
If there is one place that has underestimated actors, then it should be Asia. Asia produced many great movies and launched a countless number of fantastic actors who became famous after showing their performances in Hollywood movies. The cinematic history of Asia starts with the always-funny, yet serious, Kung-Fu movies that won the hearts of movie fans, especially those that like exaggerated and funny fights, wrapped in the funny punching sounds. Yet, this continent produced so many good movie artists who came to the other part of the world to act in Hollywood. With a little bit of help from IMDB, we have devoted this article to Asia’s 25 greatest actors of all time.
Bruce Lee
If there is one actor from Asia that we all know, then it is Bruce Lee. He is the legend of martial arts movies and probably the most influential Asian actor of all time. His death is still one of the mysterious deaths in the cinema world, as he died after suffering brain edema caused by painkillers.
Devon Aoki
You must have remembered this girl, as she is a really impressive actor that raises the overall movie atmosphere! She is a Japanese actor that performed in many Hollywood movies, and one of the most known is 2 Fast & 2 Furious. She also did appear in Sin City, Death of Dynasty, Zoom, and many more!
Jet Li
The martial arts expert from Beijing popularized Wu Shu martial art in Hollywood movies and appeared in movies like Fist of Legend, Cradle 2 the Grave, The Expendables, and many others. One of his trademark movies is Romeo Must Die. He is well-known for its calm temper characters, who do not like violence.
Jackie Chan
If there is one guy who performs all stunts by himself, then it is Jackie Chan. He is known for swift, comic, and slapstick-like fights that make us laugh aloud. He appeared in more than 180 movies, and one of the best known are Rush Hour, Drunken Master, and Armour Of God. Out of all professional resumes among all actors, this guy has maybe the longest one!
Brandon Lee
Although born in California, Brandon was Asian’s martial art professional and son of Bruce Lee. He was accidentally killed during The Crow movie shooting after one of his colleagues shot him from Smith & Wesson .44 magnum revolver. No one ever confirmed whether this was an intentional or unintentional mistake made by the movie crew.
Donnie Yen
If you have ever watched Legend Of the Wolf, you will remember Donnie Yen as one of the most original Asian actors. He is currently one the of most influential martial arts cinema coordinator. He is known for violent and impulsive characters in movies. He also played a lot of roles in television series.
Tom Wu
From Shanghai Knights to Batman Begins and Belly of the Breast with Steven Seagal, Tom Wu portrayed a lot of fantastic characters! He also appears in the latest Netflix television series Wu Assassins and confirms his martial art skills and years of experience!
Byron Mann
This guy comes from Hong Kong, and he appeared in more than 20 movies that reached a lot of success and huge payouts on the Box Office. Street Fighter, Sniper, American Dragons, Red Corner, Cold War, and The Man With Iron Fists are some of the titles where he showed his acting skills!
Pat Morita
Best known for its Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid series, Pat Morita is one of the most prominent Asian actors, especially in the older generation of actors. He contributed to more than 50 movies and was best known for its charismatic appearance and portraits of Kung Fu/Karate masters.
Jing Wu
He comes from the family of Martial Arts experts, and no wonder he trained Wushu Academy in Beijing when he was 6 years old. Fatal contact, The Legend Of Zu, City Under Siege, and a lot more movie titles were filled with his humorous and quick reactions that became his trademark.
Tatyana Ali
She is best known for the role of Ashley Banks in The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air but also proved her cinematic abilities in some of the classic movies like Fakin’ Da Funk, Home Again, and The Good Nanny. She also did appear in the Sesame Street television series.
Nina Wadia
Nina is an Indian actress that dragged attention in Goodness Gracious Me BBC’s series. She was awarded Best Comedy Performance in 2009 and the main award for the best Asian Women award. The audience also remembers her by Murder In Mind, Thin Ice, and Doctors movies.
Gong Li
Gong Li is a Chinese-Singaporean actress that contributed a lot to promoting Chinese cinema in Europe and the US. She did portray a lot of characters in movies, and one of the well-known movies where she acted was The Emperor And Assassin, Red Sorghum, Ju Dou and Raise Of the Red Lantern.
Toshiro Mifune
One of the most characteristic actors that contributed to the popularization of Akira Kurosawa’s movies was Toshiro Mifune. He shot more than 150 movies and is best known for the partnership with Kurosawa. The duo shot classic like Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and The Hidden Fortress.
Takeshi Kitano
Takeshi is an accredited writer, director, comedian, and one of the best actors in Japan of all time. He made his way into the cinema world by acting in Violent Cop classic movie and earned the title of Akira Kurosawa’s successor. His movies were almost always about the fights between Yakuza gang members and police.
Fann Wong
She is one of the best and distinguished actresses from Singapore, and she is best known for her collaboration with Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan in Shanghai Knights. She won her first award for the Best New Perform and the Hong Kong Film Awards, after acting in The Truth About Jane And Sam.
Dev Patel
This guy started his cinema career in the TV drama Skins before he moved to movies. Dev made a breakthrough with his debut role in Slumdog Millionaire, which earned him BAFTA Award for Best Actor.
Dustin Nguyen
Dustin is a Vietnamese actor and writer who portrayed Harry Truman on 21 Jump Street. He also earned respect in movies The Doom Generation, The Rebel And Little Fish.
Zhou Xun
Zhou is one of the most distinguished Chinese actresses that earned da lot of awards, including ones at Asian Film Awards, Hong Kong film Awards and Festival du Film de Paris. One of the well-known roles were in movies Suzhou River and Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress.
Josephine Siao
Josephine started her acting career as a child and appeared in more than 15 movies, including An Orphan’s Tragedy, Rhythm of the Wave, The Wrong Couples, and Always on My Mind. She is a known activist for child abuse.
Brian Tee
We all love The Fast 7 Furious: Tokyo Drift, and this guy is Takashi! He also contributed to We Were Soldiers, The Wolverine, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Jurassic World, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
BD Wong
Dr. George Huang in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was one of the best roles that BD Wong ever did! Apart from this series, he portrayed Dr. Herny Wu in Jurassic Park movies, Hugo Strange in Gotham, but also helped with voice adaption in the Kingdom of Hearts II game and several Disney movies.
Lilly Singh
Lilly is actually a Canadian actress, but she is originally from India. At the moment, she did appear in 6 movies and 4 television series. Her best role is in the movie Dr. Cabbie.
Rick Yune
Rick is a Korean actor that was part of TV classics like Die Another Day, The Fast And Furious, and Marco Polo Netflix series. He is also a prominent martial artist, producer, and screenwriter!
Chasty Ballesteros
Chasty is an actress from the Philippines that earned success in movies like Psych, The Ranch, and TV series How I Met Your Mother. She also appeared in Final Destination 5.