Asian women in film and television haven’t just joined the conversation-they’ve rewritten the entire script. Global superstars, creatives, and pioneers, they shattered stereotypes, opened doors, and forced the world to take notice. From Oscar winners to franchise icons, these ten women changed the face of entertainment in ways that will reverberate for ages to come. And yes, we’re counting down-because building suspense is half the fun.
10. Michelle Yeoh – Oscar Trailblazer and International Icon
Michelle Yeoh’s career is basically a highlight reel of excellence. She rose to fame in Hong Kong action cinema in the late ’80s and ’90s, doing her own stunts in films like Yes, Madam and Police Story III. The world began to take notice with roles in Tomorrow Never Dies and Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but Everything Everywhere All At Once really cemented her legacy. The 2023 Academy Award for Best Actress made her the first woman of Asian descent to ever take home the category achievement, celebrated across Hong Kong, Malaysia, and beyond. In 2026, she was awarded the Honorary Golden Bear in Berlin, proving she’s not done collecting accolades anytime soon.
9. Anna May Wong – Hollywood’s First Chinese American Superstar
Decades before Hollywood even pretended to care about diversity, Anna May Wong was fighting for real representation. She starred in Daughter of the Dragon and Daughter of Shanghai, among others, often fighting stereotypes and being denied leading roles in favor of white actors in yellowface. In a 1933 interview, she openly questioned why Asian characters were so often portrayed as villains. Despite the limitations she faced, her influence endures-she became the first Asian actress with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 and was honored on a U.S. quarter in 2022. Wong once said she was “so tired” of the roles she was forced into, but her impact made space for everyone who came after.
8. Ali Wong – Comedy Powerhouse and Award Winner
Ali Wong does it all: stand-up, acting, writing, producing, and now she’s an awards-season powerhouse. She made history as the first Asian woman to win a Primetime Emmy for a lead performance for Beef, also earning an Emmy as an executive producer. Add her Golden Globe win for best actress in a limited series, and she’s officially broken through barriers that stood untouched for decades. Wong’s sharp, fearless style has helped expand the idea of what Asian women can look like, sound like, and be on screen.
7. Miyoshi Umeki – First Asian Oscar Winner
In 1958, Miyoshi Umeki became the first Asian performer to ever win an Oscar, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Sayonara. She went on to star in Flower Drum Song and The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, although she often found herself in limited roles or stereotyped parts. Her son has said that she took every job seriously, even those requiring “pidgin English,” because she believed in the importance of doing her best with every opportunity. Her story is both inspiring and bittersweet-she famously destroyed her Oscar after her husband’s death-but her contributions changed Hollywood history.
6. Ming-Na Wen – Disney Legend & Franchise Royalty
Ming-Na Wen is the definition of a multigenerational star. She moved audiences with The Joy Luck Club, became Disney royalty as the voice of Mulan, and later joined the Marvel and Star Wars universes through Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. She was named a Disney Legend in 2019 and received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2023. Wen has said that The Joy Luck Club opened her eyes to possibilities she didn’t even know existed. Today, she’s one of the most recognizable Asian actresses in Hollywood and a fan favorite across multiple fandoms.
5. Sandra Oh – Television Trailblazer
From Grey’s Anatomy to Killing Eve, Sandra Oh has dominated television for years. She became the first Asian woman to host the Golden Globes and the second to win a Golden Globe for best actress, wa in she described as “profound” for herself and her family. Oh continues to push boundaries with each new project, proving Asian women can be complex and brilliant, flawed and hilarious, and heroic all at once.
4. Awkwafina – Comedy Star Turned Dramatic Force
Awkwafina proved Asian-led blockbusters could be enormous and poignant. Crazy Rich Asians took in $239 million globally, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings earned $432 million, and showed studios once and for all that diverse casts are not a risk but the future. But it was her performance in The Farewell that truly astonished audiences and critics alike and displayed a dramatic depth most didn’t know she had. Her career keeps expanding what’s possible for Asian women onscreen.
3. Lucy Liu – Action Legend, Cultural Icon
Lucy Liu has been a Hollywood powerhouse for over twenty years, with a range that extends from Ally McBeal and Charlie’s Angels to Kill Bill, Elementary, and Kung Fu Panda. She received her own star on the Walk of Fame in 2019-the second Asian woman ever to get one-and won the Gold Legend Award at the Gold Gala in 2024. In her acceptance speech, she talked about the isolation of being “the first person in the room,” and celebrated how far Asian representation has come. Liu helped open that room in the first place.
2. Lana Condor – Rom-Com Darling and Young Hollywood Icon
Lana Condor became an international sweetheart when she played the role of Lara Jean Covey in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. This series brought Asian-American teen romance to the mainstream and included everyday cultural details, such as rice cookers and no-shoes households, thanks to the commitment of producer Jenny Han to authenticity. Condor’s breakout performance put a spotlight on nuance and diversity within Asian identities, even calling out Hollywood’s habit of flattening those differences. Her success marked a major shift in what a young Asian leading lady could look like.
1. Jocelyne LaGarde – A Singular, Historic Talent
Jocelyne LaGarde left an indelible mark with only one film. For Hawaii 1966, she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, the first ever Indigenous and Polynesian nominee. She went on to win the Golden Globe for the same role and remains to this day the only actor in history nominated for an Academy Award for their sole film performance. Unforgettable, powerful, and a true screen pioneer.
These women didn’t just crack the glass ceiling-they turned the shards into stepping stones for everyone who followed. It is their courage, their talent, and their persistence that reshaped film and television, opening the doors so the next generation can dream bigger, aim higher, and finally see themselves reflected on screen.