Joanne Nguyen was born in Stockton, California and raised in San Jose. She grew interested in the art of acting at the age of 12 when she performed in her 6th grade play. She continued to perform in high school and college. She went to UCLA as a Spanish major and speaks Vietnamese, Spanish and English. She has written and produced her own short film, Stay, where she won the Young Filmmaker's Best Actress award.

Credits