Who Are Tommy Chong's Kids?
Which generation you belong to will probably define where you first encountered actor-comedian Tommy Chong. If you're older, Gen X or Baby Boomer, or if you had older parents who were fans of his films, you probably met Chong as half of the movie duo Cheech & Chong, alongside Cheech Marin. They were in seven films released throughout the late '70s and early '80s, with an animated movie that came out in 2013, according to Collider. If you're from the younger generations, there's a good chance you encountered Chong as "Leo" on "That '70s Show" or in one of the many guest star roles his IMDb page lists. Regardless of where you first encountered the actor, you probably know him for the one specialty role he always seems to play: The burnout hippie who can't make heads or tails of what's going on around him.
It might be difficult to think of Tommy Chong as anything other than the stoner-comedy icon, but as with most celebrities, there's a lot more to the man than what you see on screen. Chong is also an activist, a husband, and a father to six children. Chong has a real legacy-worth of kids running around out there, and while they're likely overshadowed by their father's fame, each of the Chong children are quite interesting in their own right. And most of them followed in their father's footsteps in one way or another.
Rae Dawn Chong
The oldest of Tommy Chong's children is Rae Dawn Chong, born in 1961. You'll see Rae listed as the daughter of Tommy Chong and Maxine Sneed on many websites, and according to Ebony magazine, Sneed did indeed raise Rae. She became Rae's legal guardian early on, but she wasn't the one who birthed the future actress. Rae's biological mother was a woman named Abigail Toulson. Not much seems to be known about Toulson, but a few sources, like Celebrity Tattler, suggest Toulson was a 17-year-old girl Tommy Chong had an affair with. Ebony, on the other hand, says it was his ex-wife.
Regardless of Rae's maternal origin, she's made quite a name for herself in film. Her IMDb profile shows credits ranging all the way back from the 1974 TV movie "The Whiz Kid and the Mystery at Riverton" up to two completed films that have yet to be released. Her first big break was alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Commando," a role she received after bombing her first audition, only to barge her way into a second audition with the famous actor and give a performance that rocked Schwarzenegger and the producer to their cores, as Rolling Stone explains. Even better, she was a person of color who landed a role written for a blonde-haired and blue-eyed woman in 1974, when Hollywood wasn't as racially progressive.
Robbi Chong
The second oldest of Tommy Chong's children was born in 1965, right at the center of Chong and Maxine Sneed's marriage (via Glamour Path), and given the name Robbi Chong. Unlike Rae, Robbi didn't have to deal with a scandalous spotlight shortly after her birth, but that doesn't mean she didn't spend any time in the spotlight at all. In fact, she's been in front of more than one type of light (and camera) because of her talents.
To begin with, Robbi has a fairly full IMDb page as well, though not one with the same lengthy list of films as her Rae's, with her first acting credit coming from one of her father's hit films, "Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers." The most notable role the actress has had was playing Alexandra Moreau in 87 episodes of the "Poltergeist: The Legacy" series that ran through the late '90s.
Movies and television aren't the only places to find Robbi Chong on a film reel. As Tommy told the Los Angeles Times, Robbi was an accomplished model as well, who'd been featured in magazines such as Vogue. It would be easy to wrongfully assume the now 56-year-old Robbi's modeling days were a thing of the past, but according to Terry De Havilland, Robbi could be seen walking the runway at last year's Kornit Fashion Week.
Marcus Chong
Marcus Chong was born Marcus Wyatt. He took the Chong last name at 18 years old, according to the documentary "The Marcus Chong Story" (posted on YouTube). His path has been a bit different from that of Tommy Chong's other children. You'd likely recognize his face from his part as Tank in "The Matrix," which was both the height of his stardom and the root of his broken career. Marcus is the only child of Tommy Chong who isn't biologically related to actor-comedian. In fact, it's not entirely clear if Marcus was ever legally adopted by Chong or if they just had a strong paternal relationship, but many of his internet bios, such as at IMDb, state he was adopted.
Marcus' acting career kicked off at a young age. He had his first major role in 1979 in the miniseries "Roots: The Next Generations," before landing roles in "Cheech & Chong's Next Movie," "Panther," and others. Then came "The Matrix." Marcus alleges he was treated awfully on the film's set, including being given no dressing room or not being allowed to call the WGA about the problems he was facing. He also says the producers stole his royalties, paid him far less than the other actors, and blackballed him from Warner Bros. Marcus filed a lawsuit against the production because of it, but according to The Guardian, documents leaked showing Marcus had been arrested for threatening the producers on the phone, which provides a different explanation for why his career tanked.
Precious Chong
The next child on the list of Tommy Chong's kids is Precious Chong. Precious, having grown up under the shadow of a famous comedian actor, rebelled against the drug-comedy lifestyle, which was considered to be extremely counter-cultural at the time Cheech & Chong were at the height of their popularity. Precious earned straight A's in school, studied ballet, and went to college, she explained on the Rarified Heir podcast. It might seem odd to people from normal backgrounds, but the math checks out when you think about it.
Don't worry. She came around to the comedy and acting lifestyle eventually. Her IMDb page lists acting credits through the '90s, '00s, '10s, all the way to today, though she seems to be one of the few Chong kids who hasn't ever appeared in a Cheech & Chong movie. According to Precious' LinkedIn bio, she co-created the TV series "Sex and the Single Parent," proving that she has more a creative penchant than only being an actor.
What's Precious been up to lately? She's involved in a few short films, the show "Homeschooled," and teaching stand-up comedy at Second City, Toronto. Looks like the comedy bug was transferred down genetically with this one, even if she did try to fight it in the beginning.
Paris Chong
The youngest two children of Tommy Chong don't have the acting career of their older siblings, but that's fine. They've both made some splashes in life without it. Paris Chong's IMDb profile lists a whopping two acting credits along with a solo director and a single producer credit. Showbiz just doesn't seem to be his bag, but he's an interesting guy regardless.
Take, for example, the time Cheech & Chong had a falling out. According to The Guardian, Paris was the catalyst that led to the duo reconnecting. Of course, he was sneaky about it, responding to an email sent from Cheech Marin to his father behind his father's back, setting off a course of events that led to Cheech & Chong reuniting. There was also the time Paris was included in the paraphernalia bust of Tommy Chong in 2003. He didn't do much except getting out of charges because of a plea agreement his dad made.
More recently, Paris started a podcast with his dad in 2016 that embodies much of the Chong vibe you'd expect. "The Tommy Chong Podcast" on Cannabis Radio is the father-son pair talking about life and politics while being "Up In Smoke." They laugh, sound suspiciously like the character that is Tommy Chong, and just generally have a good time. There's a bit more to it — opinions, insights, and the like — but that's probably not the draw of the podcast.
Gilbran Chong
Like his slightly older brother, the youngest of Tommy Chong's kids, Gilbran Chong, only has two acting credits under his belt. He was in "Class of Nuke 'Em High" parts 2 and 3 in the early '90s, according to IMDb, but that's where his time in front of the camera seems to stop. Gilbran, however, did take after his dad is a different way, however.
Tommy Chong was in fact a musician before he was an actor, as Famous Canadians explains, playing in several bands before linking up with Cheech Marin to form the music duo Cheech & Chong, which was nominated for Grammys twice. That's the part of his pop that Gilbran got — the music. These days, Gilbran runs Chong Music & Movement, whose website says the youngest Chong child attended the University of Colorado to major in music. His talents aren't just for entertaining, though. The website details how Gilbran uses music's ability to increase neuroplasticity as a way to help children with special needs do things they never might've been able to do without it, utilizing a method called "NeuroMovement."
While other members of the Chong family are out spreading joy through entertainment, promoting cannabis, or making big names for themselves in pop culture or stoner culture, Gilbran is doing his part to use his skills to help children. He might not be as famous as his other siblings, but he's making his mark his own way.