Asian Actresses To Watch For
by johnwao | created - 13 Jun 2015 | updated - 08 Aug 2022 | Public
1. Ziyi Zhang
Actress | Yi dai zong shi
Ziyi Zhang is a Chinese actress and model. She is best known for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Rush Hour 2 (2001), Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004), and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005).
She made her feature film debut in The Road Home (1999).
For her work in Memoirs of a Geisha she was...
2. Chloe Bennet
Actress | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Chloe Bennet is an American actress and singer. She is best known for ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013).
Bennet was born Chloe Wang in Chicago, Illinois. Her father is Han Chinese and her mother is Caucasian American.
At 15, she moved to China to pursue a singing career under her birth name, Chloe ...
3. Shu Qi
Actress | The Transporter
Born in Taiwan, Qi Shu has won the prestigious Golden Horse Award in Taiwan (regarded as the East Asian Oscar) for Best Supporting Actress in 1998. She has also received a Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress in 2005. She appeared with Jackie Chan in the romantic comedy Gorgeous (1999) ("...
4. Wei Zhao
Actress | Hua Mulan
Wei Zhao was born in Wuhu, Anhui province. She is the second child of her family. Because she is the only girl, Zhao's father named her Wei, literally "Rose". Her father was a senior engineer, her mother was a music teacher.
After filming A Soul Haunted By Painting (1994) as a figurant, Wei Zhao was...
5. Rinko Kikuchi
Actress | Babel
Rinko was born Kikuchi Yuriko in Hadano just south of Tokyo. The town is known mainly for its green tea and public baths. She is the youngest of three siblings. After being scouted on the street, she began modeling in her hometown and subsequently began acting under her birth name before switching ...
6. Sophie Wu
Actress | Kick-Ass 2
Sophie Wu was born on December 23, 1983 in the UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Kick-Ass 2 (2013), Kick-Ass (2010) and Wild Child (2008).
7. Yunjin Kim
Actress | Lost
Yunjin Kim (born November 7, 1973), also known as Kim Yun-Jin is a South Korean-American film and theater actress. She is best known for her role as Sun on the American television series Lost, and as the North Korean spy Bang-Hee in the South Korean film Shiri. She also starred as Dr. Karen Kim in ...
8. Françoise Yip
Actress | AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem
At an early age Francoise passed on an opportunity to study in music and chose to persue a degree in Political Science. It was during those years, Francoise started with modeling. That career didn't last long, but she did get the opportunity to star with Jackie Chan in Rumble in the Bronx. For her ...
9. Koyuki
Actress | The Last Samurai
She rose to fame in the drama Kimi wa petto (2003) with Jun Matsumoto and gained huge popularity.
Her first international film was The Last Samurai (2003) where she played Taka, wife of a Samurai slain by the character Nathan Algren, portrayed by Tom Cruise, Koyuki was well-known in Japan for years ...
10. Zhu Zhu
Actress | Cloud Atlas
Zhu Zhu is a bilingual actress and TV host who got her start as a host for MTV China. Besides hosting an English-learning program, she also released a solo album in 2009. Zhu's big screen debut was in the Chinese remake of What Women Want (2011), which hit Chinese theaters on February 3rd, 2010 and...
11. Olivia Cheng
Actress | Warrior
Olivia Cheng is a dynamic actress and activist born in Edmonton, Alberta to working class, Cantonese-speaking immigrant parents. It was they who helped co-found the Edmonton Chinese Bilingual Education Association's Mandarin program within the city's public school system to which Olivia credits for...
12. Claudia Kim
Actress | Avengers: Age of Ultron
Claudia Kim, is a South Korean actress and model. She has appeared in the television series Queen of the Game (2006-2007) and Marco Polo (2014-2016), as well as the films Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), The Dark Tower (2017), and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018).
13. Karishma Ahluwalia
Actress | Savages
Karishma Ahluwalia is known for Savages (2012), Blindspot (2015) and Chimera Strain (2018).
14. Constance Wu
Actress | Crazy Rich Asians
Constance Wu was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. Her mother is a computer programmer and her father is a college professor. Both are immigrants from Taiwan. Constance grew up in Richmond performing in the local community theater scene. At 16, she moved to New York City to study at the famed ...
15. Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Actress | Barfi!
Priyanka Chopra Jonas (née Chopra) was born on July 18, 1982 in Jamshedpur, India, to the family of Capt. Dr. Ashok Chopra and Dr. Madhu Chopra, both Indian Army physicians. She had a very varied upbringing. She started her education at La Martinière Girls College in Lucknow as a resident student; ...
16. Amrita Acharia
Actress | The Serpent Queen
Amrita Acharia is of Nepalese-Ukrainian heritage. She grew up in Ukraine, Kathmandu and England before moving with her family to Norway aged 13. After completing high school in Tromsø, Amrita moved to England to pursue her acting career. Since then she has worked in Norway, London and the US. She ...
17. Tala Ashe
Actress | Legends of Tomorrow
Tala Ashe stars as Zari Adrianna Tomaz in The CW series "DC's Legends of Tomorrow." Ashe is an Iranian-American actress who speaks fluent Farsi and received a BFA in Acting from Boston University, with training from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and UCB theater. She was recently ...
18. Shiva Kalaiselvan
Actress | Tuesday Nights
Shiva Kalaiselvan is known for Tuesday Nights (2018), Gotham (2014) and A Nice Girl Like You (2020).
19. Yayaying Rhatha Phongam
Actress | Only God Forgives
Born Rhatha Phongam, Thai actress and pop star Yayaying (Ying for short) is the daughter of famed comedic actor Noi Phongam. Yayaying has recorded with some of Thailand's top talents, and released her debut album when she was only 16. She is also an excellent dancer, and has studied ballet since ...
20. Olivia Cheng
Actress | Warrior
Olivia Cheng is a dynamic actress and activist born in Edmonton, Alberta to working class, Cantonese-speaking immigrant parents. It was they who helped co-found the Edmonton Chinese Bilingual Education Association's Mandarin program within the city's public school system to which Olivia credits for...
21. Ayden Mayeri
Actress | I Love That for You
Ayden Mayeri is known for I Love That for You (2022), The Afterparty (2022) and Confess, Fletch (2022).
22. Lauren Tsai
Actress | Moxie
Lauren Tsai was born on February 11, 1998 in Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA. She is an actress, known for Moxie (2021), Legion (2017) and Game of Spy (2022).
23. Shiva Kalaiselvan
Actress | Tuesday Nights
Shiva Kalaiselvan is known for Tuesday Nights (2018), Gotham (2014) and A Nice Girl Like You (2020).
24. Simone Ashley
Actress | Sex Education
Simone Ashley's first acting role was in two episodes of fantasy teen drama Wolfblood as Zuhra. This was followed by appearances in thriller series Guilt (2016), and crime drama Broadchurch (2017). She made her feature film debut in 2018 with a small role in Boogie Man as Aarti, and a more ...
25. Rakhee Thakrar
Actress | Wonka
Rakhee Thakrar was born in Leicester, Leicestershire, England, UK. Rakhee is an actor, known for Wonka (2023), Sex Education (2019) and Four Weddings and a Funeral (2019). Rakhee has been married to Vikash Bhai since September 2, 2017.
26. Satomi Ishihara
Actress | Shin Gojira
Born in 1986, Satomi began acting professionally in 2003 at age 17 and has not looked back since. Satomi began her acting career in 2003 when she starred in the drama Kimi wa petto (2003), starring Jun Matsumoto and Koyuki. She has devoted equal time to television serials and the world of movies ...
27. Atsuko Maeda
Actress | Shin Gojira
Atsuko was born on July 10, 1991 in Ichikawa. She rapidly shot to stardom at age 14 as a member of the hugely successful J-Pop girl band AKB48 (named after the Akihabara district of Tokyo where the group has its own theater). After 7 years, she launched her solo music career, then did acting for ...
28. Yvonne Chapman
Actress | Avatar: The Last Airbender
Yvonne Chapman was born on October 7, 1988 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She is an actress and producer, known for Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024), Kung Fu (2021) and Family Law (2021).
29. Reina Hardesty
Actress | Brockmire
Reina Hardesty is known for Brockmire (2017), The Flash (2014) and StartUp (2016).
30. Adeline Rudolph
Actress | Resident Evil
Adeline Rudolph was born in Hong Kong. She is an actress, known for Resident Evil (2022), Mortal Kombat 2 and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018).
31. Phoebe Miu
Actress | Riverdale
Phoebe Miu is a Canadian actress known for her work on The CW's "Riverdale" (2020), Amazon's "Upload" (2019), and Paramount horror-thriller, "Margaux" (2022). Born in colonial Hong Kong to actors, Michael Kiu Wai Miu and Jaime Mei-Chun Chik, she spent much of her childhood around film sets where ...
32. Monica Kumar
Actress | Shantaram
Monica Kumar is known for Shantaram (2022), Wakefield (2021) and Carpark Clubbing (2019).
33. Vaishnavi Suryaprakash
Actress | Pieces of Her
Vaishnavi Suryaprakash is known for Pieces of Her (2022), Wakefield (2021) and The Secrets She Keeps (2020).
34. Tao Okamoto
Actress | The Wolverine
Tao Okamoto born in Chiba, Japan on May 22, 1985, known professionally as Tao, is a Japanese actress and model. In 2009, she was one of the faces of Ralph Lauren. She made her film debut in 2013 as Mariko Yashida, the female lead, in The Wolverine (2013). She also had recurring roles in the ...
35. Dinita Gohil
Actress | The Snowman
Dinita Gohil is known for The Snowman (2017), The Infiltrator (2016) and Treason (2022).
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