Hollywood is a diverse industry where you can see actors coming from different cultures and backgrounds. Earlier the Hollywood industry was mainly dominated by western actors, and not many Asian actors were seen in their movies. But today, Asian domination can be seen by everyone. It's not easy to make your name big in a foreign land, but these talented people have proved everyone wrong. Earlier, Asians were not much appreciated in western countries. In schools and colleges, they were bullied for being Asian and for their culture, but instead of giving up, they fought back, and today they are among the most successful Hollywood actors.
1. Awkwafina
Nora Lum, professionally known as Awkwafina. On June 2, 1988, she was born in Stony Brook, New York, United States. She is an American rapper, actress, and comedian. She is half American and half Asian. Her father is partial Chinese and partial American, and also her mother was half Korean and half American. Nora lost her mother to pulmonary hypertension when she was four. She completed her education at Beijing Language and Culture University and majored in Journalism and women’s studies at the University at Albany. Awkwafina began rapping at the age of thirteen. She gained recognition when in 2012, her song "My Vag" became popular on Youtube. She then released her albums, appeared in the TV shows, and played supporting roles in many comedy films and dramas. She also played the leading lady in the comedy-drama film The Farewell in 2019. She has won many accolades like Golden Globe Awards for the Best Actress, Satellite Award for Best Actress, etc.
2. Ross Butler
Ross Fleming Butler is an American actor and model. He was born on May 17, 1990, in Singapore. He was born in a multi-nationality family, his mother was a Chinese-Malaysian lady, and his father was an English-Dutch man. He studied Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Ohio State University in Columbus, Unites States. Ross started his acting career in student films and low-budget films at the age of 21. He got his breakthrough on the Disney Channel series K.C. Undercover. Since then, he got featured in various movies and web series. At the moment, Ross has roles in two upcoming films Claudia Tan’s Perfect Addiction beside Kiana Madeira and Mathew Notzka, and Abigail’s Hing Wen’s Loveboat Taipei alongside Ashley Liao.
3. Claudia Kim
Kim Soo-Hyun, also known as Claudia Kim, is a South Korean actress and model. On January 25, 1985, she was born in Seoul, South Korea. In High School, she wanted to become a television Anchor, so she completed her studies abroad. She entered Ewha Women's University as an International Studies (DIS) major. Meanwhile, she worked as a reporter and announcer for three years, and she also worked as an intern reporter in Korea Times and Arirang TV. She participated in the Korea-China modeling competition in 2005 and won first prize in that. Her acting journey kicked off when she was spotted by Producer Oh Se-Kang on a morning talk show. She made her acting debut in the television series Queen of Game in 2006. Since then, she has appeared in many films and dramas.
4. Manny Jacinto
Manuel Luis Jacinto is a Canadian Actor. On August 19, 1987, he was born in Manila, Philippines. He grew up in Richmond, British Columbia. Jacinto loved playing baseball and basketball as a kid and went to all-boys Catholic High School, Vancouver College. He completed his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia. He started his career by doing minor roles in several films and dramas. In 2015, he was cast in The Romeo Section’s Canadian spy drama by Chris Haddock. He gained fame after he featured as Jason Mendoza on the NBC sitcom The Good Place. He then did plenty of films and dramas. He got engaged to Dianne Doan, a fellow Canadian actress. Currently, he lives in Los Angeles, California, United States.
5. Arden Cho
Arden Cho is an American singer, model, and actress. On August 16, 1985, she was born in Amarillo, Texas, United States. Her parents originally belong to Korea. They shifted to America before her birth. She wanted to become a lawyer, so she went to the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. It was then that she developed an interest in acting and started taking drama classes. She has appeared in several films, television series, and commercials in the United States and Asia.
6. Harry Shum Jr
Harry Sham Jr is a Costa Rican-American actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer. He was born on April 28, 1982, in Limon, Costa Rica. Shum was born to Chinese immigrants. His parents shifted to San Francisco, California, when he was six. Sham completed his High School at Arroyo Grande High School in 2000. He went to San Francisco State University, but he dropped out only after completing a year. Initially, he was into theatre, but his inclination towards dancing grew after he auditioned for his high school team as a dare. He was first spotted by choreographers Rosero McCOY and Jamal Sims. Since then he has appeared in many TV Shows and music videos. He also worked as a dance instructor.
7. Jamie Chung
Jamie Jilynn Chung is an American actress. On April 10, 1983, she was born in San Francisco, United States. She comes from a Korean-American family who moved to the States in 1980. She graduated High School from Lowell High School in 2001. She went to the University of California and completed her degree of B.A. in economics in 2005. She first appeared as a cast member on The Real World: San Diego, then she began her acting career by doing several minor roles in television shows and films. She married her long-time boyfriend, Bryan Greenberg in 2015.
8. Henry Golding
Henry Ewan Golding is a Malaysian-British actor, model, and television host. On February 5, 1987, he was born in Betong, Sarawak, Malaysia. His mother is a Sarawakian lady, and his father is a British guy. He initially worked as a hairdresser in London for some time. He is best known for his role as Nick Young in Crazy Rich Asians, as Tom in the romantic comedy Last Christmas, and many more. He married Liv Lo, a Taiwanese television presenter and yoga instructor in 2016.
9. Ki Hong Lee
Ki Hong Lee is an American actor. On September 30, 1986, he was born in Seoul, South Korea. His family moved to Los Angeles, California, when he was eight. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2008. Lee began acting when he was in middle school. He used to be part of skits and dramas in church retreats. He is best known for his character Minho in The Maze Runner film series and Dong Nguyen in the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
10. Jenna Ushkowitz
Jenna Ushkowitz is an American actress, singer, producer, and podcast host. On April 28, 1986, she was born in Seoul, South Korea. She completed her high schooling at Holy Trinity Diocesan High School. She started her career at a young age by working as a model for print advertisements. She appeared in many commercial ad films. She is best known for her work in Broadway musicals and for the character of Tina Cohen-Chang on the fox comedy-drama series Glee.
