Asian-American actor-writer of stage, film, and TV who gained national attention playing the quirky outspoken grandmother (several decades her senior) on the groundbreaking sitcom "All-American Girl" (ABC, 1994-95). Hill pulled off the illusion with the assistance of her doughy but expressive features, ample physique, and a flair for vocal and physical mannerisms. Her sassy asides were often the show's comic highlights. The daughter of a native Japanese mother and a Finnish-American serviceman father, Hill experienced a lonely childhood growing up in rural South Dakota. Traveling to Japan as a teen, Hill attended the Sophia International University in Tokyo and worked part-time in radio and TV. Back in the states, she attended the American Conservatory Theater and became a busy voice-over performer and improviser in the California Bay Area. Hill became a West Coast stage fixture and performed her autobiographical one-woman show "Tokyo Bound" there before bringing it to the "Festival of New Voices" at New York's Public Theater.
Most of Hill's film and TV work has been in small character bits, often playing medical professionals and technicians. She appeared in several projects helmed by Wayne Wang ("Dim Sum: a little bit of heart" 1984; and the short "Dim Sum Take-Outs" 1988) and provided narration for two documentaries by Steven Okazarki ("Unfinished Business" 1985; "Troubled Paradise" 1992). Hill's TV guest spots include appearances on "Growing Pains", "Perfect Strangers" and "Beverly Hills, 90210".
Hill continues to work on stage and write. She has written scripts for "The Puzzle Place", a daily preschool series stressing multicultural values, that began airing on PBS in 1995. She also briefly returned to series TV in the short-lived Marie Osmond vehicle "Maybe This Time" (ABC, 1995). In 1997, Hill joined the cast of NBC's revamped sitcom "The Naked Truth" for its final season, playing a tabloid photographer, and the actress would continue to be a familiar fixture on the small screen, guesting on several series and enjoying recurring roles on "The Hughleys," "My Wife and Kids" and "That's So Raven." On the big-screen her comedic talents earned her scene-stealing supporting turns in films such as "Next Friday" (2000), "Max Keeble's Big Movie" (2001) and "Big Fat Liar" (2002), while she voiced Mrs. Hagasawa in Disney's animated hit "Lilo & Stitch" and nabbed other voice acting parts on TV's "King of the Hill" and "Jackie Chan Adventures." She had a major screen role as Mrs. Kwan, the nanny and rival to Mike Myers' Cat in Mrs. Kwan in the hyperactive "Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat."
Profession(s):
Actor, producer, writer, talk show host, voice actor
Sometimes Credited As:
2003 Appeared as Mrs Kwan in the film adaption of "Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat"
2000 Was featured in the East West Players production of "Follies"; played showgirl Hattie Walker who sings "Broadway Baby"
1997 Joined cast of the NBC sitcom "The Naked Truth"
1995 Cast as regular on the short-lived ABC sitcom "Maybe This Time"
1994 - 1995 TV series debut as a regular, playing Grandma on the ABC sitcom "All-American Girl"
1994 Became a writer for "The Puzzle Place", a daily, mulitcultural preschool series (aired on PBS from 1/95)
1993 Appeared (uncredited) in Wang's "The Joy Luck Club"
1992 Narrated "Troubled Paradise", a PBS documentary directed by Okazaki about social and political problems facing Hawaii's indigenous population
1990 Acted in a recurring role on the ABC sitcom, "Perfect Strangers"
1988 First appearance in a major Hollywood movie, "Scrooged"
1988 Appeared in "Dim Sum Take-Outs", a comedy short directed by Wang
1987 TV acting debut, a guest shot on "The Tracey Ullman Show"
1985 Feature acting debut, "Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart", directed by Wayne Wang
1985 Narrated "Unfinished Business", a documentary directed by Steven Okazaki
1972 Traveled to Japan at age 18 (date approximate)
Grew up in the isolated South Dakota countryside
Studied for six years at Sophia International University in Tokyo
Began working part-time in Japanese radio and TV
By age 21, had traveled through Asia, the Middle East and Europe on her own
Returned to the USA; attended the American Conservatory Theater
Became a busy voice-over performer and improvisation artist in the California Bay Area
Worked for eight years on the California stage, amassing over 30 credits in productions at San Francisco's Asian-American Theater Company, the Eureka Theater, the Berkeley Repertory Theater, the Mark
Wrote and starred in a one-woman show entitled "Tokyo Bound"
Performed "Tokyo Bound" in Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles
Performed "Tokyo Bound" in the "Festival of New Voices" at the Public Theater in NYC
Produced and hosted a public access cable show that celebrated Asian-Pacific Americans in arts and entertainment
Hosted an Asian-American teen talkshow, "Get Real"