What do a police lieutenant, a nerdy student, a punk musician, a gay biblical hero, an operatic gypsy, a brothel employee, and a leather-happy philosopher all have in common? They're a diverse set of characters that have all been brought convincingly to life by actor Albert M. Chan.

This diversity reflects Albert's strong belief in experimentation and growth as an actor. Albert loves the challenge of creating a true representation of any character, not just limiting himself to roles that Asians are stereotypically expected to play. Albert believes that in the end, preparation and talent speak for themselves.

Growing up in Toronto, Canada, performance was always a passion of Albert's that took a backseat to his academic pursuits. Being in a typical Asian family, Albert made school the top priority, which didn't allow him the freedom to explore his talents as an actor. But he'd always felt that acting was something he'd be good at. So, after he moved to the United States for engineering graduate school and obtained his degree, he decided to pursue acting seriously.

Ironically, Albert's strong engineering background gave a jumpstart to his acting career. One of the first projects to which Albert applied was the feature film Dark Matter starring Meryl Streep. The casting director for the project, Ellen Parks (Sideways, Election), gave Albert a personal phone call when she found out that he was an engineering graduate student. Albert was to audition for the supporting role of Little Square, a graduate student from China studying chemistry at an American university. Albert worked tirelessly to bring Little Square to life, perfecting his Chinese accent and concerning himself with details as minute as the style of Little Square's glasses. In the end, Albert proved himself worthy of acting with Meryl Streep, as Chinese director Chen Shi-Zheng liked what he saw and invited Albert to New York to audition again, this time with other potential cast members. Ultimately though, the film required improvisation in a Chinese dialect, and the dialect Albert speaks was not the one Chen Shi-Zheng was looking for. Though disappointing, the experience gave Albert a huge boost in confidence, and he learned that he had the potential to bring any character to life through talent and hard work.

Since then, Albert has established himself as a highly versatile actor.

In Spring 2005, Albert landed a supporting role as an Internal Affairs Lieutenant in the feature-length crime drama Interrogation, executive produced by Jeff Most (The Crow) and written and directed by John Chase (Venice Underground). The film premiered at the Boston International Film Festival in June 2006.

In Fall 2005, Albert transformed into a punk-alternative musician/barista and the love interest of the title character in Ana's Time. Initially, the director was unsure if Albert could pull off the role based on his headshot. But, Albert arrived to the audition in character and dressed so convincingly that the art director, who was present, kept calling him mistakingly by the character's name. To cap it off, Albert volunteered to perform an acoustic guitar version of a Green Day song. After being offered the role, Albert's preparation had only just begun.

To prepare for the role, Albert fully immersed himself into the world of the character, listening to punk music on the radio every morning and hanging out at live music venues at night. Although he had never smoked a cigarette in his entire life, Albert became a smoker, even making it a point to smoke a brand that's popular with the music crowd. To get a feel for what it was like working as a barista, he began frequenting a coffeehouse and getting to know the employees. Albert even had one employee show him his preferred technique of smoking outside on breaks.

In 2006, Albert landed a principal role in Disney’s live-action film version of the classic 1960’s cartoon Underdog, slated for nationwide theatrical release in August 2007.

Among other film projects, Albert has portrayed a vengeful casino assistant in the award-winning short S. Katz, V.P. (2005 New Hampshire Film Festival), an awkward teenager in the supernatural drama #2 Pencil, and a foul-mouthed Chinese national in the award-winning feature film Overserved (2004 Boston International Comedy and Movie Festival).

Albert has also been busy this year in TV, with principal roles as a brothel employee in the acclaimed Showtime series Brotherhood and as a blackjack dealer in the CW Network pilot I’m Paige Wilson, written and directed by Rod Lurie (Commander in Chief, The Contender). Albert has also worked on the Emmy-winning PBS history series American Experience, and the Sundance Channel miniseries Tanner on Tanner, directed by Robert Altman (Gosford Park, MASH) and starring Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City).

In theater, Albert received a nomination for 2006 Best Actor in a Play by the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theaters (EMACT) for his role as Adam in Paul Rudnick’s controversial gay-themed play The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told at the Boston Center for the Arts. Jennifer Howard of EMACT lauded, "Albert Chan’s Adam was a delight from the first moment to the last. Sweet, thoughtful and eager, he was an appealing ambassador to this version of the beginning of the world. Chan made a strong, believable connection with Steve as a lover and with Mabel and Jane as friends. We were emotionally engaged with him at all times."

Most recently, Albert appeared on stage as French philosopher Michel Foucault in the World Premiere Production and Tour of Thomas F. DeFrantz's Queer Theory! An Academic Travesty. This innovative work, incorporating dance, music, spoken word and dialogue, was co-commissioned by the National Performance Network, The Theater Offensive, and The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. Tour stops in Fall 2006 included the Boston Center for the Arts, The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts (Burlington, VT), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Albert has also showcased his musical talents on stage as El Remendado in Carmen. Other appearances include Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta Utopia, Limited and an intensive workshop for the Theater Offensive's new cutting-edge musical Surviving the Nian. The latter was so enthusiastically received by the audience that a full production ran in Spring 2007.

With his determination, his commitment to relentless preparation, and his sheer talent, Albert M. Chan is dedicated to bringing truth to each new role he tackles.