Who is Ke Huy Quan? From child star to Oscars winner
Ke Huy Quan, the child star who played ‘Short Round’ in Indiana Jones, capped a succesful return to the silver screen with an Oscars win on Sunday evening.
A tearful Ke Huy Quan gave an emotional speech on Sunday evening as he celebrated being named Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards. He became just the second Asian actor to win in that category, a magnificent achievement for someone who has overcome great obstacles over the course of his career.
He gave a shout out to his mother in his acceptance speech, detailing his journey from a immigrant arriving in the United States on a boat to accepting an Academy Award. He gave thanks to the Academy and raised the roof with his memorable speech. Here’s how it looked for those who were in attendance...
From Indiana Jones child star to Oscars winner
Like Brendan Fraser - who also received his first Oscar nomination at this year’s ceremony - Ke Huy Quan is a case of Hollywood revival. The South Vietnamese-American had great success as a child star in the 1980s, but decided to retire from the big screen due to directors not giving him leading roles for his Asian features, struggling to break into an industry with fewer opportunities for people who look like him.
His most memorable roles include the famous Cap from ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ (1984) and Data in ‘The Goonies’ (1985); becoming a Hollywood star at just 14 years old. However, in 1993 he retired due to a lack of opportunities on the big screen.
But while Ke moved away from acting, he certainly didn’t quit the industry altogether. During his time away from the big screen Ke worked as an assistant director and action sequence coordinator. But more than two decades after his retirement, in 2018, he saw the film ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ and thought that it was time to return to his acting career.
He asked his lawyer-representative, Jeff Cohen, to find him something and he made a rapid ascent back to the top of the profession.
In his Oscar-winning role he plays the husband of Evelyn, the main character of ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’, who is played by Michelle Yeaoh; one of the ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ stars. However it is in his successful first Oscar appearance and memorable win that Ke truly marks his return to the silver screen.