Diversity in Hollywood has always been a controversial topic, but things are slowly getting better. As we see more Asian stars starting to appear on-screen, we have to pay homage to those who blazed the trail for better Asian representation, as well as up-and-coming actors paving the way for the future generation of aspiring actors.

Bruce Lee

Name: Lee Jun-fan, 1940-1973

Trivia:

A Hong Kong-American martial artist, actor, director, martial arts instructor, philosopher and pop culture icon of the 20th century, who bridged the gap between East and West
Before he was known for his martial arts skills, Bruce Lee was actually a cha-cha dancer
He charged US$275 an hour for private lessons in the ’60s, among his students were Hollywood stars Steve McQueen, James Coburn, James Garner, Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate
Starred in box office movies “The Big Boss”, “Fist of Fury”, “Way of the Dragon” and “Game of Death”

Jackie Chan

Name: Chan Kong-sang, 67 years old

Trivia:

Jackie’s father was secretly a spy for the Chinese Nationalist Revolutionary Army and his mother was arrested for smuggling opium into China
He earned two Guinness World Records for “Most Credits in One Movie” (15) and Most Stunts Performed by a Living Actor” in “Chinese Zodiac”
Jackie walked down the 89th Oscar’s red carpet with two stuffed pandas, Chan La and Chan Zy, which represents the two pandas that he raised in China
Starred in Hollywood blockbuster films such as the “Rush Hour” franchise, DreamWorks Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda” and “The Karate Kid” remake

Henry Golding

Name: Henry Ewan Golding, 34 years old

Trivia:

Born in Malaysia, Henry’s father is from England and his mother is from the Iban tribe in Sarawak
Before he became a movie star, Henry got his start as a hairstylist in London
Rose to fame from his roles in Hollywood hit films “Crazy Rich Asians”, “A Simple Favor”, “Monsoon”, “Last Christmas” and “The Gentlemen”
Henry admitted that he feels like an outsider in Hollywood when people said he wasn’t Asian enough for “Crazy Rich Asians” and not white enough for “Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins”

Simu Liu

Name: Simu Liu, 32 years old

Trivia:

Simu was born in Harbin, China and when he was 5, he and his parents immigrated to Canada
He once worked as an accountant for less than a year and did photoshoots for stock photos
Auditioned for “Crazy Rich Asians” 4 times for the lead role Nick Young, which eventually went to Henry Golding
Besides acting, Simu is also good at singing, playing basketball, works behind camera as a writer and filmmaker, not to mention a stuntman

Irrfan Khan

Name: Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan, 1967-2020

Trivia:

Irrfan initially wanted to become a cricketer, however, his parents were not too keen about it
After having successfully taken over the Bollywood industry, he had supporting roles in Hollywood films “The Amazing Spider-Man”, “Life of Pi”, “Jurassic World” and “Inferno”
Irrfan had to turn down a crucial role in Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar”, “The Martian” and “Body of Lies” due to prior commitments to other projects
He also starred in Academy award-winning British film “Slumdog Millionaire”