Asian Stars Born in the Year of the Tiger

2022 is the Year of the Water Tiger, a year that promises lots of excitement, adventure and surprises. And though you might think that people born in the Year of the Tiger will naturally have the luckiest year out of all the 12 zodiac signs, the Chinese astrological concepts of “Fan Tai Sui” and “Ben Ming Nian” imply that those with the same animal sign as the current year could experience some challenges ahead.

But fear not, Tigers. Chinese astrology also says that Tigers are courageous, determined, resilient and charismatic — all traits that will undoubtedly help them conquer anything that 2022 may throw at them.

So to kick off the Lunar New Year, we’re highlighting 12 actors of Asian descent born in years of the Tiger. True to their zodiac sign, these stars are passionate about their craft and are making bold moves in the entertainment industry — and they’re definitely not letting any Fan Tai Sui get in their way this year.

1. Yoo Ah-in

Born Oct. 6, 1986. While most viewers would probably recognize Yoo Ah-in from the zombie flick #Alive and the fantasy thriller Hellbound — both of which ranked No. 1 on Netflix globally shortly after premiering — Yoo has starred in many other hit Korean films and series, including Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Secret Affair, Six Flying Dragons, Chicago Typewriter, Veteran and The Throne. Considered one of South Korea’s most successful and talented actors, Yoo has won numerous acting awards and was chosen by Forbes as South Korea’s second most powerful celebrity in 2016. His leading role in Lee Chang-dong’s critically acclaimed movie Burning landed him on The New York Times’ “The Best Actors of 2018.”

Yoo is also the co-founder and creative director of Studio Concrete, a creative collective supporting emerging local and international artists, and is known in South Korea for his political activism and philanthropic efforts. 2022 will be quite a busy year for Yoo, who is slated to appear in a host of highly anticipated releases, including the upcoming heist film Seoul Vibe and the apocalyptic series Goodbye Earth, both of which are coming to Netflix.

Where You Can Watch Yoo on Netflix: Hellbound, #Alive, Veteran, Seoul Vibe (coming 2022), Goodbye Earth (coming 2022)

2. Paris Intarakomalyasut

Born Oct. 22, 1998. Paris Intarakomalyasut, also known by his nickname Ice, is a Thai actor and singer who made his acting debut in the 2017 Thai teen drama Project S: The Series. In 2018, he joined Nine by Nine, a nine-member boy group formed as a year-long project that saw Intarakomalyasut and some of his bandmates starring in the mystery series In Family We Trust and the fantasy rom-com Great Men Academy. Following Nine by Nine’s disbandment, Intarakomalyasut released a number of singles as a solo artist, including the recent “Smile in the Sky,” for which he also co-directed a music video. In his latest acting role, Intarakomalyasut plays a doctor who’s obsessed with proving the existence of ghosts in the Netflix horror film Ghost Lab.

Where You Can Watch Intarakomalyasut on Netflix: Ghost Lab

3. Jasper Liu

Born Aug. 12, 1986. The multi-talented Taiwanese entertainer is a triple threat: He started out in modeling before venturing into acting and also sang and played guitar in the Taiwanese band Morning Call. His breakout role came in the 2011 Taiwanese romance series In Time with You, where he adopted his now signature mop of curly hair. Since then, he’s starred in a slew of other Taiwanese hits such as Pleasantly Surprised, More than Blue, Before We Get Married and Triad Princess. With his career seemingly on an ever-upward trajectory, Liu has gained massive popularity across Taiwan, China, Japan and South Korea and is often called “Taiwan’s Most Adorable Boyfriend.”

Where You Can Watch Liu on Netflix: Use for My Talent, Triad Princess, Twogether

4. Michelle Yeoh

Born Aug. 6, 1962. The legendary Malaysian Chinese actor and former Miss Malaysia beauty queen first garnered international fame in the 1990s for performing her own jaw-dropping stunts in Hong Kong martial arts films. Her subsequent appearances in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies and Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon cemented her status as a global action star. In addition to receiving numerous acting awards throughout her decades-long career, Yeoh was bestowed with the title of Commander of the Legion of Honor (the highest honor given to a non-French citizen) in 2017 and named to BBC’s list of 100 Women of 2020. One of only a handful of Asian actors who’ve found lasting success in Hollywood, Yeoh has recently starred in hits like Star Trek: Discovery, Crazy Rich Asians, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and is set to appear in The Witcher prequel Blood Origin and the fantasy film The School for Good and Evil — both from Netflix — later this year.

Where You Can Watch Yeoh on Netflix: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny; Gunpowder Milkshake; Memoirs of a Geisha; Marco Polo; Marco Polo: One Hundred Eyes; The Witcher: Blood Origin (coming 2022); The School for Good and Evil (coming 2022)

5. Randall Park

Born March 23, 1974. With more than 190 credits to his name on IMDb, Korean American actor, writer, director and comedian Randall Park has appeared in a wide variety of American TV shows and films, from sitcoms to rom-coms to superhero blockbusters. As an undergraduate at UCLA, Park co-founded the LCC Theatre Company, now the largest Asian American college theater troupe, and his experiences with LCC inspired him to pursue a career in acting. While the prolific entertainer has played a diverse range of roles, some of his most memorable ones include the “Asian Jim Halpert” on The Office, Governor Danny Chung in Veep, Kim Jong-un in The Interview, FBI agent Jimmy Woo in Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp and WandaVision, Dr. Stephen Shin in DC’s Aquaman, and Louis Huang in ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, the first American sitcom in over 20 years to feature an all–Asian American cast (following Margaret Cho’s All-American Girl). Park, along with friend and fellow LCC alum Ali Wong, co-wrote, co-produced and starred in the 2019 Netflix rom-com Always Be My Maybe.

Where to Watch Park on Netflix: Always Be My Maybe, Human Resources (coming 2022), Blockbuster (coming 2022)

6. Angelica Panganiban

Born Nov. 4, 1986. Born to a Filipina mother and an American father, Angelica Panganiban has starred in countless Filipino films, TV series and variety shows since she became a child actor in the early 1990s. She has scored multiple best-actress nods in the Philippines and, at the age of 28, was given the prestigious Bert Marcelo Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to comedy. Although she retired last year from daily TV shows to find a better work-life balance, she has continued appearing in local miniseries.

Where You Can Watch Panganiban on Netflix: The Unmarried Wife, Love or Money, Exes Baggage, One More Try, A Love Story, That Thing Called Tadhana

7. Tony Leung Chiu-wai

Born June 27, 1962. Named by CNN as one of “Asia’s 25 Greatest Actors of All Time,” the Hong Kong icon Tony Leung has helped shape Asian cinema into what it is today. Throughout his storied, 40-year-long career, Leung has collaborated with some of Asia’s most renowned filmmakers, including Ang Lee, John Woo, Andrew Lau and Wong Kar Wai. Along the way, he’s earned innumerable accolades for his incredible acting range, including an award for best actor at Cannes for his unforgettable performance in Wong Kar Wai’s 2000 romance drama In the Mood for Love. Finding Hollywood roles for Asian actors to be too “restrictive,” Leung postponed making a Hollywood debut until last year, when he starred in the Marvel flick Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings as the complicated villain Wenwu.

Where to Watch Leung on Netflix: The Great Magician

8. Ki Hong Lee

Born Sept. 30, 1986. Korean American actor Ki Hong Lee made guest appearances in TV shows like Nickelodeon’s Victorious, ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Modern Family before landing a lead role in The Nine Lives of Chloe King. Beginning in 2012, Lee starred in a number of short films and miniseries produced by Wong Fu Productions. Best-known for playing the strong and fearless Minho in the Maze Runner trilogy and the Vietnamese immigrant Dong Nguyen in Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Lee was named one of People magazine’s sexiest men alive in 2014.

Where to Watch Lee on Netflix: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

9. Linh Dan Pham

Born March 29, 1974. The Vietnamese-born French actor is perhaps still best known for portraying the adopted child of a French plantation owner in the 1992 Oscar-winning movie Indochine, but Pham has starred in a steady stream of films over the past three decades. She won the César (the French equivalent of the Oscars) for most promising actress for her role in the 2005 French film The Beat That My Heart Skipped. Fluent in Vietnamese, French and English, Pham was most recently cast in Justin Chon’s 2021 film Blue Bayou.

Where You Can Watch Pham on Netflix: Mythomaniac

10. Daniel Wu

Born Sept. 30, 1974. The Chinese American actor, director and producer traveled to Hong Kong after graduating college and fell into acting by chance when a filmmaker spotted him in a clothing ad. What followed was a rapid succession of film projects that saw Wu cast in over 60 movies in a little over two decades, leading him to become one of Hong Kong’s most prolific and internationally recognized actors. Wu has proven he’s equally talented behind the camera as well: In 2007, he won best new director at the Hong Kong Film Awards for his Cantopop mockumentary The Heavenly Kings. More recently, he both starred in and executive produced the AMC sci-fi martial arts series Into the Badlands.

Where to Watch Wu on Netflix: Into the Badlands, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Skylanders Academy

11. Grace Park

Born March 14, 1974. The daughter of Korean immigrants, the American Canadian actor is best known for her roles in Battlestar Galactica, the CBS police series Hawaii Five-0 and, more recently, the ongoing ABC family drama A Million Little Things. In 2017, Park made waves when she and co-star Daniel Dae Kim left Hawaii Five-0 after learning they were paid significantly less than their white co-stars.

Where You Can Watch Park on Netflix: Freaks

12. Rebecca Lim

Born Sept. 26, 1986. Rebecca Lim has long been one of Singapore’s leading actors, nabbing a spot in the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes at the local Star Awards for nine consecutive years. At the 2010 Asian Television Awards, she won best actress in a leading role for her performance in the legal drama The Pupil. In 2016, Lim became the first and only Singaporean actor to receive an Asian Star award at the Seoul International Drama Awards, where she was recognized for her performance in The Journey: Our Homeland, an epic series chronicling the history of Singapore’s economic development.

Where You Can Watch Lim on Netflix: The Truth Seekers, The Dream Job, Yes We Can!, Sudden, The Truth

This article originally appeared on Netflix Tudum.

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Tigers are said to be charismatic and courageous.