Chloe Bennet

Chloe Bennet Bio

Chloé Wang, born April 18, 1992, in Chicago, Illinois, is known professionally as Chloe Bennet. She is an American actress and singer who rose to fame for portraying Daisy Johnson / Quake in the ABC Marvel series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020) and for voicing Yi in the animated feature Abominable (2019) and its series continuation Abominable and the Invisible City (2022–2023). Born Chloé Wang, she moved to China at age 15 to pursue a singing career and studied Mandarin before returning to the United States to break into acting. To improve casting opportunities, she adopted her father’s first name as her surname. Bennet has been active across film, television, and voice work, and has spoken openly about Asian-American representation in Hollywood.

Early Life and Background

Chloe Bennet was born Chloé Wang on April 18, 1992, in Chicago, Illinois. She is the daughter of Bennet Wang, a private wealth banker, and Stephanie Crane, an internist. Bennet’s mother is Anglo-American and her father is Chinese. She grew up with six brothers: three biological, two foster, and one adopted. Two of her brothers are of African American ancestry and one is of Mexican and Filipino descent. Bennet attended St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago for her high school education. In 2018, Bennet revealed that she has had anxiety and ADHD since childhood.

At age 15, Bennet made a significant life change by moving to China to pursue a singing career. While living there, she resided with her paternal grandmother and dedicated time to studying Mandarin. This experience immersed her in Chinese culture and language, which would later play a meaningful role in her identity as an actress and advocate.

Path to Acting

After returning to the United States, Bennet released two singles titled “Uh Oh” and “Every Day in Between” in 2011 under her birth name Chloe Wang. In 2010, she moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue opportunities in the entertainment industry. Her first on-screen appearance was as a host for the short-lived TeenNick summer dance series The Nightlife. She also appeared in the 2011 music video for South Korean band BIGBANG’s “Tonight.”

While pursuing an acting career in Hollywood, Bennet changed her professional name to “Chloe Bennet.” According to Bennet, she encountered difficulty booking acting gigs with her birth surname. By using her father’s first name rather than his last name, she aimed to avoid challenges being cast as an ethnic Asian American while still honoring her father’s identity. She has described this experience as revealing how Hollywood operates regarding ethnic representation.

Chloe Bennet Career

Early Career (2007–2011)

During her teenage years, Bennet focused on developing a music career. She spent 2007 to 2011 releasing music and building her profile in the entertainment industry before transitioning more fully to acting. Her early work in music provided her with performance experience and introduced her to the entertainment business.

Breakthrough (2012–2020)

From 2012 to 2013, Bennet had a recurring supporting role in the ABC drama series Nashville, portraying the character Hailey. In December 2012, she was cast as a series regular on the ABC series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which premiered on September 24, 2013. Bennet played a hacker known as Skye, who was revealed to be Daisy Johnson / Quake in the second season. Her character was a central figure throughout the series run, which concluded in 2020 after seven seasons. This role marked her breakthrough in television and established her as a prominent figure in the Marvel universe on the small screen.

Bennet’s role as Daisy Johnson / Quake in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is widely recognized as the first official Asian superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise on television. In 2020, she spoke publicly about Marvel casting her as Quake and how the character was written to incorporate her ethnicity and diversity, which she noted added richness to the character.

Notable Works and Milestones

Beyond Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Bennet continued to expand her portfolio. In 2019, she was cast in the lead voice role as Yi in the animated film Abominable, produced by DreamWorks Animation. She reprised this role in the television series Abominable and the Invisible City (2022–2023). In 2020, Bennet appeared in the film Valley Girl, a jukebox musical remake of the 1983 film of the same name, playing Karen, the “Queen Bee.” In March 2021, she was cast as Blossom Utonium in the CW live-action pilot Powerpuff, alongside Dove Cameron and Yana Perrault. However, after scheduling conflicts arose during reshoots, Bennet departed the project in August 2021. In 2023, she starred as Riley Smith in Mike Rohl’s film Married By Mistake.

Recent Projects (2021–Present)

In 2023, Bennet continued building her acting career with diverse roles across film and television. She starred as the main actress in Married By Mistake, portraying Riley Smith, a recent Stanford University graduate who drunkenly marries her friend Nate Fisher. Later that year, Bennet joined the cast for the second season of the animated series Invincible, further expanding her voice acting credentials.

Chloe Bennet Asian-American Advocacy

Bennet has been a vocal advocate for Asian-American representation in Hollywood. She has described the American film and television industry as racist against Asian-Americans and other people of Asian descent. Early in her career, her surname played a significant role in casting decisions. She has spoken about how after changing her last name from Wang to Bennet, she landed a role on her very first audition.

In 2017, Bennet praised English actor Ed Skrein’s choice to step down from his role as Ben Daimio for the film Hellboy following backlash due to the character being Japanese-American. Bennet took to Instagram to reflect on her early career, stating that changing her last name does not change the fact that her blood is half Chinese, that she lived in China, speaks Mandarin, or that she was culturally raised both American and Chinese. She has maintained that Hollywood is racist and would not cast her with a last name that made casting directors uncomfortable.

Chloe Bennet Awards

Chloe Bennet has received recognition for her contributions to the entertainment industry and her advocacy work. Her most notable award came in 2017 when she was honored for her commitment to representing Asian-American talent in Hollywood.

Chloe Bennet Family

Chloe Bennet was born to Bennet Wang and Stephanie Crane in Chicago, Illinois. Her father is Chinese, and her mother is Anglo-American. She is the youngest of seven children, with six brothers: three biological, two foster, and one adopted. Two of her brothers are of African American ancestry, and one is of Mexican and Filipino descent, making her family diverse in its cultural and ethnic composition.

Personal Life

Bennet has been open about her mental health journey. In 2018, she revealed that she has had anxiety and ADHD since childhood. Her advocacy for mental health awareness has been part of her public platform, alongside her work for Asian-American representation in the entertainment industry.