Jen Van Epps

About

Bi-racial actress of African American and Chinese Taiwanese descent, known for her work in Cowboy Bebop, M3GAN and Don't Make Me Go. She plays Harper King in the series One Lane Bridge which screens in New Zealand, the US, Australia and Europe. 

Before Fame

She was born in America and trained there as an actress for many years before relocating with her family in 2018 to New Zealand. Growing up she participated in theater, starring in a production of Raisin in the Sun at Westmont College in 1998. Her first professional film role was in Americanese in 2006. 

Trivia

Because of her American accent, she has also worked as a Casting & Dialogue Assistant for New Zealand projects. She also speaks advanced mandarin, and is adept at playing the guitar. In 2019, she had a guest role in the award winning TV movie Runaway Millionaires. As an actress, she has appeared in more than a dozen different titles. She also made an appearance in the series Power Rangers Dino Fury.

Family Life

Her father is African American and her mother is Chinese. She is married to Ben Fransham and they have one daughter. They reside in Auckland, New Zealand. 

Associated With

She played Mercedes Dawson in an episode of the hit series Grimm. In December of 2022, she shared a picture with Colombian actor Brian Jordan Alvarez on her jenvanepps Instagram.