Asian actors have had a long legacy in Hollywood, from iconic actresses like Anna May Wong to superheroes like Simu Liu in Blockbuster hits. For Asian Heritage Month, we’re taking a look at the road paved by iconic actors and the push for more diversity in films that continues to this day.
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Anna May Wong is considered the first Chinese-American movie star and is one of the faces of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
She began her career with her breakout role in 1922’s “The Toll of The Sea” and went on to break new ground in movies like “Shanghai Express”, “Piccadilly”, and “Daughter of Shanghai”.
While she was a film star, she was also known as a fashion icon, even being named Mayfair Mannequin Society of New York’s World’s Best-Dressed Woman in 1934.
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George Takei broke new ground in television when was cast in the multi-racial crew of “Star Trek” in 1966.
He would go on to play Mr. Sulu throughout the series and even make a cameo in the 1995 film “Star Trek: Voyager”.
Takei is also a political activist. As a victim of the internment camps of Japanese Americans in World War II, he frequently speaks up about injustices on social media and even ran for the Los Angeles City Council in 1973.
He lost, but was appointed to the board of directors of the Southern California Rapid Transit District where he served until 1984.
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Pat Morita became a hero to others when he brought to life Mr. Miyagi’ in the iconic 1984 film “The Karate Kid”.
While he was known for the beloved character, who he would go on to play throughout the franchise, the actor actually began his career in stand-up comedy as the Hip Nip.
His first on-screen appearance was in 1967’s “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and he would go on to also appear in series like “Sanford and Son”, “M*A*S*H”, “Happy Days”, “Murder, She Wrote” and “Baywatch”.
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Joan Chen achieved success in China first but was discovered in the U.S. by a producer in the parking lot at Lorimar Studios. She found subsequent success in the critically acclaimed film “The Last Emperor”.
Audiences will remember Chen for her role as Josie Packard in the cult classic “Twin Peaks”, as well as Mrs. Yee in Ang Lee’s iconic film “Lust, Caution”.
The actress has recently turned to directing with a few Chinese films in her repertoire.
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Bruce Lee broke through many barriers for Asian actors in America in the ‘60s – ‘70s.
The actor ushered in an era of frenzied martial arts fever with films like “Fist of Fury” and “The Way of the Dragon”. He collaborated and trained many famous actors of the era like Chuck Norris, Sharon Tate, Steve McQueen and others.
Not only did he have a great impact with his films, but he also inspired countless other martial artists like Jackie Chan and his legacy as the “father of Mixed Martial Arts” lives on today.
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Jackie Chan was already a phenomenal star in Hong Kong when he found success in the United States with the 1995 film “Rumble in the Bronx”.
Chan’s unique style of blending martial arts and comedy in film won over American audiences and saw him co-starring with Chris Tucker in the 1998 film “Rush Hour”. It amplified the star’s fame in America and saw him teaming up in many other buddy action comedies like “Shanghai Noon”, “The Tuxedo”, and “The Medallion”.
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After a successful film career in Hong Kong, Chow Yun-Fat gained fame in the west with his turn in the Oscar-winning kung fu epic “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”.
He would go on to become a staple in Hollywood with action films like “Curse of the Golden Flower”, but also in big name franchises like “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” and “Dragonball Evolution”.
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Ken Watanabe began his acting career as a student when famed Japanese director Yukio Ninagawa discovered him and cast him in one of his plays.
His rise in fame in the West came when he co-starred with Tom Cruise in “The Last Samurai” in 2003.
He’s since gone on to star in big budget franchises like “Batman Begins”, “Memoir of a Geisha”, “Inception”, “Godzilla” and most recently in the series “Tokyo Vice”.
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Donnie Yen began an explosive film career in the Hong Kong movie scene with Yuen Woo-Ping’s “Drunken Tai Chi”.
He would go on to make his directorial debut in the period piece “Legend of the Wolf” which earned praise from Francis Coppola and made the rounds during the film festival circuit.
His skills as a choreographer were sought after by Hollywood for films like “Highlander: Endgame” and “Blade 2”.
Yen’s martial arts epic “Hero” saw wide theatrical release in the U.S. and his leading role in the “Ip Man” franchise brought even greater acclaim.
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Michelle Yeoh rose to fame performing stunts in martial arts films despite never being formally trained.
She starred in countless hits including the Oscar-winning film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, the James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies”, and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings". She was even offered a role in the sequel to “The Matrix” but turned it down.
Yeoh has gone on to star in several rom-com films recently such as “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Last Christmas”.
Aside from her film career, the actress is also an advocate for giving Asian women more diverse roles in cinema.
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Lucy Liu charmed audiences as one of the eponymous “Charlie’s Angels” in 2000.
Her vast career spans films like Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill”, “Chicago”, “Kung Fu Panda”, and “Shanghai Noon”, with roles that have become iconic to Asian audiences.
She’s conquered television as well with roles in “Elementary” and “Why Women Kill”.
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John Cho broke through to mainstream American audiences with his role in the ‘90s rom-com “American Pie”.
He followed up the role with a turn as one of two Asian co-leads in “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”, a rarity for comedic films at the time.
In 2018, he was the first Asian-American actor to headline a mainstream thriller film in Hollywood with “Searching”.
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Kal Penn came to mainstream attention with his role in “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” which saw the rare case of two Asian co-leads in a mainstream comedy.
The actor starred in two seasons of the medical drama “House” as Dr. Lawrence Kutner.
Aside from his acting career, Penn has also turned to politics. He served as an Associated Director at the White House Office of Public Engagement during the Obama administration.
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Ken Jeong became known to mainstream audiences for his hilarious role in “The Hangover” franchise.
Audiences also recognize him for his iconic role in “Community”, but also for his starring role in “Dr. Ken”.
Jeong not only starred as an Asian lead in a mainstream medical show, but also served as series creator, writer, and executive producer, bringing his real-life experience as a licensed physician to the screen.
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Sandra Oh is known for her iconic role as Dr. Cristina Yang on “Grey’s Anatomy”, but also had supporting roles in beloved films like “Princess Diaries” and “Sideways”.
She was nominated for Emmys multiple years in a row and earned the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for “Grey’s Anatomy”.
Oh’s role in “Killing Eve” brought her further acclaim as the first Asian woman to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Drama in 2019.
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Dev Patel’s breakout role came in the Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire” in 2008.
The actor went on to star in films like “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”, “Chappie”, and “Lion” – which earned him his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
While he lost out on the Oscar, he earned the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film.
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Steven Yeun rose to fame for his role as Glenn in the popular zombie series “The Walking Dead”.
The actor showed his dramatic acting chops, however, as he starred in critically acclaimed films like “Okja”, “Sorry to Bother You”, “Burning”, and the Oscar-nominated “Minari”.
His starring role in “Minari” led to his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
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Kumail Nanjiani is known for his comedy with his rise to prominence as a cast member on HBO’s “Silicon Valley”.
He is also a great writer, however, starring and writing the romantic comedy “The Big Sick” in 2017. The film earned him his first Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, a credit he shares with his wife Emily V. Gordon.
In 2021 he showed off his action skills as he joined the diverse cast of Marvel’s “Eternals”.
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Breaking out of the typecast roles for Asian women, Nora “Awkwafina” Lum carved out a place for herself as a comic actress with her viral YouTube rap song “My Vag”.
Her on-screen roles came in the form of “Ocean’s 8” and “Crazy Rich Asians”.
She showed off her versatility, however, as she starred in the critically acclaimed film “The Farewell”. Her starring role as Billi earned her a historic win as the first Asian-American woman to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress.
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Audiences will recognize Mindy Kaling for her hilarious role as Kelly Kapoor in the NBC sitcom “The Office”.
Behind the scenes, however, Kaling was also actively involved as a writer on the show – even earning an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series in 2010.
She came to further prominence when she created, wrote, produced, and starred in “The Mindy Project” in 2012.
Her filmography includes roles in big films like “Wreck-It Ralph”, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”, and “Oceans 8”.
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Randall Park became widely known for his portrayal of North Korean President Kim in the controversial 2014 film “The Interview”.
Using his comedic chops, however, he starred in the ground-breaking sitcom series “Fresh Off the Boat” which featured an all-Asian family on primetime television.
He would go on to have prominent roles in “Always Be My Maybe”, “Aquaman”, and “Ant-Man and the Wasp”.
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Kelly Marie Tran’s big break came as Rose Tico in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”.
She became the first Asian-American woman and first woman of colour to play a lead in the “Star Wars” franchise. She also became the first Asian woman to appear on a Vanity Fair cover.
She would go on to voice the titular character in Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon”, a historic film that marked the studio’s first attempt at exploring Southeast Asian cultures in a big budget film.
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Constance Wu gained prominence when she was cast as the hilarious tiger mom in ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat”.
She would go on to star in the ground-breaking film “Crazy Rich Asians”, which featured an all-Asian cast in a mainstream romantic comedy film. The movie earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.
She co-starred in the critical darling “Hustlers” with Jennifer Lopez.
Wu has been an outspoken advocate for women and Asians in Hollywood, calling out whitewashing and male privilege.
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Henry Golding made his feature film debut in “Crazy Rich Asians” as the dreamy romantic lead Nick Young.
He continued his success in “A Simple Favor” opposite Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick and played the romantic lead again in “Last Christmas”, opposite Emilia Clarke. His successful turns as leads in these movies proved that Asian men can not only play leads in feature films, but also as romantic interests.
He also took on the G.I. Joe franchise as the star of 2021’s “Snake Eyes”.
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Gemma Chan began her career as a model in season 1 of the reality show “Project Catwalk” but would soon transition with roles in “Doctor Who: The Water of Mars” and “Sherlock”.
She gained mainstream success when she played the elegant Astrid in 2018’s hit movie “Crazy Rich Asians”. Chan would go on to feature in “Mary Queen of Scots”, “Captain Marvel”, “Raya and the Last Dragon” and get a leading role in Marvel’s “Eternals” as Sersi – marking the first time a Marvel film featured an Asian woman as the lead.
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Priyanka Chopra took home the title of Miss World in 2000 as the fifth Indian contestant in the contest’s history to take first.
She would continue her historic firsts as the first South Asian actor to star in a leading role in an American network series with ABC’s “Quantico” and even had a role in the 2017 remake of “Baywatch”. 2021 saw her appearing in “The Matrix Resurrections” as Sati.
Chopra is a UNICEF ambassador and a vocal advocate for more diversity in entertainment.
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After a successful TV career in shows like Steven Spielberg’s “Terra Nova” and the Disney Channel movie “Lemonade Mouth”, Naomi Scott broke out into feature film with 2017’s “Power Rangers”.
Scott would go on to star in major films like Disney’s live-action remake of “Aladdin” and the remake of “Charlie’s Angels”.
The actress will reprise her role as Princess Jasmine in the sequel to Aladdin and starred in Netflix’s political drama “Anatomy of a Scandal”.
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Kang-ho Song already had a prolific illustrious career in South Korea as a well-respected actor in films like “The Foul King” and “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance”.
He came to international attention with Bong Joon Ho’s “The Host”, who he would frequently collaborate with in other films like “Snowpiercer”, “Memories of Murder”, and their most well-known film “Parasite”.
The 2019 film broke many barriers sweeping the awards season, taking home the BAFTA for Best Screenplay, the cast winning the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast and the film’s historic win as the first foreign language film to win Best Picture at the Oscars.
The film also won Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best International Feature Film at Academy Awards that year.
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Jessica Henwick came to international attention with roles in “Game of Thrones”, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, and Netflix’s “Iron First”.
She starred in the adventure comedy “Love and Monsters” opposite Dylan O’Brien and had a prominent role in “The Matrix Resurrections”.
Continuing her streak of starring in major franchises, she had a role in “Blade Runner: Black Lotus” and will appear in the sequel to “Knives Out”.
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Daniel Henney became known from his role in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” opposite Hugh Jackman.
He would appear in “The Last Stand”, Disney’s “Big Hero 6” and have prominent roles in beloved shows like “Criminal Minds” and Amazon’s epic fantasy “The Wheel of Time”.
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Lana Condor’s breakthrough role was in Netflix’s popular rom-com trilogy “To All The Boys”.
The original books’ author Jenny Han fought to have an Asian in the lead which brought Condor to the role and the films have seen immense success for the streamer.
Condor has had roles in “X-Men: Apocalypse”, “Alita: Battle Angel”, Netflix’s series “Deadly Class”, and HBO Max’s “Moonshot”.
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Freida Pinto had her breakout role in the Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire” in 2008.
The actress would go on to have roles in major films like “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, “Immortals”, and the upcoming period romance “Mr. Malcom’s List”.
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Youn Yuh-jung is a legendary actress who is beloved in South Korea for films like “Woman of Fire”, “A Good Lawyer’s Wife”, and “The Taste of Money”.
She found critical acclaim in the west with her role as Soonja in “Minari” which earned her a first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
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Daniel Wu was a trailblazer in the Chinese-language cinema landscape before he gained wide acclaim in the west.
The actor had memorable roles in films like “Gen-X Cops”, “Tomb Raider”, “One Nite in Mongkok”, “New Policy Story” and AMC’s martial arts series “Into the Badlands” which he also executive-produced.
Wu appeared in the science-fiction mystery film “Reminiscence” opposite Hugh Jackman”.
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Lewis Tan came from a long legacy involved with the film industry with his father working as a stuntman and fight choreographer on films like “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, “Batman”, and “Tango and Cash”.
After guest-starring in television shows like “CSI: NY”, “CSI: Miami” and “Hawaii 5-0”, he landed a regular role in AMC’s “Into the Badlands”.
Tan would have roles in major films like “Deadpool 2” before landing a leading role in the “Mortal Kombat” reboot.
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Simu Liu made history as Marvel’s first Asian lead in a superhero role with “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”.
The blockbuster film was the highest grossing box office movie for the U.S. in 2021.
Audiences will also know Liu from his role in the comedy series “Kim’s Convenience” and is one of the most successful Canadian TV shows.