“It’s an honor just to be Asian.”

     –Sandra Oh

 

For her outstanding performance in The World of Suzie Wong, Nancy Kwan received not only the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer – Female but also became the first Asian actress nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

 

In 2019, Sandra Oh became the first Asian host of the Golden Globe Awards. On the same night, she won Best Actress – TV Series, Drama for Killing Eve, her second  Globe after winning Best Supporting Actress — Series, Miniseries or Television Film for her role as Cristina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy in 2005.  Oh is the first woman of Asian descent to win multiple Golden Globes.

 

In 1981, Japanese actress Yoko Shimada scored an historic first win by an Asian actress in the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series, Drama for her outstanding work in the 1980s miniseries Shōgun.

 

Darren Criss is the first actor of Filipino descent to win a Golden Globe. The singer-actor won Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series for his role as the real-life serial  killer Andrew Cunanan in Ryan Murphy‘s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. He first attended the Globes as part of the cast of Glee, which won Best Musical or Comedy Series in 2010 and 2011.

 

Another Filipino American, Hailee Steinfeld, was a 2017 Golden Globe nominee for the coming-of-age film The Edge of Seventeen. She was nominated in the Best Actress – Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy category.

 

Hong Chau is in two of 2022’s buzziest films: The Menu and The Whale. The Downsizing actress was nominated in 2018 for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture.

 

Michelle Yeoh has emerged as one of 2022’s critics’ darlings for her performance as a multiverse-traveling Asian American immigrant who’s desperately trying to finish her taxes in Everything Everywhere All At Once. The actress attended the 76th Golden Globes wearing an emerald ring that she wore in the movie Crazy Rich Asians. The romantic comedy’s success helped improve Asian representation onscreen. Its lead star, Constance Wu, was nominated for Best Actress – Musical or Comedy, and the film itself received a nod for Best Musical or Comedy.

 

The following year, Awkwafina made history when she won Best Actress – Comedy or Musical for her role in the movie The Farewell at the 2020 Golden Globes.

 

Chloé Zhao made Golden Globes history in 2021 as the first Asian woman to win Best Director – Motion Picture for Nomadland. The director received her award during the virtual ceremony. 

 

Acclaimed Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee has received eight Golden Globe nominations over the years and won Best Director, Motion Picture for Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, respectively.

 

These are just some of the Asian talents who have lent their star power to the Golden Globes over the years, read on to see Chen Kaige, Haing S. Ngor, Pat Morita and more.

Hailee Steinfeld, was a 2017 Golden Globe nominee for the coming-of-age film The Edge of Seventeen. Her mother is Filipino.

1981 Japanese Yoko Shimada became the first Asian actress to win Best Television Actress – Dram Series, for her role opposite Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune in the television drama – Shōgun.

In 1985 the Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture went to Haing S. Nor for The Killing Fields

Priyanka Chopra has presented at the Golden Globes.

Freida Pinto has presented at the Golden Globes, the Slumdog Millionaire (2008) star always stuns with graceful beauty and incredible elegance.

Loved by many for his role in The Karate Kid, Pat Morita has received two Golden Globe nominations, both for Best Supporting Actor. First in 1985in the category, Motion Picture for the aforementioned film, and for Best Supporting Actor – Television in 1986, for Amos.

Darren Criss is mother is from the Philippines, and whose father is American, is the first actor of Filipino descent to win a Golden Globe. 

Dev Patel is British of Indian Parents and has received two nominations – one for Best Supporting Actor Motion Picture – Lion and one for Best Actor – Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy for The Personal History of David Copperfield.

Chen Kaige has received two nominations winning for Best Picture – Non-English Language for his film Farewell My Concubine – 1994.

Joan Chen is pictured at the 1994 Golden Globes – the year she co-starred in the Steven Seagal action-adventure On Deadly Ground. The actress/director has impacted in Bernardo Bertolucci‘s The Last Emperor (1987) David Lynch‘s Twin Peaks and Oliver Stone‘s Heaven & Earth – to name just a few.