Sandra Oh

Birthday: 20 July 1971, Nepean, Ontario, Canada

Birth Name: Sandra Miju Oh

Height: 165 cm

Sandra Oh was born to Korean parents in the Ottawa suburb of Nepean, Ontario, Canada. Her father, Oh Junsu, a businessman, and her mother, Oh Young-nam, a biochemist, were married in Seoul, South Korea. They both attended graduate school at the University of Toronto. Sandra began her career as a ballet dancer and eventually studied drama at the National Theatre School in Montreal. She then starred in a London (Ontario) stage production of David Mamet's "Oleanna" and appeared as the title character in the Canadian television production The Diary of Evelyn Lau (1994), beating out over 1,000 applicants. Her list of awards includes the FIPA d'Or for Best Actress at the 1994 Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels at Cannes, France, two Genie Awards (the Canadian Oscar), a Cable Ace Award, a Theatre World Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2003, she married writer-director Alexander Payne and their first film together was the Oscar-winning Sideways (2004). Show less «

I did not start acting until I was 10. I started dancing when I was four, though. My parents were no...Show more »

I did not start acting until I was 10. I started dancing when I was four, though. My parents were not the ones who brought me to acting. I brought myself, and when I found it, I could never go back. I was very fortunate because although I loved dance [ballet] with all my heart, I knew I was not good enough to be a professional dancer. I knew I loved performing. Still, nothing beats being on stage for me; I prefer the stage Show less «

[on the importance of stage experience for actors in film and television] Essential, essential, esse...Show more »

[on the importance of stage experience for actors in film and television] Essential, essential, essential, essential. You gotta do plays, you gotta do play, you gotta do plays. Theatre will constantly and always feed me. Show less «

I work very hard, sometimes too much, at my job because I love it so much. It is more than wonderful...Show more »

I work very hard, sometimes too much, at my job because I love it so much. It is more than wonderful when all your hard work is noticed and honored by your peers and the industry. Winning the Golden Globe was one of the best moments of my life. Show less «

You just don't care about what people think. But it's hard to do because people tell you what they t...Show more »

You just don't care about what people think. But it's hard to do because people tell you what they think all the time. It's sort of nuts. We actors, we're a fragile bunch, and yet we need to be strong because 90% of our lives is rejection. You have to figure out what really is important. Show less «

And on a Canadian set, everybody is equal. You get paid the same. You live together in barracks. You...Show more »

And on a Canadian set, everybody is equal. You get paid the same. You live together in barracks. You have a communal kitchen. You buy and cook your own food. Show less «

[on the differences between acting in Canada and in Hollywood]: Huge, huge difference, both good and...Show more »

[on the differences between acting in Canada and in Hollywood]: Huge, huge difference, both good and bad. First of all in Canada, someone like me can be a star, a leading lady. In the U.S., much more difficult. They always want to keep you in the supporting roles. It is also debatable if there is even a star system in Canada, or an indigenous film industry. Canada is still at the mercy of the U.S. film industry. In Canada, it is very difficult to make a living as an actor...In the U.S., there is more drive towards a certain kind of broad reaching success, and with that comes much more stress and sacrifice. In Canada, even if you are very successful, you can lead a very normal and healthy life. Maybe not much glamour or wealth or world reaching success, but quite normal. Show less «

Sandra Oh

Sandra Oh's FILMOGRAPHY

Sandra Oh'S roles

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