Foh Shen was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 25, 1948, to Chinese parents.

Since the beginning of the 1980s, Foh Shen has appeared in several television series, including The Cosby Show, Adult Math, Renegade, Party of Five, JAG, 7th Heaven, 24, Desperate Housewives, Cracker, and Boston Legal.

She has also appeared in movies including Crossing Delancey (1988), Basic Instinct (1992), Planet of the Apes (2001), The Ladykillers (2004), and a starring role in 2005's Red Doors.

[4] By 2007, she had already had recurring roles in three television series: as Mrs. Lee on Gideon's Crossing, as Dr. Chao on Everwood, and as Dr. Yolanda Perrin on Close to Home.

(2000), Admiral Alice Liu in the 2002 video game Star Trek: Bridge Commander, and the Narrator in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008).