Rae Dawn Chong

Acting

Rae Dawn Chong

Born 1961-02-28 · Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Rae Dawn Chong, a Canadian-American actress, has graced screens for decades. Born in Edmonton in 1961, the daughter of comedian Tommy Chong, her heritage reflects a rich mix of African-American, Native American, Asian, and Scottish-Irish ancestry. After her debut in the 1978 film "Stony Island," Chong's breakthrough came in 1981 with "Quest for Fire," which earned her a prestigious Genie Award for Best Actress. Throughout the 80s, she thrived with diverse roles in films like "Beat Street," "The Color Purple," "Commando," and "Soul Man," showcasing her versatility across comedies, dramas, and thrillers. Continuing to act in the 90s and beyond, Chong has also been a philanthropist, supporting charities and even discovering a future star (Chris Pratt) during his early days as a waiter. With her impactful performances, Rae Dawn Chong remains a remarkable figure in the entertainment industry.

Acting credits

Commando poster
6.7

John Matrix, the former leader of a special commando strike force that always got the toughest jobs done, is forced back into action when his young daughter is kidnapped. To find her, Matrix has to fight his way through an array of punks, killers, one of his former commandos, and a fully equipped private army. With the help of a feisty stewardess and an old friend, Matrix has only a few hours to overcome his greatest challenge: finding his daughter before she's killed.

Commando

1985

The Color Purple poster
7.7

An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing 'Mister' Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa.

The Color Purple

1985

Crying Freeman poster
6.4

A lethal assassin for a secret Chinese organisation, who sheds tears of regret each time he kills, is seen swiftly and mercilessly executing three Yakuza gangsters by a beautiful artist. She is captivated by the grace of his kill and later falls in love with him. An intense power struggle for the leadership of the Yakuza Clans ensues as they seek vengeance for the death of their leader.

Crying Freeman

1995

Quest for Fire poster
7.0

In the prehistoric world, a Cro-Magnon tribe depends on an ever-burning source of fire, which eventually extinguishes. Lacking the knowledge to start a new fire, the tribe sends three warriors on a quest for more. With the tribe's future at stake, the warriors make their way across a treacherous landscape full of hostile tribes and monstrous beasts. On their journey, they encounter Ika, a woman who has the knowledge they seek.

Quest for Fire

1981

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie poster
6.2

A young boy tells three stories of horror to distract a witch who plans to eat him.

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie

1990

The Principal poster
6.5

Burglary. Drugs. Assault. Rape. The students at Brandel High are more than new Principal Rick Latimer bargained for. Gangs fight to control the school using knives - even guns - when they have to. When Latimer and the head of security try to clean up the school and stop the narcotics trade, they run up against a teenage mafia. A violent confrontation on the campus leads to a deadly showdown with the drug dealer's gang, and one last chance for Latimer to save his career... and his life.

The Principal

1987

Jeff, Who Lives at Home poster
6.2

Dispatched from his basement room on an errand for his mother, slacker Jeff might discover his destiny (finally) when he spends the day with his brother as he tracks his possibly adulterous wife.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home

2012

Hideaway poster
5.2

Hatch Harrison, his wife, Lindsey, and their daughter, Regina, are enjoying a pleasant drive when a car crash leaves wife and daughter unharmed but kills Hatch. However, an ingenious doctor, Jonas Nyebern, manages to revive Hatch after two lifeless hours. But Hatch does not come back unchanged. He begins to suffer horrible visions of murder -- only to find out the visions are the sights of a serial killer.

Hideaway

1995

American Flyers poster
6.2

When Dr. Marcus Sommers realizes that he and his troubled, estranged brother David may be prone a fatal brain disease that runs in their family, he decides to make peace with his sibling, and invites him on a trip to the Rockies. There, the brothers bond over their shared enthusiasm for cycling and decide to enter a grueling bike race through the mountains. However, Marcus' health soon begins to fail, and David must compete without his brother at his side.

American Flyers

1985

Soul Man poster
5.3

A white prospective grad student's affluent family won't pay his way through law school, so he takes tanning pills to darken his skin in order to qualify for an African-American scholarship at Harvard. He soon gets more than he bargained for, as he begins to learn what life is really like for blacks in America.

Soul Man

1986

Beat Street poster
6.9

An aspiring DJ, from the South Bronx, and his best friend, a promoter, try to get into show business by exposing people to hip-hop music and culture.

Beat Street

1984

Fear City poster
5.4

Strippers in Manhattan are being stalked and murdered by a psycho. A hard-nosed police detective and a conflicted ex-boxer-turned-private-eye, hired by the strip club owners, set out to find him before he strikes again.

Fear City

1984

When the Party's Over poster
4.9

Three women and a gay man in their 20s share a house in Los Angeles; try to find love and happiness - often at the expense of their well-being and friendships. Artist Amanda is trying to make it on the gallery scene, while aspiring actor Banks attempts to hit it big in Hollywood. Meanwhile, Frankie has an emotionally draining yet rewarding job as a social worker, but would be shattered to know that her roommate M.J. is sleeping with her boyfriend.

When the Party's Over

1993

Amazon poster
5.1

Widowed and broke Finnish businessman Kari takes his two teenage daughters with him to Brazil. A bush pilot introduces him to the idea of gold mining in the jungle, but a beautiful and educated local woman warns him about the possible consequences to the rain forest. Kari has mixed feelings about the project, until an accident puts him in the care of a local Indian tribe.

Amazon

1990

Boca poster
3.6

A photo-journalist goes to Brazil to investigate a savage crime boss. She becomes infatuated with the story.

Boca

1994

Relapse poster
NR

Mackenzie, a viral music sensation, soared to fame with her chart-topping Bowie cover, securing a major record deal and global tours. A tragic tour-bus crash killed two people and left her with a broken back, leading to opioid addiction during recovery. With support, she got sober and rebuilt her career. Now, facing a stalled album release and financial ruin relapses into alcohol and opioids, while livestreaming it all.

Relapse

Zabagabee poster
NR

Long-form Barnes and Barnes piece featuring a handful of music videos, sketches, and assorted weirdness.

Zabagabee

1987

Choose Me poster
6.1

Several lost-soul night-owls, including a nightclub owner, a talk radio relationship counselor, and an itinerant stranger have encounters that expose their contradictions and anxieties about love and acceptance.

Choose Me

1984

The Squeeze poster
5.0

Harry Berg is both a con artist and an actual artist -- he constructs large sculptures out of television sets -- but he is not particularly successful in either role. He owes some money, which gets him involved with Rachel Dobs, a police detective who works with a collection agency. When Harry comes into possession of a strange parcel, both the con man and the detective find themselves wrapped up in a sinister corporate plot to fix the lottery.

The Squeeze

1987

The Mistress poster
4.6

Newlyweds Parker and Madeline move into their dream home. As they settle in, they discover a box of old love letters written to the original owner. And as the couple digs into the increasingly obsessive correspondence, a mysterious woman arrives with a horrifying secret that threatens their lives.

The Mistress

2023

The Borrower poster
5.0

Aliens punish one of their own by sending him to earth. The alien is very violent, and when the body he occupies is damaged, he is forced to find another.

The Borrower

1991

Shiver poster
4.2

Wendy Alden, a young secretary in Portland lacking in self- confidence becomes victim of a savage killer who has claimed the lives of a number of other women. Somehow Wendy finds the resources of courage to fight back and escape.

Shiver

2012

Five Minutes poster
NR

A progressive elementary school's "parenting class" takes an unexpected dramatic turn.

Five Minutes

2017

FEEL poster
NR

This avant-garde film is a stained glass window of emotion. 28 different people's feelings are woven into an emotional time capsule that will never exist again. A multi-dimensional bottle of feelings and time and art captured in a film.

FEEL

2025

Behind the camera