Vanessa Kai

Biography

VANESSA KAI is best known for her work in CW's hit series "Kung Fu".

Most recently, you can find Vanessa in a recurring role as Gisela Mott on "Elsbeth" starring Carrie Preston on CBS. In theater, Vanessa Kai was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as "Ruby" in the world premiere of "KPOP," an Off-Broadway, immersive musical event produced by Ars Nova. Other notable credits include the world premieres of "The Pain of My Belligerence" at Playwrights Horizons, "Somebody's Daughter" at Second Stage and "The Architecture of Becoming" at New York's City Center.

Vanessa's breakthrough role came in 2020 when she was cast as Pei-Ling Zhang in CW's hit series "Kung Fu", produced by Warner Bros. Her powerful portrayal of the mysterious and wise mentor to the show's protagonist, Nicky Shen (Olivia Liang), has been praised for its depth and nuance that quickly made her a fan favorite.

Before "Kung Fu", Vanessa appeared in a number of other television series and films, including "New Amsterdam", "Orange Is the New Black", "The Mysteries of Laura", "The Blacklist", "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit", and "Madam Secretary".

A champion of new works Kai is much sought after for her collaborative spirit and her love of world building, and has helped to develop new plays at New York Stage & Film, Public Theater, SoHo Rep., Roundabout Theater Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Steppenwolf Theatre, Eugene O’Neill Theatre, Two River Theater, The New Group, The Lark Play Development Center, Baltimore Center Stage, Playwrights Realm, New Dramatists, and many others.

Vanessa is a native New Yorker and a first generation Chinese American.

Known For

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Reporter

Gotham

Board Member

Orange Is the New Black

Elizabeth Wilkinson

New Amsterdam

Suzanne Izuka

Elsbeth

Gisela Mott

Madam Secretary

CIA Agent

The Leftovers

Parent at School

The Mysteries of Laura

Marcia Collinsworth

Filmography

Year	Movie	Role
2020	Gabriel's Inferno	Dr. Ling
2017	Disconnected	Dr. Levitt
2017	Off the Rails	Zara
2017	Second Chance Christmas	Dr. Levitt
2009	A NY Thing	Cool Girl
2008	Death in Love	Asian Woman
	Freud's Magic Powder	The Japanese Wife

Year	TV Show	Role
2024	Elsbeth	Gisela Mott
2021	Kung Fu	Pei-Ling Zhang
2018	New Amsterdam	Suzanne Izuka
2014	Gotham	Board Member
2014	The Leftovers	Parent at School
2014	The Mysteries of Laura	Marcia Collinsworth
2014	Madam Secretary	CIA Agent
2013	Orange Is the New Black	Elizabeth Wilkinson
1999	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Reporter