Bio
Nan Zhang is a Chinese-born American actress and model best known for her role as Katy Farkas, one of Blair's (Leighton Meester) loyal lieutenants, in the television drama series Gossip Girl, from 2007-2008.
She left the show after being accepted to Brown university, during the 2007/8 WGA strike.
Born in Bengbu in the Anhui province of China, Zhang immigrated to the United States at the age of 6 after her parents, both doctors, settled in New Orleans.
Growing up, Zhang faced a major culture clash, torn between her parent's strict, traditional Chinese upbringing and her desire to be a "regular American teenager."
A self-proclaimed nerd, she was ranked at the top of her high school class and moved to Baltimore to attend Johns Hopkins University to pursue a career in medicine, specializing in neuroscience.
At the age of 16, Zhang also began to pursue modeling after being selected in Chanel/Seventeen Magazine's New Model of the Year contest.
Her first big break in acting came when Zhang was discovered by a casting director while she was at a nail salon in New York City's Upper East Side. From that chance meeting, she landed a part in Shanghai Hotel.
After that, her next role was in West 32nd, starring John Cho and Grace Park.
Zhang enjoys sports, snowboarding and is accomplished in archery (strictly for skill, not for hunting). She also loves playing the piano, jazz dance, painting and traveling.
Despite her hectic acting and modeling schedule, she continues to be actively involved with neuroscience research.