What did Ke Huy Quan do for a living? Vietnamese star references refugee status as emotional Oscars 2023 speech wins hearts

Vietnamese-American actor Ke Huy Quan won hearts with his emotional acceptance speech at the 2023 Oscars after winning the best supporting actor for his performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once.

The 51-year-old actor began his speech after pecking the Oscars trophy a few times. He said his mother is 84 years old and was at home watching the award ceremony. Quan broke down in a somewhat teary smile, lifted the trophy, and addressed his mother:

“Mom, I just won an Oscar.”

He recounted his life story in brief and said that his journey started on a boat. Quan continued:

“I spent a year in a refugee camp, and somehow I ended up here, on Hollywood’s biggest stage. They say stories like this only happen in the movies—I cannot believe it’s happening to me. This, this is the American dream.”

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Ke Huy Quan came back to win an Oscar after a two-decade-long break from acting

Quan was born in 1971 in Vietnam, a war-torn country at the time. He fled the country at seven and found refuge with his father and six siblings in Hong Kong, while his mother took refuge in Malaysia.

Their family could not reunite for an entire year until 1979, when they settled down in Los Angeles. Quan described their reunion as one of the greatest moments of his life.

In 1984, at the age of 12, Ke Huy Quan landed his first acting role as Short Round, Harrison Ford’s sidekick in the adventure/action film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Later in 1985, he starred in The Goonies as the inventor, Richard “Data” Wang.

Apart from these, Quan had minor roles in some Japanese and Taiwanese movies. Quan appeared in the movie Breathing Fire in 1991 and had a small role in the 1992 movie Encino Man.

Quan shared that he developed an affectionate bond with Harrison Ford while working for Indian Jones, and fame followed him swiftly after the movie’s release.

However, he said that working with big names in Hollywood at a young age meant his career would only go downhill. Ke Huy Quan told LA Times:

"I think that’s why, when I got older and the road became rugged, I felt like I didn’t pay my dues. I started questioning myself when the phone stopped ringing and the opportunities dried up."

As an adult, Quan faced a lack of acting opportunities in Hollywood, eventually making him quit acting. He then worked as a stunt coordinator and an assistant director in Hong Kong and Hollywood. Quan helped plan fight scenes in X-Men (2000). He also worked as a stunt choreographer for the 2001 film, The One.

Ke Huy Quan said that the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians inspired him to return to acting as the movie made huge progress for Asian representation in Hollywood.

He returned to the camera as Waymon Wang, a loving husband in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Alongside another Oscar winner, Michelle Yeoh, Quan went on an action-packed sci-fi adventure to save the multiverse.

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Ke Huy Quan thanked his wife, Echo Quan, in his Oscar acceptance speech

Quan thanked David, his little brother who, the actor said, calls him every day only to remind him to take good care of himself.

Ke Huy Quan with his co-star Michelle Yeoh (Image via Getty Images)

He also expressed gratitude to filmmakers Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, his costars, and fellow Oscar nominees Stephanie Hsu, Michelle Yeoh, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Quan also mentioned his wife, Echo Quan, and said:

“I owe everything to the love of my life, my wife, Echo, who month after month, year after year, for 20 years told me that one day, one day my time will come."

Quan continued that dreams are something that one has to believe in. He shared that he almost gave up on his dream and added:

"To all of you out there—please keep your dreams alive.”

Earlier in 2023, Ke Huy Quan also bagged the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.