Damn Fine Asian Actors
by kknauer-1 | created - 23 May 2014 | updated - 23 May 2014 | PublicA list of Asian actors whose work I'd recommend, because of their talent. They are listed in no particular order & more will be added as I have time.
1. Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Actor | Fa yeung nin wah
Tony Leung Chiu Wai was born in Hong Kong on 27 June 1962. He and his younger sister were raised by their mother after his father left them. In 1982, after passing the training courses of TVB, Tony became a TV actor and became famous for his comedy style in such TV shows as Tales of a Eunuch (1983)...
2. Song Kang-ho
Actor | Salinui chueok
Song Kang-ho never professionally trained as an actor, beginning his career in social theater groups after graduating from Kimhae High School. Later, he joined Kee Kuk-seo's influential theater company with its emphasis on instinctive acting and improvisation, which proved to be Song's training ...
3. Koji Yakusho
Actor | Perfect Days
Koji Yakusho is an acclaimed and famed Japanese actor who has appeared in many notable films, including Tampopo, Unagi and Babel, but may be best known internationally for his role in Shall We Dance, which at the time of its release was Asia's biggest film export. He was born in the southern city ...
4. Kam Woo-seong
Actor | Wang-ui namja
Kam Woo-seong was born on October 1, 1970 in Okcheon County, North Chungcheong, South Korea. He is an actor, known for The King and the Clown (2005), Should We Kiss First (2018) and Spider Forest (2004).
Korean actor - Solid, some-what underrated actor, who doesn't get enough work, especially well-written roles, lately. Starred in films like The King & the Clown, Spider Forest, Marriage is a Crazy Thing, R-Point. Is known for the K-Dramas Alone in Love, and King Geunchogo.
5. Choi Min-sik
Actor | Oldeuboi
Choi Min-shik first made a name for himself in theater before breaking into the film world with a role in Park Chong-won's acclaimed film 'Our Twisted Hero' (1992). In the mid-nineties he continued to act in theater productions as well as in several TV dramas, including Moon Over Seoul with Han ...
6. Ching Wan Lau
Actor | Hak hap
Ching Wan Lau was born on February 16, 1964 in Hong Kong. He is an actor, known for Black Mask (1996), Mad Detective (2007) and Life Without Principle (2011). He has been married to Amy Kwok since 1998.
7. Anthony Chau-Sang Wong
Actor | Mou gaan dou
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang was born to a British father and a Chinese mother. He never knew his father, since the man left his family when Wong was four years old. He trained acting at ATV and later enrolled into the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
After working in several TV Series, he shot to ...
8. Kim Yoon-seok
Actor | Chugyeokja
Kim Yoon-seok was born on January 21, 1968 in Danyang County, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. He is an actor and director, known for The Chaser (2008), Another Child (2019) and 1987: When the Day Comes (2017). He has been married to Joo-ran Bang since 2002. They have two children.
9. Ryu Seung-beom
Actor | Boo-dang-geo-rae
Ryoo Seung-bum made a name for himself as an actor after debuting in the film DIE BAD (2000). The critically-acclaimed cult classic hit became a gritty debut that earned Ryoo the Best New Actor award at the 38th Grand Bell Awards. Known for his manic energy, casual demeanor and subtle ability to ...
Korean actor - extremely versatile, usually gets great roles to play in his brother Ryu Seung Wan's films.
10. Hwang Jung-min
Actor | Gokseong
Hwang Jung-Min is one of the highest-grossing movie stars in South Korea, starring in many iconic box office hits such as ODE TO MY FATHER (2014), VETERAN (2015), THE WAILING (2016) to name a few, and is the third actor in Korea to become a member of the "100 million Viewer Club" in Korea, along ...
11. Shin Ha-kyun
Actor | Boksuneun naui geot
Shin Ha-kyun was born on May 30, 1974 in Seoul, South Korea. He is an actor and manager, known for Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Joint Security Area (2000) and Save the Green Planet! (2003).
Korean actor - Frequent Park Chan-Wook collaborator: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Joint Security Area, Thirst, etc. Also starred in Save the Green Planet, and Guns & Talks.
12. Maggie Cheung
Actress | Fa yeung nin wah
Maggie Cheung was born on September 20, 1964, in Hong Kong, and moved at the age of eight with her family to England. After finishing secondary school, she returned to Hong Kong, where she began modeling and appearing in commercials. In 1983 she participated in the Ms. Hong Kong pageant, winning ...
13. Tony Ka Fai Leung
Actor | Hak se wooi
Tony Leung Ka-fai is a four-time Hong Kong Film Award-winning film actor. As he is often confused with actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Tony Leung Ka-fai is known as "Big Tony", while Tony Leung Chiu-wai is known as "Little Tony", nicknames which correspond to the actors' respective physical statures.
...
14. Chow Yun-Fat
Actor | Wo hu cang long
Chow Yun Fat is a charismatic, athletically built and energetic Asian-born film star who first came to the attention of western audiences via his roles in the high-octane/blazing guns action films of maverick HK director John Woo.
Chow was born in 1955 on the quiet island of Lamma, part of the ...
15. Jung Suh
Actress | Seom
Jung Suh was born on June 19, 1972 in South Korea. She is an actress, known for The Isle (2000), Green Chair (2005) and Peppermint Candy (1999).
16. Jeon Do-yeon
Actress | Hanyo
Jeon Do-yeon spent five years starring in television dramas before achieving instant star status with her film debut opposite Han Seok-gyu in The Contact. She has since gone on to take a wide variety of roles, from her performance as a schoolgirl in Harmonium in My Memory to that of a wife having ...
17. Masahiro Motoki
Actor | Okuribito
Masahiro Motoki was born on December 21, 1965 in Okegawa, Saitama, Japan. He is an actor, known for Departures (2008), Chûgoku no chôjin (1998) and Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (1992). He has been married to Yayako Uchida since July 1995. They have three children.
18. Hiroyuki Sanada
Actor | Tasogare Seibei
Hiroyuki Sanada was born on October 12, 1960 in Tokyo. He made his film debut when he was 5 in Rokyoku komori-uta (1965) (Shin'ichi Chiba played the lead role.) His father died when he was 11. He joined Japan Action Club, organized & run by Sonny Chiba, when he was 12. He 1st became famous as an ...
19. Ryûhei Matsuda
Actor | Fune wo amu
The uniquely beautiful and talented Ryuhei Matsuda was born May 9, 1983, in Tokyo, to Miyuki Matsuda and Yûsaku Matsuda. Six years later, Ryuhei's life took a tragic turn when his father died from bladder cancer at the age of 40. Ryuhei and his mother persevered, and unlike most offspring of famous...
20. Wen Jiang
Actor | Rogue One
Wen Jiang was born on January 5, 1963 in Tangshan, China. He is an actor and director, known for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Let the Bullets Fly (2010) and Devils on the Doorstep (2000). He has been married to Yun Zhou since 2005. They have two children. He was previously married to ...
21. Daoming Chen
Actor | Ying xiong
Daoming Chen was born on April 26, 1955 in Tianjin, China. He is an actor and producer, known for Hero (2002), Wo de 1919 (1999) and Infernal Affairs III (2003). He has been married to Xian Du since 1978. They have one child.
22. Joe Odagiri
Director | Aru sendo no hanashi
Joe Odagiri was born on February 16, 1976 in Tsuyama City, Okayama, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for They Say Nothing Stays the Same (2019), Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (2005) and Adrift in Tokyo (2007). He has been married to Yû Kashii since February 16, 2008.
23. Toshirô Mifune
Actor | Yôjinbô
Toshiro Mifune achieved more worldwide fame than any other Japanese actor of his century. He was born in Tsingtao, China, to Japanese parents and grew up in Dalian. He did not set foot in Japan until he was 21. His father was an importer and a commercial photographer, and young Toshiro worked in ...
24. Andy Lau
Actor | Mou gaan dou
Andy Lau Tak-wah, (born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter, presenter, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same...
25. Francis Ng
Actor | Mou gaan dou II
Francis Ng was born on December 21, 1961 in Hong Kong. He is an actor and director, known for Infernal Affairs II (2003), 2000 AD (2000) and Bullets Over Summer (1999). He has been married to Fiona Wong since December 2, 2002. They have one child.
26. Simon Yam
Actor | Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life
Simon Yam was born 19 March, 1955, also known as Yam Tat-wah, is a veteran Hong Kong-based actor and film producer. He started off as a supermodel before becoming an actor in the mid 1970s. He then signed with the Hong Kong television network TVB, starring and co-starring in a number of television ...
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