This Committee of 100’s Conversations—“Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” event featured BD Wong, the famed and versatile American actor and activist. This event delved into BD Wong’s groundbreaking path from stage to screen, and the stories behind his enduring commitment to expanding representation and authenticity in Hollywood and beyond.

BD Wong is regarded as one of the country’s most versatile performers, appearing in hits including Law & Order: SVU, Oz, Mr. Robot, Gotham, Jurassic Park and Jurassic World during an entertainment career that stretches back more than two decades. His Broadway debut in M. Butterfly earned him a Tony Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Theatre World Award, a Clarence Derwent Award and a Drama Desk Award as he became the only actor to ever win all five major New York theater awards for a single role. Wong has appeared in more than 20 films, including notable roles in both Father of the Bride movies, Seven Years in Tibet, Disney’s Mulan and the HBO adaptation of The Normal Heart. He has starred in the widely celebrated revival of the musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures.

Peter Young, Chair of the Conversations Initiative and Committee of 100 New York Regional Chair and Board Member, was the moderator.

BD Wong
American Actor and Activist

BD Wong won the Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Theater World Award, Clarence Derwent Award, and Tony Award for his Broadway debut in M. Butterfly. Other Broadway includes the revivals of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown and Pacific Overtures. Off-Broadway and regional includes Atlantic Theater, Drama Dept., La Jolla Playhouse, American Conservatory Theater, Williamstown Theater Festival, McCarter Theater, The Public Theater.

He has appeared in more than 20 feature films, including Bird Box, Focus, Seven Years in Tibet, 4 Jurassic films, 2 Mulan films, and 2 Father of the Bride films. On television, he has been featured on Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens, Mr. Robot (Emmy and Critics’ Choice Award nominations), American Horror Story: Apocalypse, Gotham, 11 seasons of Law & Order: SVU, Oz, and All-American Girl.

He has received recognitions from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian American Journalists Association, Asian AIDS Project, PFLAG, GLAAD, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, The Anti-Violence Project, Lambda Legal, Museum of Chinese in America, and Marriage Equality New York for his presence and participation in his communities. He has received honorary degrees from School Of Visual Arts, American Conservatory Theater and San Francisco State University, given the commencement speech at many graduations and officiated many weddings.

He sits on the Boards of Trustees of The Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors’ Fund), American Conservatory Theatre, and Rosie’s Theater Kids. He was born and raised in San Francisco and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Peter Young
CEO and President of Young & Partners
Committee of 100 Member and Board Member
Chair of the Committee of 100 Conversations Program

Peter Young is CEO of Young & Partners, a boutique investment banking firm focused on the life science and chemical industries. He manages the firm and is actively involved in client transactions and financings. Under his leadership, Young & Partners has established and maintained its position as a highly regarded firm serving the corporate strategy, M&A, restructuring and financing needs of clients worldwide. He was previously head of industry groups at Salomon Brothers, Schroders and Lehman Brothers, a senior private equity executive with J.H. Whitney & Co. and a senior member of Bain & Co., the corporate strategy firm.

Young received a BA in Economics from Yale, an MS in Accounting from NYU, and MBA from Harvard Business School where he graduated with Distinction as a Baker Scholar. He is a CPA and a Chartered Global Management Accountant. He serves on a number of boards of directors, both corporate and non-profit and is a board member of Société de Chimie Industrielle, a leading life science and chemical industry non-profit organization and on the Editorial Advisory Board of Pharmaceutical Executive.