Asians Who Won Oscars 2023

After a long and close race, Michelle Yeoh won the Oscar for her spectacular shape-shifting performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Making history in the 95-year legacy of the Academy Awards, she stands as the inaugural Asian actress to clinch this category.
Her victory marked a significant turning point in Hollywood history, especially for the Asian community. For years, only two Asian actors have been nominated for the lead actress: Merle Oberon, who disguised her Indian heritage during a time when it was not considered a defining trait of her character, and Ben Kingsley, who won in 1982 for his role as a warrior king.
This year’s awards show saw a significant increase in Asian winners, including four Asian-American women in three races, with Ke Huy Quan winning the best supporting actor prize for Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale and Jamie Lee Curtis taking home the award for her role as an overweight professor in the same movie.
But while the Academy Awards’ diversity has improved, it is far from a complete representation of America; even though Latinos have 34 winners and Indigenous people only two, a large proportion of Asian actors and directors have been overlooked throughout the years.
For many of us, the Oscars represent a time when our dreams and aspirations are rewarded. But it’s also a time to be reminded of how much progress we still have to make in achieving equality and justice.
As she accepted her award, Yeoh shared a message of hope and possibility for the future. She spoke of the need to “hold fast to your dreams no matter what your background or age.” Thank you to everyone who helped to make this night possible.