17 Stars Who Were Well-Known In Asian Countries Before Becoming Big Names In Hollywood

Hollywood is deemed a place where stars were born. There’s a plethora of people “from zero to hero” thanks to their appearance in this biggest movie industry. Therefore, anyone pursuing an acting career constantly tries their best to step foot in Hollywood.
But not only the newbies, actors, and actresses who are well-known in some other areas also spread their name widely thanks to making their appearances in Hollywood movies. In fact, many Asian movie stars who are well-recognized for their domestic fans have carved their name in Hollywood maps and amped up their fame. Chloe Bennet had been a popular Chinese pop star before gracing with her role in S.H.I.E.L.D, while Ma Dong-seok had many Asian fans falling in love with his role in K-Drama - “Train to Busan” before the first Hollywood role as Gilgamesh in “Eternals”.
Along with Chloe Bennet and Ma Dong-Seok, there are many other Asian celebs taking their acting career up a notch with roles in Hollywood. We’ve listed out 17 great ones in this post, scroll down and check them out.

#1 Jet Li gained notoriety in China and Hong Kong, first as a Wushu competitor and subsequently as an actor in action films about martial arts like Shaolin Temple and Fist of Legend. His true name, Li Lianjie, was too difficult to say, so the distributors of his first movie in the Philippines gave him the stage moniker Jet Li.

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He debuted in Hollywood with a role in Lethal Weapon 4. He went on to balance his Chinese and Hong Kong film careers with important roles in American films such as Romeo Must Die, War, and, most recently, Mulan (2020).

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#2 Fala Chen, who was born and raised in China, returned there to pursue her acting career after growing up in Atlanta. She's known for her work in films like Turning Point, Triumph in the Skies II, and Sound of the Desert.

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She made her Hollywood debut with a supporting role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings after graduating from Juilliard in New York City. She landed a recurring part in the HBO miniseries Irma Vep after that.

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#3 Don Lee a.k.a Ma Dong-seok, has been dubbed "South Korea's greatest action hero." His role in Train to Busan catapulted him to international star.

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Following Train to Busan, he received casting offers from major Hollywood studios. Eternals is his debut American film with the role of Gilgamesh.

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#4 Henry Golding quit his position as a hairstylist in the UK when he was 21 in order to pursue a career in Malaysia's television industry. He hosted programs like The 8TV Quickie, Welcome to the Railworld Malaysia, and The Travel Show during his time as a presenter.

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He had no prior acting experience, but he knew an accountant who was employed by the Crazy Rich Asians Malaysian production team. She suggested Henry when director Jon M. Chu was having trouble finding a main male.

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#5 Both in Taiwan and the US, Ang Lee pursued a film education. He joined and won a script competition in Taiwan after spending six years attempting to have his films produced there, which caught the attention of two independent production companies. He produced a number of films that were popular abroad, such as The Wedding Banquet, which was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe.

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He was chosen in 1995 to helm the production of Sense and Sensibility in the US and the UK. For directing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain, and Life of Pi, he went on to win Oscars.

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#6 Chloe Bennet moved from the United States to China when she was 15 to pursue a music career. She was a pop star under her birth name, Chloé Wang.

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However, a few years later, she returned home and began acting. She landed roles on Nashville and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. after using her father's first name, Bennet, as her stage name.

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#7 Rinko Kikuchi had roles in Japanese films like Sora no Ana and The Taste of Tea, but it was the international co-production Babel that gave her a breakthrough on a global scale. She was the first Japanese woman to be nominated for an Oscar in fifty years when she received the nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

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She later made appearances in Hollywood films like Pacific Rim, The Brothers Bloom, and 47 Ronin. She also had significant main parts in the TV shows Tokyo Vice and Westworld.

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#8 Iko Uwais was spotted and recruited by Gareth Evans for a documentary about silat, a type of martial arts practiced by the actor. Iko appeared in numerous of Gareth's Indonesian action films, including Merantau and The Raid.

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He had an appearance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. He went on to star in and choreograph action/fight scenes for other American films, including Stuber and the Netflix series Wu Assassins.

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#9 Zhang Ziyi made her cinematic debut in The Road Home after Zhang Yimou noticed her while she was filming a commercial. Then he advised that Ang Lee cast her in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She received widespread appreciation for the part and Hollywood's attention.

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Rush Hour 2 was her first Hollywood movie. Later, she starred in Memoirs of a Geisha, for which she received Golden Globe, SAG Award, and BAFTA nominations. She is currently dividing her time between Chinese and American projects.

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#10 Michelle Yeoh was suggested by a friend for a Jackie Chan commercial in Hong Kong after she received her degree from university. She later secured a contract with D&B Films and rose to fame as an action star. In Movies like Yes, Madam and Police Story 3: Super Cop, she played the lead role.

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She made her Hollywood debut in the 1997 film Tomorrow Never Dies as a Bond girl. She received her first Oscar nomination in 2023 for the role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, which was originally intended for Jackie Chan.

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#11 Chang Chen became well-known in Taiwan thanks to roles in films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and A Brighter Summer Day, in which he co-starred with his father, Chang Kuo-chu.

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He made his American film debut in Dune (2021) as Dr. Wellington Yueh.

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#12 Liu Yifei played leading roles in a number of popular TV shows in China, including Chinese Paladin, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, and others. Additionally, she appeared in the films Once Upon a Time and Love in Disguise.

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Although she played the title role in the 2020 Disney remake of Mulan, her first Hollywood performance was in the 2008 film The Forbidden Kingdom, which catapulted her to international fame.

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#13 Veronica Ngô started her modeling career in Vietnam in 1999 after relocating from her home in Norway. Along with becoming a pop celebrity under the stage name NTV, she also began acting in the Vietnamese film The Rebel and the Singapore TV series Rouge.

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She had a little but significant role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017, which gave her a great break internationally. She then went on to have notable roles in The Princess, Da 5 Bloods, and The Old Guard.

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#14 Youn Yuh-jung has been an actor in South Korea for decades. She returned to Korea after an extended career sabbatical in the United States and made a successful comeback with films such as A Good Lawyer's Wife and Beasts Clawing at Straws.

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Minari, her first American film, was released in 2020. She was the first South Korean actor to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress and the first to receive a SAG Award nomination for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role. She was also the first Korean actor to get a BAFTA award.

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#15 Priyanka Chopra Jonas made her acting debut in the Tamil film Thamizhan after winning Miss India and Miss World in 2000. She then made the transition to Bollywood, appearing in films such as The Hero: Love Story of a Spy.

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She had her first American role as a voice actor in Pixar's Planes in 2013, and the NFL Network chose her debut single, "In My City," as the theme song for Thursday Night Football that season. She secured a talent agreement with ABC in 2014, and she debuted in the TV series Quantico in 2015.

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#16 Tony Jaa's breakthrough performance in Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior elevated him to the status of a national hero in Thailand. He then appeared in additional martial arts films.

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In 2015, he appeared in Furious 7, the seventh edition of the American franchise. Other films in which he has appeared in the United States include Jiu Jitsu and the upcoming The Expendables 4.

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#17 Last but not least, Jackie Chan started off as a kid actor before becoming a stunt performer as an adult in Hong Kong. When indie filmmaker Lo Wei cast him in a number of kung fu films, he started acting once more. With films like Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and The Young Master, he was successful. He gained fame on a global scale.

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After making a few failed attempts to enter the American market, he eventually had success in 1995 when Rumble in the Bronx was released internationally. Rush Hour, released three years later, solidified his place in Hollywood history.

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