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Elaine Tan
Acting
Biography
Elaine Tan – English actress of Malaysian Chinese heritage, born 28 June 1979 in London, England. Trained at Sylvia Young Theatre School and holds a law degree from the University of Exeter. She began her career on stage, originating the role of Liat in South Pacific at the Royal National Theatre and appearing in The King and I and Royal Variety Shows. Her most notable film roles include Lucy Chang in Starter for 10 (2006, HBO), Xandra in Inherent Vice (2014, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson), April in Beyond the Lights (2014, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood), and Elyse in Tully (2018, directed by Jason Reitman). On television she has appeared in Doctor Who (2015) as Nagata, Love, Death…
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Elaine Tan – English actress of Malaysian Chinese heritage, born 28 June 1979 in London, England. Trained at Sylvia Young Theatre School and holds a law degree from the University of Exeter. She began her career on stage, originating the role of Liat in South Pacific at the Royal National Theatre and appearing in The King and I and Royal Variety Shows. Her most notable film roles include Lucy Chang in Starter for 10 (2006, HBO), Xandra in Inherent Vice (2014, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson), April in Beyond the Lights (2014, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood), and Elyse in Tully (2018, directed by Jason Reitman). On television she has appeared in Doctor Who (2015) as Nagata, Love, Death & Robots (2019) as Adult Yan (voice), The Lazarus Project (2022–2023) as Zhang Rhui, Red Eye (2024) as Shen Zhào, and Virdee (2025) as Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Armitage.
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BODY OF WORK
Elaine Tan's Filmography
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The Hyperions
as Maya
Tully
as Elyse
Inherent Vice
as Xandra
Beyond the Lights
as April
Lost Angeles
Jewtopia
as Sala Khan
Sironia
as Danica
31 North 62 East
as Mai Li
Starter for 10
as Lucy Chang
Out for a Kill
as Luo Yi
Infantile Disorders
as Tiny