Ke Huy Quan

**Ke Huy Quan** also known as Jonathan Ke Quan is an American actor, stunt choreographer and assistant director. He portrays the main character of Jamie Yao/Freddy Wong in Disney+'s original series *American Born Chinese*.

## General overview

Born in Saigon, Vietnam to Chinese immigrants, Ke is the seventh of nine children. When Ke was just seven years old, his parents made the difficult decision of splitting up their family to escape a tumultuous post-war Vietnam. After a failed attempt, in 1978 the family succeeded in making it out, albeit divided. Ke, along with his father and five other siblings, ended up in a refugee camp in Hong Kong. They were there for one year before being reunited with the rest of the family and granted asylum in the United States. In 1979, they settled in Chinatown, Los Angeles. Fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, Ke spoke little English but soon acclimated himself to life in America. In 1983, while Ke was busy being a kid, unbeknownst to him, the search was on for a Chinese boy to star alongside Harrison Ford in a sequel to the highly successful film, *Raiders of the Lost Ark*. Unable to find who they were looking for, an open casting call was held at an elementary school in a place none other than Chinatown, Los Angeles. Ke tagged along with his little brother to the audition with no intention of trying out himself. A
casting director noticed him and invited him to read for the part. He would later read again, but this time for Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Harrison Ford. Despite having no acting experience, he walked into the room and came back out, landing the role of a lifetime as Short Round. Ke's next destination was Sri Lanka, to film *Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom*. Bitten by the acting bug, in his follow up movie, Ke joined an enviable group of young misfits still beloved by generations today, known as *The Goonies*. He continued acting, globe-trotting from Taiwan to Japan. He starred in the Taiwanese film *It Takes a Thief* and the Japanese film *Passengers*, opposite singer Honda Minako. Ke's other notable credits include *Encino Man*, *Breathing Fire*, and television shows *Nothing is Easy* with Elliott Gould and *Head of the Class*.

Working since he was eleven, opportunities for Asian actors became limited as Ke got older. He decided to press pause and return to the real-life classrooms of USC, where he studied film and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree. After graduating from USC, Ke began working again, but this time behind the camera. He worked as an Assistant Action Choreographer collaborating with Action Director Corey Yuen on X-Men and The One with Jet Li. He later went on to work for one of Asia's most influential filmmakers Wong Kar Wai, assisting in project development and even as an Assistant Director on Wong's film, *2046*. Ke's love for acting did not wane; however, jobs for Asian Actors in Hollywood remained few
and far between. This all changed in 2018 when *Crazy Rich Asians*, featuring an all-Asian cast, took the box office by storm, opening new doors for Asian actors. Ke, recognizing Hollywood's acknowledgment of the importance of Asian representation, took this as his cue to return to his roots. He decided to step back in front of the camera, auditioning and landing the role of Waymond Wang in the Russo Brothers/A24 feature, *Everything Everywhere All At Once*, starring opposite Michelle Yeoh. Ke's performance in the critically acclaimed film marked his return to acting in a major role in more than 20 years. The film, written and directed by the Daniels, went on to become A24's highest-grossing movie worldwide to date.

You can catch Ke next in the Disney+ Original series *American Born Chinese, based on the* genre-hopping graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang. In February 2022, it was reported that Quan along with Yeoh, Ben Wang, Yeo Yann Yann, Chin Han, Daniel Wu, Jim Liu, and Sydney Taylor were cast in starring roles for the aforementioned series..

On June 28, 2023, Quan was among hundreds of artists including co-star Stephanie Hsu to become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the organization that produces the Oscars.In a news release sent to CNN on Wednesday, the Academy announced they’ve invited 398 artists and executives “who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to motion pictures”.

## Trivia

* For the Disney+'s American Born Chinese series, the character of Chin-Kee from the graphic novel was reworked, and eventually became Jamie Yao, which is portrayed by Ke Huy Quan.

## External links

* Ke Huy Quan on the Internet Movie Database
* Ke Huy Quan on Wikipedia
* Ke Huy Quan (@kehuyquan) on Instagram

## References

1. ↑ ‘Shang-Chi’s Michelle Yeoh & Destin Daniel Cretton Reunite For Disney+ Series ‘American Born Chinese’; Chin Han, Yeo Yann Yann & Daniel Wu Also Star - Deadline
2. ↑ Oscars invite Taylor Swift, Ke Huy Quan, Keke Palmer and more to join the Academy - CNN