| Tien Tran | |
| Birth Place: | Chester, Pennsylvania |
| Alma Mater: | Boston College |
| Occupation: | Comedian, actor |
Hanh Tien Tran, is an American comedian, actress, and writer. She is best known for her role as Ellen in the comedy series How I Met Your Father (2022) and Lucy in the comedy series Mr. Throwback (2024).
Tran was born in Chester, Pennsylvania and grew up in Erie and Millcreek Township.[1] [2] Her parents are Vietnamese refugees who immigrated to the United States in 1979. She graduated from Boston College with a degree in biology, where she was part of the sketch comedy group Hello Shovelhead.[3]
In 2017, she was a cast member at The Second City in Chicago, where she had previously been a recipient of the Second City's Bob Curry Fellowship.[4]
During 2017–2020, she appeared in guest roles in several TV series, including Easy, Hot Date, Sherman's Showcase, and Space Force. In 2021, she was a staff writer for the second season of Work in Progress, and co-wrote and appeared in one episode. She also appeared in the Chicago-set horror film Candyman and an episode of the comedy series South Side.
In 2021, Tran was cast as a series regular in the Hulu sitcom How I Met Your Father, a spin-off of the series How I Met Your Mother.[5] She plays Ellen, who moves to New York from a small farming town in Iowa after divorcing her wife.[2] [6] The series aired for two seasons from 2022 to 2023.[7] [8] [9] In 2024, she appeared in a recurring role in the Peacock comedy series Mr. Throwback.[10]
Tran is a regular contributor to the feminist podcast Hysteria, hosted on Crooked Media.[11] [12] In 2023, she co-hosted the podcast In These Cleats with Angel City FC defender Paige Nielsen, which launched during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and covered women's soccer.[13] [14] [15] Since 2024, she has co-hosted the queer and women's sports-focused podcast Jockular with E. R. Fightmaster and Katie Kershaw.[16] [17] [18]
| 2021 | Candyman | Jane Ji |
| 2017 | Easy | Ly | Episode: "Lady Cha Cha" | |
| 2017-2018 | Hot Date | Laura | 4 episodes | |
| 2019 | Sherman's Showcase | Asian Aunt Viv | Episode: "Behind the Charade" | |
| 2020 | Space Force | Sheila Cholosternin | Episode: "The Launch" | |
| 2021 | Q-Force | Alix | Episode: "Deb's BBQ" (voice) | |
| 2021 | Work in Progress | Workshop Leader | Actress & writer, episode: "Eleanor Roosevelt" Staff writer: 10 episodes | |
| 2021 | South Side | Jenny | Episode: "Chicago's #1 Party Promoter" | |
| 2022–2023 | How I Met Your Father | Ellen | Main role | |
| 2022 | Anya | Episode: "Hear All, Trust Nothing" (voice) | ||
| 2024 | Mr. Throwback | Lucy | Recurring role |
Tran is openly lesbian. Tran's older sister Tram-Anh Tran starred in the 1990s children's television series Ghostwriter.