Sandra Oh | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Oh in 2024 | |
| Born | Sandra Miju Oh (1971-07-20)July 20, 1971 (age 54) Nepean, Ontario, Canada |
| Citizenship |
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| Education | National Theatre School |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse | |
| Awards | Full list |
Sandra Miju OhOC[2] (born July 20, 1971)[3] is a Canadian and American actress. She is best known as Rita Wu inArliss (1996–2002),Cristina Yang inGrey's Anatomy (2005–2014), andEve Polastri inKilling Eve (2018–2022). She has received onePrimetime Emmy Award from 14 nominations, as well as twoGolden Globe Awards and fourScreen Actors Guild Awards. In 2019,Time magazine named Oh one of the100 most influential people in the world.[4]
Oh first gained recognition for her roles in the Canadian filmsDouble Happiness (1994) andThe Diary of Evelyn Lau (1994), where she wonGenie Awards for both films. Her later television credits includeJudging Amy andAmerican Crime, as well as voice roles onAmerican Dad!,American Dragon: Jake Long,The Proud Family,Phineas and Ferb,Chop Socky Chooks,She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, andInvincible. In 2021, she played the lead role in theNetflix comedy drama seriesThe Chair and was also one of the executive producers of the series.
She has had notable leading performances in films such asLast Night (1998),Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity (2002),Wilby Wonderful (2004),Catfight (2016),Meditation Park (2017), andQuiz Lady (2023). She has also taken supporting roles inBean (1997),The Princess Diaries (2001),Under the Tuscan Sun (2003),Sideways (2004),Hard Candy (2005),Rabbit Hole (2010), andTammy (2014). She voiced roles in the animated filmsMulan II (2004),Over the Moon (2020),Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) andTurning Red (2022).
She hosted the28th Genie Awards in 2008, and became the first woman of Asian descent to host theGolden Globe Awards at the76th ceremony in 2019.[5] In March 2019, she became the first Asian-Canadian woman to hostSaturday Night Live, and was the third actress of Asian descent to do so, afterLucy Liu in 2000 andAwkwafina in 2018.[6] She was also the first actress of Asian descent to be nominated for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and the first woman of Asian descent to win two Golden Globes.[7]
Sandra Miju Oh[8] was born inNepean, Ontario, on July 20, 1971, to middle-classSouth Korean immigrants Oh Young-nam, abiochemist, and Oh Jun-su (John), a businessperson.[9][10] Her parents had moved to the area in the early 1960s.[11] She has a brother, Ray, and a sister, Grace, and grew up in a Christian household, living on Camwood Crescent in Nepean, where she began practicing ballet at age four to correct herpigeon toed stance.[12] She took up acting at the age of 10. Growing up, Oh was one of the few youths of Asian descent in Nepean.[13][14]
At age ten, Oh played The Wizard of Woe in a class musical calledThe Canada Goose.[15][8][16] Later, atSir Robert Borden High School, she founded the environmental club BASE (Borden Active Students for the Environment), leading a campaign against the use ofstyrofoam cups. While in high school, she was elected student council president. She also played theflute and continued both her ballet training and acting studies, though she knew that she "was not good enough to be a professional dancer"[12] and eventually focused on acting. She took drama classes, acted in school plays, and joined the drama club, where she took part in theCanadian Improv Games and Skit Row High, a comedy group. Against her parents' advice, she rejected a four-yearjournalism scholarship toCarleton University to study drama at theNational Theatre School of Canada inMontreal, paying her own way.[citation needed]
Oh told her parents that she would try acting for a few years, and promised to return to university if it failed.[8] Reflecting on forgoing university, she has said that she is "the only person in [her] family who doesn't have amaster's in something". Oh would later receive an honorary doctorate fromDartmouth College and deliver the commencement address in 2025.[17][18] Soon after graduating from the National Theatre School in 1993, she starred in a stage production ofDavid Mamet'sOleanna inLondon, Ontario.[19][20] Around the same time, she won roles in biographical television films of two significant femaleChinese-Canadians: as Vancouver authorEvelyn Lau inThe Diary of Evelyn Lau, where she won the role over more than 1,000 others who auditioned, and asAdrienne Clarkson in aCBC biopic of Clarkson's life.[21]
Oh came to prominence in her home country for her lead performance in the Canadian filmDouble Happiness (1994), playing Jade Li, a twenty-something Chinese-Canadian woman negotiating her wishes and those of her parents. The film received critical acclaim, withRoger Ebert praising Oh's "warm performance".[22]Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times also praised her performance, saying: "Ms. Oh's performance makes Jade a smart, spiky heroine you won't soon forget."[23] Oh won theGenie Award forBest Actress for the role. In 1995 she appeared in the Canadian filmLittle Criminals with a multi-scene, but uncredited, performance.[24]
In 1997 she appeared in the filmBean, playing the supporting role of Bernice, the art gallery PR manager. Her other Canadian films includeLong Life, Happiness & Prosperity andLast Night (1998), for which she again won a Best Actress Genie. She was cast in the dramaDancing at the Blue Iguana (2000), playing a stripper at a gentlemen's club oppositeDaryl Hannah. The film received mediocre reviews,[25] though Oh was praised for her performance.The New York Times review said, "Oh make[s] the most of [her] opportunity to explore the vulnerability below [her] characters' hard-edged surface."[26] The same year, she appeared in the dramaWaking the Dead. In 2002, Oh appeared in the family comedyBig Fat Liar, followed by a minor role inSteven Soderbergh'sFull Frontal (2002).
Oh garnered critical acclaim for her six seasons as Rita Wu, the assistant to the president of a major sports agency, on theHBO seriesArliss, receiving a nomination for anNAACPImage Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and a Cable Ace award for Best Actress in a Comedy for her work. She also made several guest appearances on the seriesPopular (1999) playing a humanities teacher and guest starred in thetelevision seriesKung Fu: The Legend Continues,Judging Amy,Six Feet Under andOdd Job Jack.
In theatre, Oh has also starred in the world premieres ofJessica Hagedorn'sDogeaters at theLa Jolla Playhouse andDiana Son'sStop Kiss atJoseph Papp'sPublic Theater in New York City.
In 2003, she was cast in a supporting role oppositeDiane Lane inUnder the Tuscan Sun, followed by a supporting role inAlexander Payne's dramaSideways (2004). She considersSideways andThe Diary of Evelyn Lau to be the two best films she has made.[8]
In 2005, Oh appeared in several films, includingDavid Slade's thrillerHard Candy; and the independentanthology drama3 Needles (2005), oppositeChloë Sevigny andOlympia Dukakis, in which she plays a Catholic nun in anAIDS-stricken African village. The same year, Oh was cast asCristina Yang in the first season of what became the hitABC medical seriesGrey's Anatomy. Oh's role on the show earned her both a 2005Golden Globe Award forBest Supporting Actress in a Series and a 2006Screen Actors Guild Award forOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. In July 2009, she received her fifth consecutivePrimetime Emmy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for her work on the series.
In addition to her work onGrey's Anatomy, Oh continued to appear in films. She co-starred in the thrillerThe Night Listener (2006), alongsideRobin Williams andToni Collette; in the superhero comedyDefendor (2009);Ramona and Beezus (2010); and in the critically acclaimed dramaRabbit Hole (2010), oppositeNicole Kidman andAaron Eckhart.
In her onlyaudiobook, she played Brigid O'Shaughnessy in a Grammy-nominated dramatization ofThe Maltese Falcon (2008), which also featuredMichael Madsen andEdward Herrmann. She also has done a few voice roles in animation, including a few guest appearances inAmerican Dragon: Jake Long, the voice of Princess Ting-Ting inMulan II, and the voice of Doofah inThe Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends.
Oh was the host of the28th Genie Awards on March 3, 2008.[27] In 2009, Oh performed inThe People Speak, a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historianHoward Zinn'sA People's History of the United States.[28] During the off-season hiatus from filmingGrey's Anatomy in 2010, Oh took the part of Sarah Chen in the British crime drama,Thorne. She undertook intensivedialect coaching in order to play her British character.[29]
On June 28, 2011, it was announced that Oh would receive a star onCanada's Walk of Fame; she was inducted on October 1 atElgin Theatre in Toronto.[30] In 2013, Oh formally announced that she would be leavingGrey's Anatomy at the end of the tenth season.[31][32] Oh exited the series with the season 10 finale.[33]
In October 2014, Oh announced that she would be teaming up with Canadian directorAnn Marie Fleming to collaborate on an animated feature film titledWindow Horses.[34] She also appeared in a supporting role in the comedy filmTammy (2014), playing the wife ofKathy Bates' character.
In 2015, she starred on the Refinery29 comedyweb seriesShitty Boyfriends. Oh began filming the comedy film,Catfight (2016), in New York City in December 2015.[35] In 2017, Oh starred as Abby Tanaka in the third season of the anthology drama seriesAmerican Crime.[36]
Beginning in April 2018, Oh began a leading role in theBBC America andBBC Three spy thriller seriesKilling Eve, playingBritish intelligence agentEve Polastri whose quarry is psychopathic assassinVillanelle (played byJodie Comer), with the two women developing a mutual fascination.[37] Upon reading the series script, Oh did not realize she was being considered for a leading role, stating that she had been "brainwashed" by years of beingtypecast as the leads' best friend.[37] The series was renewed for a second season ahead of its debut,[37] and a third was announced less than a day after the second premiered in the United States.[38]Killing Eve was also renewed for a fourth season shortly after.
Oh has garnered critical acclaim for her performance on the series, with Jenna Scherer describing her inRolling Stone as "a compulsively watchable actor – expressive and complex, blending wry wit and deep pathos."[39] WhenVulture declared Oh the best actress currently on television, criticMatt Zoller Seitz wrote: "It's a tour de force performance, yet so self-effacing and invisible in its effects that you come away thinking that you've seen a crackling yarn with compelling characters rather than a cultural landmark. This is a magic trick of a high order."[40] In 2018, Oh became the first actress of Asian descent to be nominated for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, for that role.[41] She won theGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama, becoming the first woman of Asian descent to win two Golden Globe Awards.[7] Oh wonOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series at the SAG Awards in2019.[42]
From 2018 to 2020, Oh voiced the role of Castaspella in the animated superhero seriesShe-Ra and the Princesses of Power.[43] In 2019, she co-hosted the76th Golden Globe Awards, alongsideAndy Samberg. Oh became the first woman of Asian descent to host the awards show. In March 2019, she became the first Asian-Canadian woman to hostSaturday Night Live, and only the third actress of Asian descent, afterLucy Liu in 2000 andAwkwafina in 2018.[44] In 2021, Oh voiced Virana, the chieftess of the Fang tribe in theDisney animated filmRaya and the Last Dragon.[45]
Oh voices the role of Debbie Grayson in the animated superhero drama seriesInvincible. The series, based on thecomic book series of the same name, premiered onAmazon Prime Video in 2021.[46]
In 2021, Oh served as executive producer and had the lead role in the Netflix comedy-drama seriesThe Chair.[47]
In 2022, Oh voiced the role of Ming Lee, the strict and overprotective mother of the main character in thePixar animated filmTurning Red.[48] She joinedLynne Ramsay's adaptation ofMargaret Atwood's short story collectionStone Mattress.[49]
In 2023, Oh played the role of Jenny Yum, a brash, outgoing, and impulsive older sister of the main character in the20th Century Studios comedy filmQuiz Lady.[50]
Her upcoming projects includeGood Fortune directed by Aziz Ansari.[51]
Oh was in a relationship with filmmakerAlexander Payne for five years. They married in January 2003, separated in early 2005, and divorced in late 2006.[52]
On July 8, 2013, Oh received thekey to the city ofOttawa from MayorJim Watson.[16][53]
Oh practicesVipassanā, aBuddhist form of meditation.[54] Her work in acting is informed by a loose creative collective that teaches "creative dream work", which reportedly fusesJungian dream analysis withmethod acting and aims to bring one's "subconscious work into consciousness".[54]
Oh became a US citizen in 2018. On the first anniversary of her citizenship, she discussed it while hostingSaturday Night Live and referred to herself as an "Asian-Canadian-American".[55][56]
Oh was awarded the National Arts Centre Award from theGovernor General of Canada in 2019, as a part of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards.[57]
InJune 2022, Oh was named an officer of theOrder of Canada.[2] Later in that year, she was one of a number of recent inductees to the Order to be included in the Canadian delegation to thestate funeral ofQueen Elizabeth II.[58]
On March 22, 2021, Oh gave a speech at aStop Asian Hate rally inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in response to theAtlanta spa shootings. She encouraged people "to reach out to the Asian American community", stating that they were "very scared".[59]
I'm gonna be very, very brief, but one thing I know, many of us in our community are very scared, and I understand that, and one way to try to kind of go through– get through our fear is to reach out to our communities.....I will challenge everyone here: if you see something, will you help me? If you see one of our brothers and sisters in need, will you help us?...I am proud to be Asian! I wanna hear you say, I am proud to be Asian! I belong here! I am proud to be Asian! I belong here! Many of us don't get the chance to be able to say that, so I just wanted to give us an opportunity to be able to shout that.[60]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Denim Blues | Gwen | Television pilot |
| 1992 | Degrassi High: School's Out | Waitress | Television film |
| 1994 | The Diary of Evelyn Lau | Evelyn Lau | Television film |
| 1995 | Cagney & Lacey: The View Through the Glass Ceiling | Angela Lum | Television film |
| If Not for You | Anna | Episode: "The Kiss/Taking a Shower with My Two True Loves" | |
| Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years | Ming Li | Episode: "Badlands" | |
| 1996 | Kung Fu: The Legend Continues | Mai Chi | Episode: "The First Temple" |
| 1996–2002 | Arliss | Rita Wu | Main role |
| 1999 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Breadcrumb | Voice, episode: "The Three Little Pigs" |
| Popular | Humanities teacher | Episode: "Under Siege/Mo' Menace, Mo' Problems" | |
| 2001 | Further Tales of the City | Bambi Kanetaka | Miniseries |
| Judging Amy | Shelly Tran | 3 episodes | |
| Six Feet Under | Porn Starlet | Episode: "An Open Book" | |
| 2001–2002 | The Proud Family | Marsha Mitsubishi | Voice, 3 episodes |
| 2005–2013 | American Dad! | Katie, Hiko Yoshida | Voice, 6 episodes |
| 2005–2014 | Grey's Anatomy | Cristina Yang | Main role (seasons 1–10) |
| 2006 | Odd Job Jack | Vanessa | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2006–2007 | American Dragon: Jake Long | Sun Park | Voice, recurring role, Season 2 |
| 2007 | Handy Manny | Jasmine Chang | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Phineas and Ferb | Dr. Doofenshmirtz's girlfriend | Voice, episode: "Get That Bigfoot Outa My Face!"[61] |
| Sesame Street | Fairy cookie person | Episode: "The Cookie Touch" | |
| 2009 | Robot Chicken | Kate Winslet,Sarah Connor | Voice, episode: "Cannot Be Erased, So Sorry" |
| 2010 | Thorne | Sarah Chen | Episode: "Scaredycat" |
| 2011 | Michael: Every Day | Judy Song | Episode: "Ridicule" |
| 2014 | Betas | Sharron | Episode: "Steppin' Out" |
| 2015 | Shitty Boyfriends | Kathy | 6 episodes |
| 2016 | Peg + Cat | President | Voice, episode: "The Package Problem" |
| 2017 | American Crime | Abby Tanaka | 4 episodes |
| The Magic School Bus Rides Again | Dr. Sarah Bellum | Voice, episode: "Ralphie Strikes A Nerve"[61] | |
| 2018–2022 | Killing Eve | Eve Polastri | Main role; also executive producer |
| 2018–2020 | She-Ra and the Princesses of Power | Castaspella | Voice, recurring role[61] |
| 2019 | 76th Golden Globe Awards | Herself (co-host) | Television special |
| Saturday Night Live | Herself (host) | Episode: "Sandra Oh /Tame Impala" | |
| 2021 | The Chair | Ji-Yoon Kim | Main role; also executive producer |
| 2021–present | Invincible | Deborah Grayson | Voice, main role[61] |
| 2022 | The Sandman | TheProphet Siamese Cat | Voice, episode: "Dream of a Thousand Cats" |
| 2023 | Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai | Nüwa | Voice, 3 episodes[72][61] |
| 2024 | The Sympathizer | Ms. Sofia Mori | 5 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Playwright | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Stop Kiss | Sara | Diana Son | Stein Shiva Theater,The Public Theatre | [73] |
| 2006 | Satellites | Nine | Diana Son | Joseph Papp Public Theater, The Public Theatre | [74] |
| 2024 | The Welkin | Lizzy Luke | Lucy Kirkwood | Linda Gross Theatre, Off-Broadway | [75] |
| 2025 | Twelfth Night | Olivia | William Shakespeare | Delacorte Theater, The Public Theatre | [76] |
| La Fille du Régiment | Duchess of Krakenthorp | Gaetano Donizetti | Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center | [77] |
Among her accolades, she has received twoGolden Globe Awards and fourScreen Actors Guild Awards, as well as nominations for thirteenPrimetime Emmy Awards, winning one in 2024.
I love Americans. You are confident and direct. And now that I am an Asian-Canadian-American, I'm trying to learn a thing or two about tooting my own horn.
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