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 54) 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 Arliss (1996–2002), Cristina Yang in Grey's Anatomy (2005–14), and Eve Polastri in Killing Eve (2018–22).

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

She first became known for her work in Canadian films like Double Happiness (1994) and The Diary of Evelyn Lau (1994). She won Genie Awards for both of these movies. Sandra Oh has also lent her voice to many animated shows and films. Some of 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 series The Chair.

Sandra Oh has also had important roles in many films. These include Last Night (1998), Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity (2002), Wilby Wonderful (2004), Catfight (2016), Meditation Park (2017), and Quiz Lady (2023). She also appeared in supporting roles in movies like Bean (1997), The Princess Diaries (2001), Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), and Sideways (2004).

She has made history as a host. In 2008, she hosted the 28th Genie Awards. In 2019, she became the first woman of Asian descent to host the Golden Globe Awards. She also hosted Saturday Night Live in March 2019, becoming the first Asian-Canadian woman to do so. She was also the first actress of Asian descent to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Early Life and Education

Sandra Miju Oh was born in Nepean, Ontario, Canada, on July 20, 1971. Her parents, Oh Young-nam and Oh Jun-su, moved to Canada from South Korea in the early 1960s. She has a brother named Ray and a sister named Grace. Sandra grew up in a Christian home.

She started acting and ballet at age four. At ten, she played a character called The Wizard of Woe in a school musical. In high school, she was very active. She started an environmental club and was elected student council president. She also played the flute and continued her acting studies.

Sandra chose to study drama at the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal. This was against her parents' advice, as they wanted her to go to university for journalism. She paid her own way through drama school. After graduating in 1993, she quickly began getting acting roles.

Career Highlights

Early Acting Roles (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 trying to balance her own dreams with her parents' wishes. Critics praised her performance, and she won a Genie Award for Best Actress.

In 1997, she appeared in the movie Bean. She also won another Best Actress Genie for her role in Last Night (1998). From 1996 to 2002, she played Rita Wu in the HBO series Arliss. This role earned her an NAACP Image Award nomination. She also had a supporting role in the popular film Sideways (2004).

Grey's Anatomy and Beyond (2005–2013)

In 2005, Sandra Oh was cast as Cristina Yang in the hit ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. This role made her a global star. She won a Golden Globe Award in 2005 and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2006 for her work on the show. She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award five times for this role.

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

While on Grey's Anatomy, she continued to act in films. These included The Night Listener (2006) with Robin Williams and Rabbit Hole (2010) with Nicole Kidman. She also did voice work for animated shows and films.

In 2008, she hosted the 28th Genie Awards. In 2011, Sandra Oh received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. In 2013, she announced she would leave Grey's Anatomy after its tenth season.

Killing Eve and Recent Work (2014–Present)

In 2018, Sandra Oh began her lead role as Eve Polastri in the spy thriller series Killing Eve. She played a British intelligence agent who becomes fascinated with a dangerous assassin. When she first read the script, she didn't realize she was being considered for the main role. She later said she had been "brainwashed" into thinking she would only play supporting characters.

Oh in 2016

Her performance in Killing Eve received huge praise. Critics called her "compulsively watchable" and "expressive and complex." In 2018, she became the first actress of Asian descent to be nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for this role, making her the first woman of Asian descent to win two Golden Globes. She also won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series in 2019.

From 2018 to 2020, she voiced Castaspella in the animated series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. In 2019, she co-hosted the 76th Golden Globe Awards and hosted Saturday Night Live. In 2021, she voiced Virana in the Disney animated film Raya and the Last Dragon.

Oh during the 2021 Peabody Awards

She also voices Debbie Grayson in the animated superhero series Invincible, which started in 2021. In 2021, she was an executive producer and star of the Netflix comedy-drama series The Chair. In 2022, she voiced Ming Lee in the Pixar animated film Turning Red. In 2023, she played Jenny Yum in the comedy film Quiz Lady.

Personal Life and Activism

Sandra Oh was married to filmmaker Alexander Payne from 2003 to 2006. In 2013, she received the key to the city of Ottawa. She became a US citizen in 2018. She practices Vipassanā, a type of Buddhist meditation.

In June 2022, Sandra Oh was named an officer of the Order of Canada. This is a high honor in Canada. Later that year, she was part of the Canadian group attending the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

On March 22, 2021, Sandra Oh gave a speech at a Stop Asian Hate rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She spoke out against violence towards the Asian American community. She encouraged people to support each other and proudly declared, "I am proud to be Asian! I belong here!"

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Recognition

Sandra Oh has received many awards and nominations for her acting. She has won 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