Asian actors rising to stardom in Hollywood

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South Korean sensation Bae Doona has been a household name in Seoul for years, but more recently the actress has been breaking out onto the international scene. A favorite of the Wachowskis, she's starred in 'Cloud Atlas' (2012) and 'Jupiter Ascending' (2015), as well as in the series 'Sense8.'

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Ever since his starring role in Danny Boyle's award-winning 2008 film 'Slumdog Millionaire,' British-Indian actor Dev Patel has continued to stand tall in the limelight. With recent hits like the critically-acclaimed 'Lion' from 2016 and the medieval powerhouse 'The Green Knight' (2021), Patel doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

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South Korean-born American actor Steven Yeun has quietly become a ubiquitous presence in Hollywood, ever since gaining initial recognition in the hit TV show 'The Walking Dead' as Glenn. Steven Yeun became the first Asian-American actor in history to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, an honor he earned for his starring role in 2020's 'Minari.'

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Working alongside a cast full of veteran actors in 'Everything Everywhere All at Once,' Stephanie Hsu still managed to make an incredible splash with her gleefully chaotic and emotional performance. She was even nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, but lost to her co-star Jamie Lee Curtis.

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Thai-born American actress has been steadily rising through the ranks of Hollywood ever since her role in 2017's 'Downsizing.' In 2022, she starred alongside Brendan Fraser in the punishing and emotional drama 'The Whale,' a role which earned Chau her first Oscar nod.

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Born in South Korea, Claudia Kim is certainly a name to watch out for. Her career has been steadily gaining momentum over the past few years, with roles in hit films such as 2015's 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' and 2018's 'Fantastic Beast: The Crimes of Grindelwald.'

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Of Taiwanese descent, Constance Wu made a splash in 2018 with her critically-acclaimed role in the film 'Crazy Rich Asians.' Since then, Wu has further proven her onscreen prowess in films such as 2019's 'Hustlers.'

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Karen Fukuhara got her big break in 2016, when she appeared in 'Suicide Squad' as the sword-wielding samurai Katana. More recently, the Japanese-American actress appeared in 2022's 'Bullet Train,' and has a recurring role in the hit Amazon Prime series 'The Boys.'

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Bong Joon-ho has been an incredibly popular director in his home of South Korea for decades, but it was in 2019 that he found massive international fame with his film 'Parasite.' It became the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

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Mindy Kaling has proven herself as a creative powerhouse time and time again. After finding initial recognition as a writer and star in the long-running TV series 'The Office,' Kaling went on to write, produce, direct, and star in her own projects. She was born to Indian parents.

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British-Pakistani actor and rapper Riz Ahmed has become a creative powerhouse over recent years. Apart from his critically acclaimed forays into music, Ahmed has also been nominated for multiple awards for his onscreen performances, including an Academy Award for Best Actor nod for his role in 2019's 'The Sound of Metal.'

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Chinese filmmaker Chloé Zhao first found widespread recognition in 2020, following the success of her film 'Nomadland.' Zhao became the second woman and the very first non-white woman in history to win the Academy Award for Best Director.

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Malaysian-British actor Henry Golding burst onto the radar in 2018 with his starring role in 'Crazy Rich Asians.' Since then, Golding continues to prove himself as a promising actor with additional starring roles.

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From her beginnings as a comedian and rapper, Awkwafina has recently found serious recognition in the world of film, and shows no signs of stopping. The entertainer was lauded for her roles in 2019's 'The Farewell' and 2021's 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.' She was born to a Chinese-American father and a Korean-American mother.

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Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu found international acclaim for his titular role as Shang-Chi in the 2021 Marvel film 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.' Besides further Marvel projects, fans can expect to see him in the upcoming 'Barbie' movie.

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Raymond Ablack might not be a household name just yet, but his time is certainly coming. Having first made a name for himself on 'Degrassi: The Next Generation,' the Canadian-Indo-Guyanese actor has indeed been very busy in the world of TV, appearing in hit shows such as 'Orphan Black,' 'Narcos,' and 'Ginny & Georgia.'

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The world first became enamored with Canadian-American actress Sandra Oh during her time on the long-running medical drama series 'Grey's Anatomy.' Sandra Oh continues to impress, and has given excellent performances as the titular Eve in the hit show 'Killing Eve,' and voiced a leading part in the 2022 Oscar-nominated 'Turning Red.' She was born to South Korean parents.

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Remembered by most for his role as Harold in the 'Harold & Kumar' series of comedy films, South Korea-born American actor John Cho started making a comeback in 2021 with his lead role in the live-action reboot of an anime classic, 'Cowboy Bebop.'

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Japanese actor Ken Watanabe is perhaps best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in 'The Last Samurai' (2003). The veteran actor has continued to be a familiar face in theaters around the world.

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Filipino-American actor Jacob Batalon has captured the hearts of millions in recent years, thanks to his recurring role as Ned Leeds, Peter Parker's best friend, in several Marvel films.

Sources: (Ranker) (Next Luxury) (Teen Vogue)

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If he's in it, there's a good chance it's funny! From starring roles in the shows 'Silicon Valley' and 'Space Force,' to appearing alongside A-listers on the big screen, the sky's the limit for this Hong Kong-born American talent.

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Kumail Nanjiani is a Pakistani-American actor who has kept himself very busy over the years. First finding recognition thanks to his recurring role in the HBO series 'Silicon Valley,' Nanjiani has continued to impress with roles in films such as 2017's 'The Big Sick,' a film which he also co-wrote with his wife Emily V. Gordon.

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Born to South Korean parents, Randall Park has proven to be one of the new faces of sitcom in the 21st century. From a recurring role on 'Veep,' to starring in his own award-winning show 'Fresh Off the Boat,' to headlining the Netflix series 'Blockbuster, you can't miss him!

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After firmly cementing his name in the annals of television with roles in hit shows like 'Glee' and 'Shadowhunters,' Harry Shum Jr. started making waves in the world of film with his role in 2018's 'Crazy Rich Asians.' He was born to Chinese immigrants in Costa Rica.

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Actress Lana Condor spent her first months of life in an orphanage in Vietnam, and today she's a star whose fame only seems to be growing. She is most well known for her starring role in the Netflix trilogy 'To All the Boys.'

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Chinese-born Canadian filmmaker Domee Shi has been an invaluable member of the Pixar animation team since 2011. Starting in 2018, Shi found her own fame after winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for the eight-minute long 'Bao.' In 2022, Shi found further critical acclaim for her first feature-length film, the widely adored 'Turning Red.' 'Turning Red' made Shi the first woman to ever receive a sole direction credit on a Pixar film, and has also set Shi up to win her second Oscar, this time for Best Animated Feature Film.

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Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian Best Actress winner at the SAG Awards for her lead role in the film, and her co-star Ke Huy Quan also made history after becoming the first Asian man to win the Best Supporting Actor award in the film category. The film also won Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, and Jamie-Lee Curtis won the Best Supporting Actress award, which helped the incredible film make even more history as the first to win three acting awards, and most awarded ever at the SAG Awards with four trophies total.

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The star of 2022's 'Everything Everywhere All at Once,' Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh is both the first Asian nominee and winner for the Oscar for Best Actress. Yeoh's fame began in 2000, when she starred in the martial arts classic 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.'

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Vietnamese-American actor Ke Huy Quan has graced the world with the comeback story of the century. First finding minor fame as a child actor in films such as 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' (1984) and 'The Goonies' (1985), he burst back onto the scene in 2022 with his endearing and Oscar-winning performance in 'Everything Everywhere All at Once.'

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'Everything Everywhere All at Once' appears to have won everything at every award show all at once, capping off an incredible season by making history at the Academy Awards in 2023 and becoming the most-awarded Best Picture winner since 2008's 'Slumdog Millionaire.' In addition to Best Picture, the Asian-led film picked up Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh—who was the first Asian person to ever win the award—Best Supporting Actor for Ke Huy Quan, Best Supporting Actress for Jamie Lee Curtis, along with Best Director, Film Editing, and Original Screenplay.

That's a total of seven Oscars, which comes close to the eight 'Slumdog Millionaire' picked up in 2009. Only three other films have passed that number in Oscars history ('Ben-Hur,' 'Titanic,' and 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'). 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' was actually nominated for a total of 11 awards, but had two actresses in the same category so it would have been impossible to win them all anyway. The night was a historic moment for Asian stars who celebrated from around the world.

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One half of the unstoppable directing duo the Daniels, Daniel Kwan (pictured left) and his partner-in-cinematic-crime Daniel Scheinert found the greatest success of their lives with the 2022 release of their sprawling multi-dimensional epic 'Everything Everywhere All at Once.' The Daniels won the Oscars hattrick: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.

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The impact of Asian actors and filmmakers, and actors and filmmakers of Asian descent, has never been so prominent. Hollywood is getting more diversified, and the contributions of Asian talents are a testament to this positive change. Of course, this isn't the first time that Asians and people of Asian descent have made their mark on the world of Hollywood.

Let's take a look at just a few of the greatest Asian talents that you need to look out for on the big and small screens. Simply click on!

Asian actors rising to stardom in Hollywood

If you don't know these names, you've been living under a rock!

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