Haing S. Ngor
Haing Somnang Ngor (Khmer: ហាំង សំណាង ង៉ោ; Chinese: 吳漢潤; pinyin: Wú Hànrùn; March 22, 1940 – February 25, 1996) was a Cambodian-born American actor, gynecologist, and obstetrician. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1985 for his debut performance in the film The Killing Fields (1984), in which he portrayed Cambodian journalist and refugee Dith Pran.
Haing S. Ngor | |
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Ngor in 1986 | |
| Born | Haing Somnang Ngor March 22, 1940 Samrong Yong, Cambodia, French Indochina |
| Died | February 25, 1996 (aged 55) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Murder (gunshot wounds) |
| Resting place | Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, California |
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| Years active | 1984–1996 (acting) |
| Spouse | Chang My-Huoy |
| Relatives | Ngor Hong Srun (younger brother) |
Ngor is one of two actors of Asian descent to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the other being Ke Huy Quan in 2023. He survived three terms in Cambodian prison camps, using his medical knowledge to keep himself alive by eating beetles, termites, and scorpions; he eventually crawled between Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese lines to safety in a Red Cross refugee camp. His mother was Khmer and his father was of Hakka Chinese descent. Ngor and Harold Russell are the only two non-professional actors to win an Academy Award in an acting category.
Ngor continued acting for the rest of his life, most notably in My Life (1993), portraying spiritual healer Mr. Ho opposite Michael Keaton and Nicole Kidman. He was murdered in a robbery outside his home in Los Angeles in 1996.