American actress Suzy Nakamura initially wanted to be a dancer. But after performing in high school, she took a turn in her career path and decided to pursue acting instead. Previously, she starred in several theater productions and has gone on tour. An alumna of The Second City improvisational comedy troupe, she has starred in a number of television programs and films.
Suzy Nakamura began her acting career with a role in Rea Tajiri’s Strawberry Fields. She landed the role of Irene Kawai, a troubled teen on the movie, which was shot in her hometown of Chicago in 1994. She soon received numerous guest spots on shows like Common Law, Relativity and on several episodes of The Closer in 1998. That year, she got a part in the sci-fi thriller Deep Impact, portraying the assistant of Tea Leoni’s character. She later appeared on Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place, then portrayed the character Yo-Ji in the 1999 drama Treasure Island. In 2000, Nakamura landed a role in the Mike Figgis movie Timecode, and was later seen on several episodes of The West Wing as Kathy. Her next role was in Daddio, as well as two other television films. She was in Follow the Stars Home in 2001, and on I Got You in 2002. She next played the character Rina Oh in six episodes of Imagine That. After working on the short film Barrier Device, she obtained a part in the crime comedy Stark Raving Mad. She portrayed the character Betty Shin alongside Sean William Scott, Lou Diamond Phillips, Dave Foley and Timm Sharp. Nakamura’s next appearance was in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Abby, All of Us and Good Morning, Miami. In 2003, she was cast in the film Malibu’s Most Wanted, starring Jamie Kennedy. The next year, Nakamura landed a role in the comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. She acted alongside Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, before appearing on the sitcom The King of Queens. She next joined the cast of 8 Simple Rules…for Dating My Teenage Daughter as Mrs. Krupp, and appeared on According to Jim as Yoki. In 2005, she was cast in the film Must Love Dogs, and worked with Steve Carrell on The 40 Year Old Virgin. She was also in My Name Is Earl, Half & Half, and the ABC sitcom Help Me Help You. Her other film credits include American Zombie, Evan Almighty, Doubting Thomas and several episodes of The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman and Grey’s Anatomy.