The 15 Most Famous Asian Actors and Actresses in the World
7. James Hong
ABC
With a career spanning 70 years, James Hong has seen and done it all in the entertainment world. The actor, director, and producer has more than 450 movie and TV credits to his name and continues to act, despite being in his 90s.
He first got noticed in the detective series The New Adventures of Charlie Chan. He then popped up in big-time shows such as Hawai Five-O, Perry Mason, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Hong also had notable roles in movies such as Chinatown, Big Trouble in Little China, and Blade Runner. His voice-over work has been applauded and in 2022 he was finally awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Much deserved we think.
8. Jimmy O Yang
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Unlike many on this list, Jimmy O Yang started his career in comedy. After graduating with a degree in economics and getting a job at a financial consulting firm, Yang soon realized this wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life. He sold used cars and DJed at a strip club before moving to Los Angeles to chase his comedy dreams.
He worked as a stand-up before landing his first acting gig on 2 Broke Girls. Then came cameos in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Criminal Minds before Yang was cast in Silicon Valley. That role enabled him to get into the movies, featuring in Crazy Rich Asians, Fantasy Island, and Love Hard, along with his own comedy special for Amazon Prime Video, Good Deal.
9. Jet Li
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Similar to Jackie Chan, Jet Li was a big star in Asia before making it big in the States. Having a gift for the martial art Wushu, Li mastered several disciplines and won many awards before a knee injury at 18 put an end to his competitive days. He soon turned his attention to acting so he could showcase his martial arts talents. He became a huge star in China with films such as the Shaolin Temple and Once Upon a Time in China series of movies.