Ke Huy Quan

From refugee camp to Hollywood's biggest stage, Ke Huy Quan's story is one of resilience and patience.

Born into a family of Chinese descent with eight siblings, Quan, along with his father and five siblings, fled to Hong Kong when he was four years old, while Quan's mother and three other siblings went to Malaysia. After staying at a refugee camp in Hong Kong, Quan's entire family was admitted to the United States as part of the Refugee Admissions Program in 1979.

As a child actor, Quan initially gained recognition playing Short Round in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (1984) and Data in "The Goonies" (1985). Following a few roles as a young adult in the 1990s, he took a 19-year acting hiatus. During this break from acting, he worked as a stunt choreographer, having contributed to the choreography of fighting sequences in "X-Men" (2000), and was a stunt choreographer for "The One" (2001). He also served as an assistant director on Wong Kar-wai's "2046" (2004).

In 2021, Quan returned to acting with the family adventure "Finding ʻOhana," and followed this by delivering an acclaimed performance in the film "Everything Everywhere All at Once" (2022). This performance led him to various accolades including the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild Award, and a host of others for Best Supporting Actor. He made history as the first Vietnam-born and Vietnamese-American actor to be nominated and to win in the Best Supporting Actor category at the Academy Awards. He was also the first Asian man to win any individual category at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The year 2023 saw him named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine and he was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an actor.

Quan continued his acting career momentum in 2023 by joining the second season cast of the Disney+ series "Loki," earning a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role. He also starred in the Disney+ adaptation of "American Born Chinese" released the same year. Upcoming roles for Quan include a voice role in "Kung Fu Panda 4" set for release in 2024, the animated sequel "Zootopia 2," and the action film "With Love" from 87North. His many achievements and contributions to film were recognized in 2023 when he received the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Great Immigrant Award.