Hokkaido-born Miyoshi Umeki was a singer and actor who sang mostly American jazz songs in nightclubs. She moved to the US in 1955 and then performed at the variety show Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts. She eventually released several singles and a couple of albums. However, she is most remembered for being the first East Asian woman to win an Academy Award for acting—nabbing Best Supporting for her role in Sayonara.

Bruce Lee was introduced to the world playing sidekick Kato in the Green Hornet TV series. However, he quickly overshadowed lead actor Van Williams. Eventually, Lee became a star in his own right, introducing innovative fight choreography, demonstrating kung fu with modern techniques, and redefining action sequences.

Don’t miss: 7 Bruce Lee facts you may not know

After conquering Asia, Hollywood was only a natural next step for Jackie Chan. His breakthrough came with 1995’s Rumble in the Bronx, which showcased his unique ability to combine action, humour, and death-defying stunts. Some of his most popular Hollywood work includes the Rush Hour franchise, Shanghai Noon, Karate Kid, and The Forbidden Kingdom.

The former Miss Malaysia began acting in Hong Kong in the 1980s. Michelle Yeoh featured in many Jackie Chan films and, like Chan, she performed many of her own stunts. She broke into Hollywood via the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. This launched a string of successes, including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Memoirs of a Geisha, Crazy Rich Asians, and, of course, Everything Everywhere All at Once. Her performance in the latter earned her an Oscar for Best Actress, the first Asian woman to do so.

Also read: From Hong Kong cinema to Hollywood: Michelle Yeoh’s style evolution through the decades

This Cambodian doctor-turned-actor is the first Asian to win an Academy Award for acting. He won the Best Supporting prize in 1985 for his role in The Killing Fields. Tragically, he was murdered outside his home 11 years later due to an alleged burglary. However, lawyers argued the real reason was politically motivated and the killers were sympathisers of the Khmer Rouge.

Before making it big in Hollywood, Jet Li was the king of wuxia films thanks to the Once Upon a Time in China series. He made his Western debut in Lethal Weapon 4 and solidified his star power with Romeo Must Die and Hero. Since then, he’s appeared in other blockbusters, such as The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The Expendables, and The Forbidden Kingdom. He’s even played the emperor of China in the live-action Mulan.

Like many others on this list, Gong Li was already an established star in her home country, international recognition was only the next step in her success. She first impressed global audiences by nabbing the villainous role of Hatsumomo in Rob Marshall’s Memoirs of a Geisha. This led to other roles in Miami Vice and Shanghai. She played the villain again in 2020’s Mulan.

As one of China’s original four dan actresses, Ziyi Zhang was already a success before achieving Western validation. She was in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Rush Hour 2 (with Jackie Chan), but received critical and commercial acclaim with Memoirs of a Geisha, where she played the lead role of Sayuri.

Chow Yun Fat was a major player in Hong Kong cinema. One of his most iconic films, Hard Boiled, inspired The Matrix, Desperado, and Face/Off. It was even parodied on Tropic Thunder. Fat’s Hollywood breakthrough came with The Replacement Killers in 1998. He boosted his international fame with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and has since worked steadily in other big-budget films.

The Last Samurai introduced the world to Ken Watanabe, already a famous actor in Japan. His performance as Katsumoto earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He eventually signed up for many other blockbusters, including Memoirs of a Geisha, Batman Begins, Inception, and Godzilla.

Hiroyuki Sanada has been acting since he was five but caught global attention starring with Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe in The Last Samurai. Since then, he’s steadily booked supporting roles in Sunshine, 47 Ronin, Avengers: Endgame, and the HBO series Westworld. His breakout role came in Shogun, where he was the first Japanese actor to win an Emmy and Golden Globe.

As a child, Ke Huy Quan already landed unforgettable roles as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Data in The Goonies. His career slowed down after that, but he returned to top form in Everything Everywhere All at Once and became the first Vietnamese-born Chinese to win an Academy Award for Acting. Since then, he’s been on the Disney+ series American Born Chinese and Loki.

Donnie Yen’s first Hollywood role was in 1993’s Iron Monkey. He was also well-known in action-movie circles thanks to the Ip Man series. However, he received much more mainstream acclaim for his unforgettable portrayal of Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Some of his other credits include Hero, Mulan, and John Wick.

Don’t miss: 10 Best Donnie Yen movies to watch

The Miss World 2000 winner never lacked work in Bollywood, but she earned worldwide fame in the ABC TV series Quantico. It was the first American network drama to headline a South Asian woman. She went on to star in the 2017 remake of Baywatch as well as Netflix’s Isn’t It Romantic.