Actress Elizabeth Sung, best known for her work in THE JOY LUCK CLUB and THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, as well as numerous television shows, feature films, and independent projects, passed away on Tuesday, May 22, 2018 after a brief battle with lymphoma. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Elizabeth began her career as a dancer and moved to New York at age seventeen to attend The Juilliard School. Upon graduation, she was recruited by the Alvin Ailey Repertory Dance Company, where she performed in many of Ailey’s most iconic works. Sidelined by a back injury, Elizabeth shifted her focus to acting and was soon hired to play Liat in SOUTH PACIFIC, the first of what would be many professional stage performances. She moved to Los Angeles in 1987 after being accepted into Sanford Meisner’s master class in acting, where she studied for three years. She also studied with Milton Katselas in L.A. Elizabeth made her first guest star appearance on television in THE EQUALIZER, and this launched a film and television career that would span more than thirty years. Her numerous television credits include two years on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS as Luan Volien Abbott, as well as roles on DISJOINTED, THE NIGHT SHIFT, ELEMENTARY, SHAMELESS, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, MIKE AND MOLLY, BONES, THE SOPRANOS, and NCIS-LA, to name a few. Her work in feature films includes roles in John Sayles’ GO FOR SISTERS, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, PING PONG PLAYA, THE JOY LUCK CLUB, and many others.

In addition to acting, her lifelong drive to challenge herself and deepen her skills led her to the AFI Directing Workshop for Women. Her short film, REQUIEM, was awarded a CINE Golden Eagle and the Mayor’s Award for Excellence for its moving autobiographical portrayal of a young girl coping with the loss of a brother stricken with AIDS. After two years on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, Elizabeth entered the MFA program in directing at the American Film Institute. Her thesis film THE WATER GHOST aired on the Lifetime Channel as part of a series on emerging women in directing. In 2002, she was one of three women accepted into the ABC/DGA Television Directing Fellowship. She has been a longtime member of the TV Academy and was inducted into The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2016 for her work as an actress.

Elizabeth was also a revered acting teacher and mentor to young performers and filmmakers in the Asian-Pacific community. She was driven, curious, generous, and above all loved by all those whose lives she touched.

She is survived by husband, actor/screenwriter Peter Tulipan, and her sisters, Diana Sung and Margaret Au-Yeung, as well as her niece and nephew, Elizabeth Sieverding and Philip Sieverding. The family asks that those wishing to honor her make a donation to the Elizabeth Sung Memorial Scholarship Fund at Visual Communications: Elizabeth Sung Memorial Scholarship Fund. Proceeds will be used to expand opportunities for emerging Asian Pacific American talent.

To donate by mail, please make a check payable to "Visual Communications" (indicate "Elizabeth Sung Memorial Scholarship Fund" in the memo line) and mail to:

Visual Communications
120 Judge John Aiso Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012