Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#225
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Ken Jeong works on versatility rather than volume, and the catalogue keeps proving that the quieter choice was the correct one.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Ken Jeong appears in 50 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Ken. Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is the clearest case: a film rated 8.6 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for thriller, comedy, family. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Adam Shankman, Lauren Montgomery, Chris Appelhans and others, Ken Jeong helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026) as Cabbage Merchant (voice) · Avengers: Endgame (2019) as Security Guard · Wicked: One Wonderful Night (2025) as Self
Career snapshot
Ranked #225 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
50
2007–2026
Career length
19 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
8.6
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
Average Nutevio score
6.3
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
9.3
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
Most frequent director
Todd Phillips
3 films together
Longest collaboration
3×
With Todd Phillips
Most common genre
Comedy
36 titles
Average runtime
1h 38m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
6.8
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.6
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
2010s
6.4 average MV
The 2010s are where the work and the material meet. Avengers: Endgame, Dads, Ken Jeong: You Complete Me, Ho — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
2010s
6.4
Across 22 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2010s
6.4
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
2000s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. The Hangover, Couples Retreat, All About Steve.
Most productive era
2010s
22 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.31 film | 6.53 films | 5.51 film |
| Action | 6.61 film | 6.84 films | 7.05 films |
| Thriller | — | 6.21 film | 3.52 films |
| Comedy | 6.28 films | 6.316 films | 5.912 films |
| Crime | 6.61 film | 6.92 films | — |
| Romance | 5.92 films | 6.32 films | 5.81 film |
| Horror | — | 6.11 film | — |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
2007Knocked Up
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Dr. Kuni.
Highest rated performance · Career peak · Most recent film
2026Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
8.6 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once. The current state of the argument, as Cabbage Merchant (voice).
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
50 of 50 films
as Cabbage Merchant (voice)
Directed by Lauren Montgomery
as Security Guard
Directed by Anthony Russo
as Bobby (voice)
Directed by Chris Appelhans
as Sprout (voice)
Directed by José Luis Ucha
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Cabbage Merchant (voice)
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026)
Performance score8.3
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Cabbage Merchant (voice) gives Ken Jeong a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Security Guard
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Performance score8.2
Avengers: Endgame asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Security Guard is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Bobby (voice)
KPop Demon Hunters (2025)
Performance score8.0
KPop Demon Hunters asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Bobby (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Self
Wicked: One Wonderful Night (2025)
Performance score7.9
Wicked: One Wonderful Night asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Self is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Cabbage Merchant (voice)
Start here. Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is the clearest statement of what Ken Jeong does — accessible, 99 minutes, and rated 8.6 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Ken at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Keeps the action register of Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender but asks for a colder reading of it.
My Little Pony: A New Generation (2021)
Keeps the adventure register of Avengers: Endgame but asks for a colder reading of it.
KPop Demon Hunters (2025)
Keeps the comedy register of My Little Pony: A New Generation but asks for a colder reading of it.
Wicked: One Wonderful Night (2025)
Keeps the music register of KPop Demon Hunters but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Todd Phillips
Director
3 films together
Notably The Hangover
Chris Renaud
Director
2 films together
Notably Despicable Me
Michael Bay
Director
2 films together
Notably Pain & Gain
Jon M. Chu
Director
2 films together
Notably Crazy Rich Asians
Tim Story
Director
2 films together
Notably Tom & Jerry
Peter Segal
Director
2 films together
Notably My Spy
Judd Apatow
Director
1 film together
Notably Knocked Up
David Wain
Director
1 film together
Notably Role Models
Adam McKay
Director
1 film together
Notably Step Brothers
David Gordon Green
Director
1 film together
Notably Pineapple Express
Neal Brennan
Director
1 film together
Notably The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
Phil Traill
Director
1 film together
Notably All About Steve
Peter Billingsley
Director
1 film together
Notably Couples Retreat
Roger Kumble
Director
1 film together
Notably Furry Vengeance
Frank Coraci
Director
1 film together
Notably Zookeeper
James Bobin
Director
1 film together
Notably The Muppets
Eric Darnell
Director
1 film together
Notably Penguins of Madagascar
Jennifer Phang
Director
1 film together
Notably Advantageous
Jeffrey G. Hunt
Director
1 film together
Notably Saving Zoë
Bryce Dallas Howard
Director
1 film together
Notably Dads
Anthony Russo
Director
1 film together
Notably Avengers: Endgame
Steve Byrne
Director
1 film together
Notably The Opening Act
Luke Sparke
Director
1 film together
Notably Occupation: Rainfall
Tony Cervone
Director
1 film together
Notably Scoob!
José Luis Ucha
Director
1 film together
Notably My Little Pony: A New Generation
Joe Carnahan
Director
1 film together
Notably Boss Level
David Silverman
Director
1 film together
Notably Extinct
Russell Norman
Director
1 film together
Notably Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic
Charlie Day
Director
1 film together
Notably Fool's Paradise
Kevin Smith
Director
1 film together
Notably The 4:30 Movie
Paul Dugdale
Director
1 film together
Notably Wicked: One Wonderful Night
Chris Appelhans
Director
1 film together
Notably KPop Demon Hunters
Lauren Montgomery
Director
1 film together
Notably Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
Adam Shankman
Director
1 film together
Notably The Man with the Bag
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Todd Phillips
Director
3 films together · 6.8 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The HangoverChris Renaud
Director
2 films together · 7.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Despicable MePeter Segal
Director
2 films together · 6.7 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
My SpyTim Story
Director
2 films together · 6.6 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Tom & JerryJon M. Chu
Director
2 films together · 6.4 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Crazy Rich AsiansMichael Bay
Director
2 films together · 6.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Pain & GainLauren Montgomery
Director
1 film together · 8.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Avatar Aang: The Last AirbenderAnthony Russo
Director
1 film together · 8.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Avengers: EndgamePaul Dugdale
Director
1 film together · 8.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Wicked: One Wonderful NightChris Appelhans
Director
1 film together · 8.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
KPop Demon HuntersJosé Luis Ucha
Director
1 film together · 7.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
My Little Pony: A New GenerationRussell Norman
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of MagicTony Cervone
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Scoob!Joe Carnahan
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Boss LevelBryce Dallas Howard
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
DadsJames Bobin
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The MuppetsDavid Gordon Green
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Pineapple ExpressAdam McKay
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Step BrothersEric Darnell
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Penguins of MadagascarDavid Wain
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Role ModelsJudd Apatow
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Knocked UpDavid Silverman
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
ExtinctLuke Sparke
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Occupation: RainfallJeffrey G. Hunt
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Saving ZoëJennifer Phang
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
AdvantageousKevin Smith
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The 4:30 MoviePeter Billingsley
Director
1 film together · 5.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Couples RetreatFrank Coraci
Director
1 film together · 5.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
ZookeeperNeal Brennan
Director
1 film together · 5.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell HardSteve Byrne
Director
1 film together · 5.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Opening ActRoger Kumble
Director
1 film together · 5.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Furry VengeancePhil Traill
Director
1 film together · 5.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
All About SteveCharlie Day
Director
1 film together · 4.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Fool's ParadiseAdam Shankman
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Man with the BagSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
as Cabbage Merchant (voice)
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Over the Moon
as Gobi (voice)
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
as Cabbage Merchant (voice)
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Avengers: Endgame
as Security Guard
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
as Cabbage Merchant (voice)
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Ken Jeong has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Comedy Legend
Awarded
36 catalogue titles in comedy, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
as Cabbage Merchant (voice)
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
as Cabbage Merchant (voice)
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic
as Self
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Scoob!
as Dynomutt (voice)
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
as Cabbage Merchant (voice)
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
as Cabbage Merchant (voice)
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
KPop Demon Hunters
as Bobby (voice)
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Avengers: Endgame
as Security Guard
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Tom Hanks
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Bonnie Hunt
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Matt Damon
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Morgan Freeman
Built a career in the same territory: action and crime
Jamie Harris
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Have your say
Community
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Reference
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