Amy Hill

Early life

Hill was born on May 9, 1953, in Deadwood, South Dakota, to Japanese national Ayako Yoneoka Hill (1914–2008) and Archie Russell Hill (1923–1979), a Finnish American who died after an automobile accident when Hill was 26 years old. She worked with the Asian American Theater Company in San Francisco, California. Hill wrote and performed one-woman shows including the trilogy of Tokyo Bound, Reunion, and Beside Myself.

Career

Hill was in Margaret Cho's short-lived sitcom All-American Girl in the role of grandmother Yung-hee, better known as Grandma or Grandma Kim.

Following the cancellation of All-American Girl, Hill played Kay Ohara on Maybe This Time, in which she worked with Betty White and former All American Girl co-star Ashley Johnson.

She starred in the films Max Keeble's Big Move, Big Fat Liar, The Cat in the Hat, Let's Go to Prison, Lilo & Stitch (and its 2025 live-action adaptation), Big Gay Love, and 50 First Dates.

She guest-starred on Night Court, Six Feet Under, Desperate Housewives, Two and a Half Men, King of the Hill, 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Sarah Silverman Program, and My Wife & Kids. She had recurring roles on TV shows as well, including as the lesbian daughter of D. L. Hughley's neighbor (played by Pat Morita) on The Hughleys, the upstairs neighbor of Monica and Rachel on Friends, Mrs. DePaulo on That's So Raven, Mama Tohru on Jackie Chan Adventures, Mrs. Hasagawa on Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Penny Candy on The Puzzle Place, Maureen Nervosa, the owner of Cafe Nervosa on Frasier, Mah Mah, the adopted mother of Francine on American Dad!, Dr. Lauren Brown on General Hospital, and Suji on The Naked Truth. In the sixth-season finale of Seinfeld, she played the part of Frank Costanza's long-lost girlfriend during his Korean War service. She played Pang Bing, the antagonist of the series finale of Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness. She also appeared in Season 2, Episode 10 of Curb Your Enthusiasm (2001).

She had regular roles on Strip Mall and as "Ah-Mah" Jasmine Lee on The Life and Times of Juniper Lee. Hill has recurring roles as Beverley on Mom and Ms. Mannering on Preacher.

From 2018–2021, Hill co-starred as Teuila "Kumu" Tuileta, the cultural curator of Robin Master's estate, in the reboot series Magnum P.I.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Awards and nominations

Hill was nominated for a regional Emmy (Los Angeles Area) as writer/host of Get Real, an Asian-American teen talk show on KSCI.

References

References

1. [http://www.kqed.org/w/baywindow/othercolors/amy/interview.html KQED interview with Amy Hill] {{webarchive. link. (August 9, 2007)
2. "Amy Hill (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors.
3. Verhoeven, Beatrice. (April 21, 2023). "Chris Sanders in Final Talks to Return as Voice of Stitch in Disney's Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch' (Exclusive)".
4. "Guide to the Annotated Catalog to Productions and Scripts in the Asian American Theater Company Archives". University of California, Santa Barbara.
5. (August 25, 1996). "ARTS PREVIEW SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 1996". The Courier-Journal.
6. (July 17, 1998). "FESTIVAL REVIEW; Addled Sailors in Sea of Love". New York Times.
7. "Amy Hill – Broadway Cast & Staff". The Broadway League.
8. (February 19, 2008). "Voices From Okinawa". Variety.
9. (August 12, 2009). "Full Cast, Creative Team Set for Culture Clash's Peace at Getty Villa". TheatreMania.
10. (February 17, 2011). "Theater review: 'Wrinkles' at East West Players". Los Angeles Times.
11. (May 18, 2021). "WATCH: Why NAATCO's Upcoming All-Asian Our Town Is 'a Balm' for These Times". Playbill.
12. (1 February 2025). "This ‘Cymbeline’ Delights. So Does F. Murray Abraham in ‘Beckett Briefs.’". New York Times.