Top 25 Asian Actors in Hollywood Under 40 - October 2019

Simu is a Chinese-Canadian actor who won a Game Changer Award and People's Choice Award for his role as Shang-Chi in the Marvel movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). Before his leading role in a Marvel movie, he played Jung Kim on the CBC sitcom Kim's Convenience (2016). He is also a writer and producer.

Immigrating from China at the age of 5, Simu was raised in Mississauga, Ontario. After graduating from the Richard Ivey School of Business and working at a top accounting firm for nearly a year, Liu was laid off. Deciding to pursue work in film and television instead, he quickly landed roles on series such as Heroes Reborn (2015), Nikita (2010), Warehouse 13 (2009) and Air Crash Investigation (2003).

He has since starred on Blood and Water (2015) and Taken (2017), and guest starred on shows such as The Expanse (2015), Bad Blood (2017), and Fresh Off the Boat (2015).

Liu has written and produced for television as well as in film. His short film Meeting Mommy was selected as a semi-finalist for the NBC Universal Shorts Festival. He was also a writer on the second season of Blood and Water, contributing as a story editor for the season and as the main writer for one episode.

Simu trains extensively in martial arts and stunt work in addition to television and theatrical performance.

British-Malaysian television host, actor and model Henry Ewan Golding was born in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, to Margaret Likan and Clive Golding. His father is English and his mother is Malaysian. His mother is from the Iban people, an Indigenous group in Sarawak, and Henry completed the bejalai, an Iban rite of passage, in the jungles of Borneo.

Henry spent his early years in Terengganu. His family moved from Malaysia to Surrey, England when he was eight. When he was twenty one, he moved back to Malaysia, living in Kuala Lumpur, pursuing acting work, and becoming known as a host of travel shows.

Henry made his feature film debut in the smash hit Crazy Rich Asians (2018), playing Nick Young, a Singaporean multi-millionaire who must carefully navigate his relationship with an American, Rachel Chu (Constance Wu). Later that year, he starred opposite Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick in the thriller A Simple Favor (2018). Since his 2018 success, he has starred opposite Emilia Clarke in the romantic comedy Last Christmas (2019) and played a more villainous role in the comedy-thriller The Gentlemen (2019). He will also star as the title character in the action film Snake Eyes (2021).

Henry married Liv Lo, an Italian-Taiwanese TV presenter and yoga instructor, in August 2016.

Ludi Lin is a unique actor striding Hollywood and China and one of the most outspoken voices in Asian Representation in Hollywood. Being born in China, he received his education and enculturation in many different countries around the world. Rather than deciding to be an actor, he feels he simply never succumbed to the pressures of giving up on being one because he believes that people are all born actors and we're here to to tell our stories.

Ludi's upcoming projects include: MORTAL KOMBAT, SON OF THE SOUTH, THE GHOST BRIDE, the Chinese adaptation of HUMANS and two shorts including IN A NEW YORK MINUTE and SUMMER KNIGHT. He recently joined the cast of MORTAL KOMBAT as Liu Kang, AQUAMAN as Captain Murk in the 2018 DC film, AQUAMAN. He is well known as Zack, The Black Power Ranger in THE POWER RANGERS, Lions Gate's franchise. He was also seen in Season 2 of Netflix's MARCO POLO along with Chinese films COME ACROSS LOVE and TAKES ME TO THE ENDS OF EARTH. Ludi's other credits include the Chinese MONSTER HUNT and LOST IN HONG KONG - one of China's biggest box office Chinese films released to date.

In 2017, Ludi was honored at the Hawaii European Film Festival Awards, receiving the Rising Star Award. Variety presented their Asian Stars: Up Next Award to Ludi at the 2nd International Film Festival & Awards in Macao.

Ludi was born in Fuzhou, a city along the southern coast of China. His full immersion into western culture came at the age of 9 when he was sent abroad to Sydney Australia to further his studies. Finally, when he was 17 he moved to Vancouver Canada to complete his university education. The allure to act for Ludi began from an early age when he watched his mother's performances from behind the curtain of a Chinese Theatrical stage. Ironically, she urged him not to follow her footsteps but in spite of her dire warnings, he continued to pursue the art and eventually graduated with a double major in Dietetics and Theatre from the University of British Columbia. After graduating, Ludi took a 2 year souljourn around Asia proper where he refined his martial arts skills in Thailand and Japan; studying Muay Thai and JiuJitsu for extended periods. Subsequently, Ludi returned to Vancouver to work as an actor, and honed his skills on shows such as LEVEL UP! and HOLIDAY SPIN. He was also cast in a number of Chinese co-productions, that put to use his unique language skills, films such as, I'M SORRY, I LOVE YOU (2013) and A Servant of Two Masters. Working in China afforded Ludi the chance learn in a different environment and work with legends of the Chinese industry such as Barbara Wong, a revered female director out of Hong Kong, and Jackie Chan and his stunt fighting team. The welcome he experienced and his deepening impression on Chinese audiences made him decide to continue establishing himself in China. Ludi currently maintains residences in Beijing and Vancouver and is a competitive snowboarder, a Master Scuba diver, and student of different martial art forms. He feels grateful to be an actor who can share his art with the world.

Lewis Tan is a half Chinese half English, film, television and theatre actor. He played as the series regular Gaius Chau on season three of AMC's "Into The Badlands" ; Lu Xin Lee on Netflix's first Asian American original series "Wu Assassins" and many films including the record breaking Marvel film "Deadpool 2" and most recently the lead role in James Wans Warner Bros reboot of "Mortal Kombat"

Born in Manchester, England to a fashion model Joanne Cassidy and national champion martial artists Philip Tan. Lewis moved to Los Angeles at a young age as his father was making a mark on action cinema as a stuntman and fight choreographer working on legendary films like "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", "Batman" and "Tango and Cash". Lewis began learning martial arts from his father while at the same time attending theatre school. Lewis had multiple honors in school as well as winning many amateur fights in kickboxing and Muay Thai.

After graduating Lewis began his professional career guest starring in TV shows from "CSI:NY", "CSI:Miami", "Hawaii 5-0" to his first major films including "Pirates of the Caribbean 3", and "Den of Thieves".

At the same time Lewis gained notable fame as a fashion model. He signed with Wilhelmina modeling agency and secured a contract as the face of Nivea in Asia for a few years doing numerous campaigns and commercials. He did many editorial ads including Diesel, Dolce and Gabanna, Puma and Levi's.

Lewis was then picked by Forest Whitaker to play the lead in the indie drama "Sacrifice", this was the start of his film career. The film won awards at many film festivals, it was then that Lewis received world wide attention for his guest role in Marvel's "Iron Fist" where he played the drunken master "Zhou Cheng", the scene was top ten most paused Netflix moments of the year and the scene received a viral campaign with fans asking for a more prominent role.

Lewis is known for performing his own action scenes and got the attention of the show runners Al Gough and Miles Milar of AMC's "Into the Badlands", securing him a lead role in season 3 of the show, led by famous choreographer from "Kill Bill" and "The Matrix" Master Dee Dee. His role on the show and his action ability gained him more critical acclaim.

In 2018 Lewis began filming a lead role in Netflix's Asian American action series "Wu Assassins" along side Kathryn Winnick and Iko Uwais. He plays the flamboyant gangster Lu Xin Lee, the show premiered to great reviews both with fans and critics.

Lewis continues to be a strong voice in the Asian American media as an advocate for diversity and original story telling.

In 2019 Lewis was cast as the lead role in James Wan's reboot of "Mortal Kombat" for Warner Brothers and New Line. The film was released April 23, 2021 in theaters and HBO Max on the same day. The film's trailer broke the record for most watched R rated film of all time and is the most watched WB film.

In 2021 Lewis will star in the Netflix action film "Fistful of Vengeance" and alongside Emma Roberts in the romance comedy "About Fate". He is also producing and starring in the spy series "Quantum Spy" with partner Tony Krantz and is in development for his first feature film as a director.

Justin Hong-Kee Min is an American actor. He began his acting career with roles in several Wong Fu productions. He plays Ben Hargreeves in the Netflix original series The Umbrella Academy (2019-2024). He is also known for playing the titular role in After Yang (2021). Min is a second-generation Korean American from Cerritos, California. He is fluent in Korean, and is a second cousin of Ashley Park. He graduated from Cerritos High School in 2007. He then attended Cornell University, where he served on the Student Assembly as the Minority Liaison; he graduated from the school's College of Arts & Sciences in 2011 with degrees in Government and English

Chase Tang is an accomplished business executive born in Taiwan. He grew up in Nova Scotia and was an elite level hockey player in Atlantic Canada. He entered the entertainment Industry in 2019 to pursue his passion for film and television. Tang spends his time and travels frequently between Canada, Asia, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and the Middle East. Tang is also a devoted and passionate supporter of philanthropy and mental health endeavors.

Chris Pang was born on 29 December 1984 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is an actor and producer, known for Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Palm Springs (2020) and Charlie's Angels (2019).

Remy Hii began his career on stage at the age of 19 with the Queensland Theatre Company in the award winning play The Estimator. Television roles soon followed, and three years of full time study with the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, Australia where he graduated in 2011.

Weeks after graduating, Hii was cast in Alex Proyas' film 'Paradise Lost' as a fallen Angel alongside Bradley Cooper's Lucifer. The production however was shutdown citing budgetary reasons. Immediately following, Hii appeared playing the true story of Van Tuong Nguyen, an Australian sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Singapore. For his role as Van in Better Man, Remy was nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama, and won the Graham Kennedy Award For Most Outstanding Newcomer.

Hii was introduced to international audiences as Prince Jingim, heir to the Kublai Khan's Mongolian Empire in the Netflix/Weinstein Original production Marco Polo. Remy underwent rigorous physical training for the role including martial arts, archery, horse riding, and performed his own stunts on the show.

Hii returned to the stage in the Sydney Theatre Company production of The Golden Age in 2016.

Charles Melton was born on 4 January 1991 in Juneau, Alaska, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for May December (2023), Riverdale (2017) and The Sun Is Also a Star (2019).

Ross Fleming Butler was born in Singapore & was raised in the Northern Virginia/Washington D.C. area. He attended Ohio State University studying biomolecular & chemical engineering but decided to drop out after 1 year after discovering he had no passion or interest in that field of study. He moved to L.A. in 2010 & found his love for acting after his friend bought him his first acting class for his 21st birthday. Having seen the vast under representation of Asian-American talent in film & TV as well as the misrepresentation of Asian-American males throughout his life, he decided he would make it his goal to change stereotypes &fight for inclusion in Hollywood.

Iko Uwais was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, to Maisyaroh and Mustapha Kamaluddin. His grandfather, H. Achmad Bunawar, was a master of silat, an Indonesian traditional martial art, and founded a silat school. Iko himself has been learning silat since he was 10 years old. He became National Champion in 2005 in Silat Demonstration category. Iko's talent as a martial arts actor was discovered by Welsh film Director, Gareth Evans, who visited Iko's Silat school for a documentary in 2007. Evans then asked Iko to quit his daytime job as a driver in a telecommunications company and join Evans' movie production company as the leading actor in his movies.

Alex Landi is a half-Korean, half-Italian actor born in New York City. He is a main cast member on ABC's long-time hit show Grey's Anatomy playing the role of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Nico Kim. He likewise appears as Dr. Kim on crossover episodes with Grey's sister show Station 19. Notably, Landi is the first ever Asian male surgeon on both programs.

Previously, Landi portrayed Henry Lee in season 2 of Netflix's Insatiable opposite Debby Ryan. Landi was also the sole lead character in Doja Cat's 2021 official music video for her Grammy-winning song "Kiss Me More" featuring SZA. It marked the first time a man of Asian descent was the lead of a Hollywood music video.

Landi can now be seen as a series regular in his debut Korean drama for Netflix's Mr. Plankton alongside Squid Game's Lee Yoo-Mi, Woo Do-Hwan, Oh Jung-Se, and Kim Hae-Sook.

Osric Chau was born in Vancouver, Canada, to a father from Hong Kong and a mother from Malaysia. He had spent years training martial arts with aspirations to work in stunts when he landed his first leading role alongside the late David Carradine in Kung Fu Killer (2008) that was shot in Hengdian, China.

The following year Osric played Nima, the Tibetan monk, in Roland Emmerich's 2012 (2009), working with veteran actors John Cusack and Thandiwe Newton, that grossed over $760 million worldwide. That success brought Osric back to China where he worked on the Chinese Remake of What Women Want (2012) alongside Andy Lau and Gong Li and The Man with the Iron Fists (2012) with Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu and director, writer, actor and rap musician RZA.

In 2011 Osric landed another leading role in Paramount's Fun Size (2012) with Victoria Justice, Thomas Mann and Jane Levy. The Halloween comedy also includes Chelsea Handler, Josh Pence and Johnny Knoxville.

In 2012 Osric started work on Supernatural (2005) as genius high school student pulled into the role of prophet, Kevin Tran, a character he played on the show over 16 episodes in seasons 7-9 and 11. This work got him noticed and his acting roles have become more prolific since his appearance in the series.

In the process Osric has more than found a passion for acting and filmmaking. He still enjoys stunts, and has enormous appreciation of the skill and sacrifices involved but he'll settle with doing as many of his own stunts as a production will allow..

Daniel Henney was born on 28 November 1979 in Carson City, Michigan, USA. He is an actor, known for Big Hero 6 (2014), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and The Last Stand (2013).

Ryan Potter is an actor, director, martial artist, and photographer. Ryan, though born in the United States, was raised in Tokyo until the age of seven.

Ryan got his start as the lead, "Mike Fukanaga" in Nickelodeon's "Supah Ninjas," (2011-2013) working with the legendary, George Takei, who played his grandfather.

In 2014, he starred in Disney's animated superhero blockbuster, Big Hero 6. He voiced the lead character, Hiro Hamada, a child prodigy who teams with a large robot. The film was released in the U.S. at #1 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2015. He went on to voice the same character for the animated television show, Disney's Big Hero 6: The Series (2017...)

Ryan as of late, devotes most of his energy to raising awareness on water scarcity and security through his company Clear Matter. He is committed to championing the revolutionary technology of Moses West, a retired US hall of fame veteran that has built the Atmospheric Water Generator. Through building a recognizable brand, Potter will raise awareness globally on the importance of AWG technology and its ability to create water in a water scarce future.

Harry Shum Jr. (born April 28, 1982) is a Costa Rican-born Chinese American actor, dancer, and choreographer. He is best known for his roles as Mike Chang on the Fox television series Glee (2009-15) and as Magnus Bane on the Freeform television series Shadowhunters (2016-19). He was nominated for four Screen Actors Guild Awards for his performance in Glee, winning once. He won the award for The Male TV Star of 2018 in the E! People's Choice Awards for Shadowhunters.

Steven Yeun was born in Seoul, South Korea, to June and Je Yeun. His family first immigrated to Canada and stayed there for one year, and then moved to the U.S. He has a brother named Brian. He began acting while at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, MI, where he studied Psychology as a major (BS in Psychology, 2005). When he realized his love for acting he went to study theatre in college instead of med school. He was a member of Stir Friday Night, a sketch-comedy group made up of Asian-American performers, and was also a member of the Second City comedy troupe in Chicago. He earned roles on The Big Bang Theory (2007) (as Sebastian), in Jerry (2009) (as Chaz) and in different commercials for Best Buy, Apple, and Milky Way. He lives in L.A.

Steven enjoys playing guitar. His parents own beauty supply stores in Detroit, MI.

Thai-Australian actor Chai Hansen was born on February 8, 1989 on Koh Samui, an island in the Gulf of Thailand. Soon relocating to Australia, Chai began breaking national records for track and field at a young age, soon developing a passion for dance.

Finding his feet upon the completion of his performing arts Diploma in 2011, it was announced that Chai would join the cast of internationally acclaimed series Mako Mermaids. Portraying merman Zac Blakely, Chai's first ever lead in a television series shone a spotlight on the young actor, opening a door to the industry.

The success of Mako helped secure Chai the role of Ilian in the fourth season of The 100. The recurring role became a fan favorite, though the character had a predetermined fate. Bidding farewell to the series, it was only a matter of time until Chai landed the title character of Monkey in The New Legends of Monkey, a new spin on the classic tale Journey to the West.

In early 2018, Chai officially joined the cast for Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments third season as Jordan Kyle, a werewolf on a quest for redemption.

Chai Hansen continues to show dedication to his craft developing his characters with attention to detail, he has a number of projects on the horizon.

Shannon Kook was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. His mother is natively South African, and his father is from the Mauritian Islands. He is a classically trained actor from the prestigious National Theatre School of Canada, accepting only 12 acting students a year. Shannon also graduated with the Edna Khubyar Acting Award, a scholarship awarded 'in recognition of exceptional talent and achievement' after a full theatre program.

From there, Kook was cast as a lead in several shows in theatre, immediately performing on the main stage at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton for the world premiere musical of The Forbidden Phoenix as The Monkey King's son. Film and TV proved to be a great fit for Kook, soon doing leads and guest stars he eventually won The ACTRA Award, was selected as a Toronto International Film Festival 'TIFF Rising Star', and received The Reelworld Film Festival Trailblazer Award.

Most recently Shannon can be seen as a Regular on The 100 (The CW), a Supporting in all 3 of The Conjuring (Warner Bros) films, Recurring on Nancy Drew (The CW) and The Mysterious Benedict Society (Disney+).

Outside of acting Kook spends a lot of his time doing Taekwondo, Jiu-Jitsu & Kickboxing, all styles of dance from Salsa & Bachata to Hip Hop & Ballet, and behind camera shooting and retouching portrait photography. He speaks Afrikaans, some French and is working on his Mandarin, guitar, and piano.

Jake Choi is an American actor born and raised in Queens, New York.

Choi received his training at The Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City and has also studied with renowned teachers Bob Krakower and Ted Sluberski.

He has performed throughout New York on stage, film and TV. Choi currently resides in Los Angeles.

Born in 1987, Koji grew up in Epsom, Surrey. His father is Japanese and mother is English.

Studied film and theatre before travelling to Thailand and Japan, where he started work, taking on small acting jobs, working as a stunt man, editor and various odd jobs to pay the bills

Moved back to England and trained at the Actors Temple, London.

Acted in TV and Theatre in the UK whilst making his own films on the side before landing the lead role of Ah-Sahm in Cinemax's 'Warrior'.

Hayden Szeto was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is an actor, known for The Edge of Seventeen (2016), Truth or Dare (2018) and Lodge 49 (2018).

Ki Hong Lee was born on 30 September 1986 in Seoul, South Korea. He is an actor and producer, known for The Maze Runner (2014), Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) and Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018). He has been married to Ha Young Choi since 7 March 2015.

Actor/Model/Stuntman Yoshua "Yoshi" Sudarso was born in Indonesia and moved to Los Angeles at the age of nine. He and his brother, Actor/Model Peter Adrian Sudarso, developed a fanbase through social media by creating YouTube videos, doing fashion blogging, and cosplay. He has done commercial work for Samsung and Sony and stunt work for multiple films including The Maze Runner. Having discovered his passion for martial arts watching Power Rangers and Jackie Chan movies, his starring role in Power Rangers Dino Charge (2015) as the Blue Ranger "Koda" is a perfect addition to his acting resume.

Derek Mio is an actor and comedian from Huntington Beach, CA. He portrays real life recipient Hiroshi "Hershey" Miyamura in the Netflix anthology series Medal of Honor--executive produced by Robert Zemeckis--and is the lead actor in the second season of the critically acclaimed AMC anthology series The Terror co-starring George Takei and executive produced by Ridley Scott. Derek has been the face of several commercial campaigns for Audi, Mercedes Benz, ServiceNow and others and his television credits include Grey's Anatomy, Hawaii Five-0, SEAL Team, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Good Wife, a recurring role on ABC Family hit series GREEK, and more. He is an alumnus of the Meisner-based Joanne Baron/ D.W. Brown Studio and also studied with the Upright Citizens Brigade, The Aquila Morong Studio, Michael Woolson and Kennedy Brown. Derek has performed stand-up comedy at The Comedy Store, Laugh Factory, Hollywood & Brea Improvs, Tokyo Comedy Bar, The Stand NYC, Sunset Strip Comedy Club in Austin and several other venues. He is the creator and host of 'The BudoComedy Show' held at the Terasaki Budokan non-profit rec center in Little Tokyo, downtown Los Angeles featuring comedians such as Atsuko Okatsuka, Al Madrigal, Sheng Wang, Ian Bagg and more--the show has raised over $10,000 for the facility. Derek earned a Bachelor of Arts from USC's School of Cinematic Arts. His hobbies include surfing, fishing, birding, and wrangling his 2 year old son.