5
between San Francisco and Los Angeles
. They were returning from visiting Rockwood-Nguyen's planned maid of honor when the driver (another of the bridesmaids) of the vehicle she was riding in lost control. The car swerved violently across the road before hitting the roadside rock face and flipping several times before hitting the safety rail and plunging over the bank.
Rockwood-Nguyen, who has claimed both that she was and was not wearing a seat belt
in different interviews, survived despite being thrown out of the vehicle through a window before its final impact; she is now quadriplegic
. It is thus not known whether Trang or the driver were wearing seatbelts. The driver survived the accident; however, Trang died from the injuries she had sustained.
Trang was cremated
a week later on September 10; her ashes are interred at Rose Hills Memorial Park
in Whittier, California
. Her Power Rangers co-stars Walter Emanuel Jones
, Amy Jo Johnson
, David Yost
and Austin St. John
attended the funeral and memorial service, paying tribute to their former co-star.
The episode "Circuit Unsure" of Power Rangers: Time Force
was dedicated to her memory.
Vietnamese American
A Vietnamese American is an American of Vietnamese descent. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American group....
actress. She was best known for her role as Trini Kwan
Trini Kwan
Trini Kwan is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe, portrayed by Vietnamese actress Thuy Trang. She is best remembered as the original Yellow Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the first entry of the franchise....
, the original Yellow Ranger in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
television series.
Early life
Trang's father was a soldier in the Army of the Republic of VietnamArmy of the Republic of Vietnam
The Army of the Republic of Viet Nam , sometimes parsimoniously referred to as the South Vietnamese Army , was the land-based military forces of the Republic of Vietnam , which existed from October 26, 1955 until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975...
(ARVN) and was tasked to protect the capital Saigon from the Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
Vietnam People's Army
Vietnam People's Army
The Vietnam People's Army is the armed forces of Vietnam. The VPA includes: the Vietnamese People's Ground Forces , the Vietnam People's Navy , the Vietnam People's Air Force, and the Vietnam Marine Police.During the French Indochina War , the VPA was often referred to as the Việt...
during the fall of Saigon
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front on April 30, 1975...
in 1975. The Communist forces overcame his battalion, which was low on ammunition and air support, during a fierce battle. He decided to return home to retrieve his family, but the route was blocked by the North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
ese Army. Fearing for his life, he fled South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
and was given political asylum by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He vowed to bring his family to the United States and contact U.S. government officials to politically pressure the Communist government of the unified Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
In 1975, when Trang was two years old, the rest of the family (Thuy, her mother, two brothers and a sister) were forced to flee Saigon and in 1979 they secretly boarded a cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
along with hundreds of other persecuted
Persecution
Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, isolation,...
Southern Vietnamese traveling to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, with the ultimate aim of reaching the United States. Trang herself was very ill at the time and almost did not survive.
Upon arrival in Hong Kong, Trang's father petitioned the U.S. government for political asylum for his family. After some time living in a Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
detention camp, Trang and her family were reunited in Little Saigon, California in 1980. The reunion was short lived, however, as her father died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1982. Trang began to study kung fu around the age of nine.
Trang graduated from Banning High School and earned a scholarship to study civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
at the University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
, planning to follow her father and older siblings into engineering. However, around 1992 she was approached by a talent scout, sparking an interest in acting.
Acting career
During 1994, Trang played a small role in an advertisement for Scientology, though she herself was a Buddhist.Through the talent scout she got small roles in a couple of TV commercials/advertisements before getting her first major role in 1993 when she landed the role of Trini Kwan, the Yellow Ranger, on the original cast of the TV series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
Trang was on the show for about one and a half seasons. She left the show along with Austin St. John and Walter Emanuel Jones, with whom she became very good friends, and was replaced by Karan Ashley. She went on to play Kali, one of the lead villains in the 1996 movie The Crow: City of Angels.
Earlier the same year, she also appeared in Spy Hard as a manicurist. However, she was incorrectly credited as a masseuse, her credit being somehow switched with Tara Leon, who played a masseuse in the same short scene.
She was set to appear in Cyberstrike, which never entered production. Trang also appeared in a video documentary called The Encyclopedia of Martial Arts in 1995 as an interviewee.
Death
Trang died in a car accident at the age of 27 on September 3, 2001 near San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. She and former actress/model Angela Rockwood-Nguyen, wife of Dustin Nguyen
Dustin Nguyen
Dustin Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American actor, director, writer and martial artist. He is best known for his roles as Harry Truman Ioki on 21 Jump Street and as Johnny Loh on V.I.P.-Early life:...
, were passengers in a car traveling on Interstate 5
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 is the main Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Ocean coastline from Canada to Mexico . It serves some of the largest cities on the U.S...
between San Francisco and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. They were returning from visiting Rockwood-Nguyen's planned maid of honor when the driver (another of the bridesmaids) of the vehicle she was riding in lost control. The car swerved violently across the road before hitting the roadside rock face and flipping several times before hitting the safety rail and plunging over the bank.
Rockwood-Nguyen, who has claimed both that she was and was not wearing a seat belt
Seat belt
A seat belt or seatbelt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a safety harness designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result from a collision or a sudden stop...
in different interviews, survived despite being thrown out of the vehicle through a window before its final impact; she is now quadriplegic
Quadriplegia
Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is paralysis caused by illness or injury to a human that results in the partial or total loss of use of all their limbs and torso; paraplegia is similar but does not affect the arms...
. It is thus not known whether Trang or the driver were wearing seatbelts. The driver survived the accident; however, Trang died from the injuries she had sustained.
Trang was cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
a week later on September 10; her ashes are interred at Rose Hills Memorial Park
Rose Hills Memorial Park
Rose Hills Memorial Park is the largest cemetery in the United States and is located in Whittier, California. It is owned and operated by Service Corporation International .-Mausoleums and Chapels:...
in Whittier, California
Whittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
. Her Power Rangers co-stars Walter Emanuel Jones
Walter Emanuel Jones
Walter Emanuel Jones is an American actor and dancer known for playing the role of Zack Taylor, the Black Ranger on the hit television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.-Life and career:...
, Amy Jo Johnson
Amy Jo Johnson
Amy Jo Johnson is an American actress, singer, songwriter and musician.She is best known for her roles in the televison series as the constable Jules Callaghan in the Canadian CTV television series Flashpoint, the famous jockey Tina Sharp in the ABC Family's original show Wildfire, the rookie cop...
, David Yost
David Yost
David Harold Yost is an American actor and producer known for his role of Billy Cranston on the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie and Power Rangers Zeo.-Early life:...
and Austin St. John
Austin St. John
Austin St. John is a former American actor and martial artist known for his role in the popular Power Rangers children's television series as Jason Lee Scott, the original Red Ranger and first leader of the Power Rangers. He is an emergency medical technician and firefighter.-Personal life:St...
attended the funeral and memorial service, paying tribute to their former co-star.
The episode "Circuit Unsure" of Power Rangers: Time Force
Power Rangers: Time Force
Power Rangers Time Force is the 2001 incarnation of the Power Rangers series, based on the Super Sentai series Mirai Sentai Timeranger, running for 40 half-hour episodes from February to November 2001. It was the 9th season of Power Rangers...
was dedicated to her memory.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–1994 | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months... |
Trini Kwan Trini Kwan Trini Kwan is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe, portrayed by Vietnamese actress Thuy Trang. She is best remembered as the original Yellow Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the first entry of the franchise.... |
Lead role; 80 episodes |
| 1994 | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (video game) Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is the title of five different video games based on the television series of the same name, which were released for the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Game Gear, and Sega CD... |
Trini Kwan Trini Kwan Trini Kwan is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe, portrayed by Vietnamese actress Thuy Trang. She is best remembered as the original Yellow Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the first entry of the franchise.... |
Video game; voice |
| 1995 | Encyclopedia of Martial Arts: Hollywood Celebrities | Herself | Video documentary |
| 1996 | Spy Hard Spy Hard Spy Hard is a 1996 American spy comedy film starring Leslie Nielsen and Nicollette Sheridan, parodying James Bond films and other action films. The introduction to the song is sung by comedy artist "Weird Al" Yankovic-Plot:... |
Manicurist | |
| 1996 | The Crow: City of Angels The Crow: City of Angels The Crow: City of Angels is a 1996 action film directed by Tim Pope. It is a sequel to the 1994 cult film The Crow.-Plot:The film is set in Los Angeles, where drug king Judah Earl controls it all... |
Kali |
See also
- 2001 in American television
- List of people who died in road accidents
- List of Vietnamese Americans
- List of Vietnamese actors
- List of Asian Americans