Irene Choi

Choi was born in Los Angeles, and she is of Korean ancestry.^[1] Her parents were immigrants.^[2]

Choi is a graduate of Harvard University, where she majored in psychology.^[3][4] She has played the violin since childhood and was a member of the Harvard Orchestra. She was also a member of an all-girl rock band and worked as a campus radio DJ.^[3] After graduating, she worked as a business analyst at a large retail company in Los Angeles before pursuing acting, which she has described as a lifelong passion that she initially considered a fantasy rather than a viable career.^[5]

After leaving her corporate position, Choi began pursuing acting. Her early television credits included a recurring role in the ABC Family series Greek (2010) and a guest appearance in Undercovers (2010). She has cited her first manager, who was connected to the casting director of Greek, as instrumental in her early career development.^[6]

Choi appeared in three episodes of Community as Annie Kim, a rival of the main character Annie Edison (Alison Brie). In a 2011 Reddit AMA,^{[clarification needed]} Choi described her experience on set warmly, recalling improvised moments with Brie during filming.^[6]

Choi played Dixie Sinclair, the primary antagonist of the Netflix dramedy Insatiable, across all 16 episodes of the show's two-season run. Dixie is a pageant queen and high school rival of the main character. Choi described being drawn to the role by its subversion of the conventional "mean girl" trope, noting that Dixie is distinctly unpopular despite her villainous role, and that her character's identity as an Asian adoptee raised in the American South added an unusual dimension.^[5] She worked with a dialect coach to develop Dixie's Southern accent for the role.^[5] In a 2018 interview, Choi discussed the appeal of playing a villain: "I, personally, love playing the villain — especially if the villain ends up being a really, really funny villain."^[7]

In 2025, Choi was announced as a recurring cast member for the second season of the Max medical drama The Pitt, alongside Sepideh Moafi, Laëtitia Hollard, Charles Baker, and Lucas Iverson.^[8] She plays Joy Kwon, a third-year medical student with expertise in pathology and infectious diseases.^[9]