Sandra Oh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sandra Oh OC
Oh in 2024
Born	Sandra Miju Oh (1971-07-20) July 20, 1971 (age 53) Nepean, Ontario, Canada
Citizenship	Canada United States (since 2018)
Education	National Theatre School
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1989–present
Spouse(s)	Alexander Payne ​ ​ (m. 2003; div. 2006)​
Awards	Full list

Sandra Miju Oh OC (born July 20, 1971) is a talented actress from Canada and the United States. She is famous for her main roles in popular TV shows. These include Rita Wu in the comedy series Arliss (1996–2002) and Dr. Cristina Yang in the medical drama Grey's Anatomy (2005–2014). She also played Eve Polastri in the spy thriller Killing Eve (2018–2022).

Sandra Oh has won many awards for her acting. She has received two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. She was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award fourteen times, winning one. In 2019, Time magazine recognized her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Oh first became well-known for her roles in Canadian movies like Double Happiness (1994) and The Diary of Evelyn Lau (1994). She won Genie Awards for both of these films. She has also lent her voice to many animated shows and movies. These include American Dad!, American Dragon: Jake Long, The Proud Family, Phineas and Ferb, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Invincible, Mulan II, Over the Moon, Raya and the Last Dragon, and Turning Red. In 2021, she starred in and helped produce the Netflix comedy-drama The Chair.

She has played leading roles in films such as Last Night (1998) and Quiz Lady (2023). She also had supporting roles in movies like The Princess Diaries (2001) and Sideways (2004).

Sandra Oh has also hosted major events. She was the first woman of Asian descent to host the Golden Globe Awards in 2019. In March 2019, she became the first Asian-Canadian woman to host Saturday Night Live. She was also the first actress of Asian descent to be nominated for a top Primetime Emmy Award for a drama series.

Early Life and Education

Sandra Miju Oh was born in Nepean, Ontario, Canada, on July 20, 1971. Her parents were immigrants from South Korea. She has a brother, Ray, and a sister, Grace. She grew up in a Christian home.

From a young age, Sandra was interested in performing. She started acting and practicing ballet at age four. When she was ten, she acted in a school musical called The Canada Goose. In high school, she was very active. She led an environmental club and was elected student council president. She also played the flute and continued her ballet and acting studies.

Even though she was offered a scholarship for journalism, Sandra decided to follow her dream of acting. She chose to study drama at the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal. She paid for her own studies. She promised her parents she would try acting for a few years and then go back to university if it didn't work out.

After graduating in 1993, she quickly found success. She starred in a play called Oleanna. She also won roles in two TV films about important Canadian women: Evelyn Lau in The Diary of Evelyn Lau and Adrienne Clarkson in a CBC movie.

Acting Career Highlights

Early Roles and Canadian Success (1994–2004)

Sandra Oh became well-known in Canada for her lead role in the film Double Happiness (1994). She played Jade Li, a young Chinese-Canadian woman. Critics praised her performance. The New York Times called her "a smart, spiky heroine". She won a Genie Award for Best Actress for this role.

She also appeared in the film Bean (1997). Other Canadian films include Last Night (1998), for which she won another Best Actress Genie. She also starred in the drama Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2000).

On television, Oh was part of the HBO series Arliss for six seasons. She played Rita Wu, an assistant at a sports agency. She received an NAACP Image Award nomination for her work on the show. She also made guest appearances on shows like Judging Amy and Six Feet Under.

In 2003, she had a supporting role in Under the Tuscan Sun. In 2004, she appeared in the drama Sideways. She considers Sideways and The Diary of Evelyn Lau to be two of her best films.

Grey's Anatomy and Beyond (2005–2013)

In 2005, Sandra Oh was cast as Cristina Yang in the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. This show became a huge hit for ABC. Her role on the show earned her a Golden Globe Award in 2005 and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2006. She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award five times for her work on Grey's Anatomy. In 2013, she announced that the tenth season would be her last on the show.

Oh at the presentation of her star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2011

While working on Grey's Anatomy, Oh continued to act in films. She co-starred in The Night Listener (2006) with Robin Williams. She also appeared in Ramona and Beezus (2010) and the drama Rabbit Hole (2010).

She also did voice work for animated shows. These included American Dragon: Jake Long and The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends. She voiced Princess Ting-Ting in Mulan II.

In 2008, Sandra Oh hosted the 28th Genie Awards. In 2011, she received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. This is a special honor for Canadians who have achieved great things.

Killing Eve and Recent Work (2014–Present)

In 2018, Sandra Oh began her leading role in the spy thriller series Killing Eve. She played British intelligence agent Eve Polastri. Her character hunts a dangerous assassin named Villanelle. Critics highly praised her performance in this series.

For Killing Eve, Oh made history. In 2018, she became the first actress of Asian descent to be nominated for the top Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. This made her the first woman of Asian descent to win two Golden Globe Awards. She also won a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2019.

Oh in 2016

From 2018 to 2020, Oh voiced Castaspella in the animated series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. In 2019, she co-hosted the 76th Golden Globe Awards. She was the first woman of Asian descent to host this awards show. In March 2019, she also became the first Asian-Canadian woman to host Saturday Night Live.

In 2021, Oh voiced Virana in the Disney animated film Raya and the Last Dragon. She also voices Debbie Grayson in the animated superhero series Invincible.

Oh during the 2021 Peabody Awards

In 2021, Sandra Oh was an executive producer and played the main role in the Netflix comedy-drama series The Chair. In 2022, she voiced Ming Lee, the main character's mother, in the Pixar animated film Turning Red. In 2023, she starred as Jenny Yum in the comedy film Quiz Lady.

Personal Life and Recognition

Sandra Oh became a US citizen in 2018. She has spoken about being an "Asian-Canadian-American".

In 2019, she received the National Arts Centre Award from the Governor General of Canada. This award is part of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. In June 2022, she was named an officer of the Order of Canada. This is a very high honor in Canada.

Sandra Oh also uses her voice to support her community. In 2021, she spoke at a rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She encouraged people to support the Asian American community.

Acting Credits

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	Double Happiness	Jade Li
1997	Bean	Bernice Schimmel
	Bad Day on the Block	Unknown
1998	Last Night	Sandra
	The Red Violin	Madame Ming
	Permanent Midnight	Friend
1999	Guinevere	Cindy
2000	Waking the Dead	Kim
	Dancing at the Blue Iguana	Jasmine Bulut
2001	The Princess Diaries	Vice Principal Gupta
	The Frank Truth	Herself	Documentary
2002	Big Fat Liar	Phyllis Caldwell
	Full Frontal	Fourth fired employee
	Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity	Kin Ho Lum
	Barrier Device	Audrey	Short film
2003	Rick	Michelle
	Under the Tuscan Sun	Patti
2004	Sideways	Stephanie
	Wilby Wonderful	Carol French
	Mulan II	Ting Ting	Voice
2005	Hard Candy	Judy Tokuda
	Break a Leg	Young Turk
	Cake	Lulu
	3 Needles	Mary
	Sorry, Haters	Phyllis MacIntyre
	Kind of a Blur	Joe
2006	The Night Listener	Anna
	For Your Consideration	Marketing person
2007	The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends	Doofah	Voice
2008	Blindness	Minister of Health
2009	Defendor	Dr. Park
	The People Speak	Herself	Documentary
2010	Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey	Gal 2000	Voice
	Ramona and Beezus	Mrs. Meacham
	Rabbit Hole	Gabby
2014	Tammy	Susanne
2015	Snowtime!	Four-Eyed Frankie	Voice
2016	Window Horses	Rosie Ming	Voice, also producer
	Catfight	Veronica Salt
2017	Meditation Park	Ava
2020	Over the Moon	Mrs. Zhong	Voice
2021	Raya and the Last Dragon	Virana	Voice
	The Same Storm	Grace Park
2022	Turning Red	Ming Lee	Voice
	Umma	Amanda	Also executive producer
2023	Quiz Lady	Jenny Yum	Also producer
2024	The Tiger's Apprentice	Mistral	Voice
	Can I Get a Witness?	Ellie
2025	Smurfs	TBA	Voice
	Good Fortune	TBA	Post-production

Television

Theatre

Awards and Nominations

Sandra Oh has won many important awards for her acting. These include two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. She has also been nominated for thirteen Primetime Emmy Awards, winning one in 2024.

See also

In Spanish: Sandra Oh para niños

• Eve Polastri
• Koreans in New York City