User:Fred Gandt/Ian Alexander

Ian Alexander (born April 20, 2001) is an Asian-American, transgender, non-binary actor and LGBT rights advocate and activist, best known for their groundbreaking roles as the transgender characters Buck Vu on The OA, Lev in The Last of Us Part II, and Gray Tal on Star Trek: Discovery.

Alexander became the first openly transgender Asian-American actor cast in a television show, playing an Asian-American transgender male in The OA, and has been honored in the media and awarded for their outspoken advocacy of LGBT rights and authentic representation in the entertainment industry.

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Alexander was born in Salt Lake City, Utah.

American father and a Vietnamese mother who migrated to the United States from Vietnam.

Due to their father's work with the Department of Defense, their family often moved and has lived in places such as Hawaii, Japan and Washington, DC.

During elementary school, they would participate in community theater and chorus.

They received viral attention online through his photo response to a transphobic incident perpetrated by four UCLA college students.

Though they were raised in a Mormon family, they are not a participating member, and "consider[s themself] to be agnostic".

They came out as transgender in 2014; their pronouns are he/him and they/them, and they are non-binary and pansexual.

Alexander's debut acting role was on Netflix's The OA, where they play Buck Vu.

Buck, like Alexander, is also a transgender youth and was partially based on Alexander's real experiences.

They were cast from an open casting call online that spread through Tumblr.

Later they were cast in the 2018 feature film Every Day, based on the book by David Levithan, playing Vic, a trans teen whom the spirit "A" inhabits for a day.

In October 2017, Naughty Dog announced Alexander had joined the cast for The Last of Us Part II, the sequel to their popular video game.

They played Lev, a transgender character in the game.

In June 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, sparking the start of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, Queerty named them one of their Pride50: "trailblazing individuals who actively ensure society remains moving towards equality, acceptance and dignity for all queer people".

Similarly, Alexander was one of the cover stars for the 2019 Pride issue of them., "spotlighting three rising queer artists whose work and lives are breaking new ground for LGBTQ+ visibility".

In March 2020, it was announced Alexander will star in the independent film Daughter.

In September 2020, it was announced Alexander had joined the cast of Star Trek: Discovery; they play the first transgender character in the Star Trek canon.

Television

 * The OA
 * Season 1 (2016), Buck Vu – main cast
 * Season 2 (2019), Buck Vu and Michelle Vu – main cast
 * Star Trek: Discovery (2020–present), Gray Tal – recurring

Film

 * Déjà Vu (2017), Lance – short film; co-writer
 * Every Day (2018), Vic
 * Daughter (TBA), Brother

Video game

 * The Last of Us Part II (2020), Lev – featured voice and motion capture role