Ke Huy Quan rose as a child star in the 80s, quit acting to become a stunt choreographer for two decades, and then returned to acting only last year, winning an Oscar award now.
Everything Everywhere All At Once won big at the 2023 Oscar awards, bagging seven trophies, including three of the big ones - the Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. However, the loudest cheer for any award for the film came when Ke Huy Quan won the Best Supporting Actor, and there is a good reason behind that.
Who is Ke Huy Quan?
Ke Huy Quan was born in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam to Vietnamese parents of Chiese descent. He fled Vietnam with his family in 1978 at the age of 7 and lived in a refugee camp in Hong Kong for a year. The family was admitted to the US the following year through the refugee resettlement program. He became a child actor at the age of 12 when he starred as Harrison Ford’s sidekick Short Round in the 1984 blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Ke Huy Quan went on to appear in films like The Goonies, Breathing Fire, and The Encino Man.
When Ke Huy Quan quit acting
After The Encino Man’s release in 1992, Ke Huy Quan quit acting after finding it difficult to get good work in the US. He eventually studied filmmaking and transitioned into a stunt choreographer working in films like X-Men, The One, and 2046. In a previous acceptance speech, the actor had said that he was worried he had peaked too early in life.
Comeback and Everything Everywhere All At Once
The success of Crazy Rich Asians in 2018 encouraged Ke Huy Quan to make an acting comeback. That year, directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert began casting for their film Everything Everywhere All At Once. After Daniel Kwan stumbled upon Ke Huy Quan on Twitter, they called him for an audition and he was eventually cast. The film was released to universal acclaim with special praise for Ke Huy Quan’s performance. Apart from the Oscar, he has also won the Golden Globe, Hollywood Critics Association Award, and the Screen Actors Guild Award among others for his performance in the film.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Ke Huy Quan with his Oscar award")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}