California internist plays an OB in his first film role

Ken Jeong, MD, jokes about eating a lot of spaghetti as a struggling actor, but he gets a shining moment in "Knocked Up."

By Damon Adams, AMNews staff. July 23/30, 2007.

The same magazine that praised the Beatles gave kudos to Ken Jeong, MD.

Not for the California internist's skills in the exam room, but for his talent on the big screen.

Rolling Stone, in its review of the movie "Knocked Up," said Dr. Jeong made an indelible impression portraying an irritable and insensitive ob-gyn. "That was so cool," the doctor said like an ecstatic teenager.

Pardon Dr. Jeong for sounding so excited, but he's part of a romantic comedy that grossed more than $120 million in its first month of release. People recognize him from the film, giving him a taste of Hollywood fame.

On top of that, he's working in two professions that he loves: medicine and acting.

"Since the movie, it's been really surreal. It's been my big break," said Dr. Jeong, 37, who lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife, family physician Tran Ho, MD, and their twin daughters.

Dr. Jeong acted in college theater productions as an undergraduate and he did stand-up comedy during his residency in New Orleans. "I ended up doing it for fun. It was my golf."

He won a comedy competition in New Orleans, then moved to Los Angeles. He performed in comedy clubs as Dr. Ken and landed small TV roles. He also started doing gigs with fellow Asian comics, billing themselves "The Kims of Comedy."

He appeared in the hit TV show "The Office," doing a scene with Steve Carrell in an improv class. Such brushes with greatness leave him starstruck.