Top 5 Asian Actresses in Hollywood

Asian performers have started to shine in Hollywood in the last 2-3 decades. Some may think that Asian performers mainly fit in the martial art films. Well, this may be right as most of the Asian actors who could make their marks in Hollywood became famous with action films. As for the actresses, they have done well because of beauty and acting talent. Here are 5 of the greatest Asian actresses in Hollywood.

Gong li

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Looking at her face, one can never understand her true age. She is ever young. Gong Li, daughter of a professor of economics, has excelled in singing and dancing in her school. Despite failing twice, she got admission in Beijing Central College of Drama. In her career, most of the time she acted in movies directed by Zhang Yimou. Zhang’s movies brought her success, name and fame. She was offered by Zhang in 1987, when she was a student, to work in the lead role of his first film Red Shorghum. The movie won Golden Bear award in Berlin film festival. She did not appear in many Hollywood movies. Her latest appearance is in Miami Vice, in 2006. Last year, her performance in Memoirs of a Geisha was widely acclaimed. In the movie she spoke in English.

Lucy Liu

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This beautiful “Angel” started her acting career when she was studying in the University of Michigan. In her senior years, she auditioned for a small role, but later, was chosen to play the lead character. From there, she decided to try her luck as an actress. From Michigan, she came to Vegas and started auditioning and worked at a food shop. In the popular mini series “Beverly Hills, 90210” she made a guest appearance. Her break came in 1997. She got to play the character of an Asian Lawyer, Ling Woo, in a TV series titled Ally Mcbeal. Her performance caught the attention of the audience and filmmakers. The year 2000 was very very lucky for Lucy. She landed with a role in the movie Charlie’s Angels that established her as an actress in Hollywood.

Michele Yeoh

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She is among the few Asian women to work in a James Bond Movie. Born in Malaysia, Michele is fluent in English and Malay. Also knows as “Michelle Khan,” she was enlisted on People Magazine’s fifty most beautiful people in the world in 1997. She started ballet dancing at the age of four. In 1980, she went to England’s Royal Academy of Dance. In the beginning, she dreamt of becoming a professional ballet dancer but an injury in her spinal chord ended her dream. Yeoh’s film career started in Hong Kong. She started as model and then got offer in action movies with Jackie Chan. Her performance in Police Story made her very popular. Then she acted in a number of martial art movies. Her first Hollywood movie was Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997. She also acted in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005).

Ziyi Zhang

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Born to an economist father and kindergarten mother, Ziyi Zhang was very small and weak as a child. Her parents sent her to dance school so that she could grow strong. In her middle and secondary school, she studied dance in Beijing Dance Academy. At the age of seventeen, she got admission in China Central Drama College. Her first film was The Road Home with director, Zhang Yimou. A year later, she landed with a big role in Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The character played by Zhang had to do fighting on the screen. She worked really hard and the movie was successful establishing Zhang as a big star. Then she starred in Rush Hour 2 with Jackie Chan. Hero was nominated for Oscar and House of Flying Daggers was nominated for Golden Globe award. Memoirs of Geisha in 2005 was widely praised by the critics.

Sandra Oh

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She was born to Korean parents who were immigrants in Canada. In her school years, she played flutes, tried ballet dancing and finally settled down in acting. As a result, she joined the school drama club. After finishing her drama study in National Theatre School of Montreal, she went to London to do a stage play. Sandra Oh’s film career started with two biographical TV films in Canada: The Diary of Evelyn Lau and Clarkson’s life. For her outstanding performance in the Canadian film Double Happiness, Oh won Genie Award. In USA, Oh became popular after starring in Under the Tuscan Sun. She worked in another TV series titled Grey’s Anatomy. For her performance in this TV series, Oh won Golden Globe award and Screen Actor Guild award.