Who Is Ke Huy Quan? 5 Things to Know About the ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ Star

Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

Who Is Ke Huy Quan? 5 Things to Know About the ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once' Star

A comeback king. Ke Huy Quan has taken Hollywood by storm with his performance as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once — culminating in his 2023 Oscars win. The film — codirected by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — lead the 2023 Oscars race with a total of 11 nominations, including first-time acting nominations for Quan and his onscreen wife, Michelle Yeoh, for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, respectively. In addition to the 2021 film Finding ‘Ohana, Everything Everywhere marked the Vietnamese-American actor’s first major film role in two decades since 2002’s Second Time Around. After his years-long break, the former child star dominated the 2023 awards season by scoring Best Supporting Actor wins at the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, among many other accolades. The Goonies star made history with his SAG Awards win, becoming the first Asian male to win in his category. “This is a really emotional moment for me,” he tearfully said during his acceptance speech. “Recently, I was told that if I were to win tonight, I would become the very first Asian actor to win in this category. When I heard this, I quickly realized that this moment no longer belongs to just me. It also belongs to everyone who has asked for changed.” Going on to praise his fellow Asian SAG Award nominees — including fellow Everything Everywhere stars Stephanie Hsu and Harry Shum Jr. — Quan continued: “The landscape looks so different now than before, so thank you so much to all of you in this room and everyone who contributed to these changes. And thank you so much to SAG-AFTRA for this truly, truly prestigious honor.” [jwplayer ubxoMQhQ-zhNYySv2] He ended his speech on a heartfelt note, stating, “To all those at home who are watching, who are struggling and waiting to be seen, please keep on going and the spotlight will one day find you.” Quan got just as emotional while accepting the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture at the Golden Globes in January. He thanked director Steven Spielberg for casting him in his breakout role as Short Round in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and shared his struggles with overcoming his child star fame. “Through so many years, I was afraid I had nothing more to offer, that no matter what I did, I would never surpass what I achieved as a kid,” he stated, before thanking Kwan and Scheinert (a.k.a. The Daniels). “Thankfully, more than 30 years later two guys thought of me. They remembered that kid and they gave me an opportunity to try again. Everything that has happened since has been unbelievable.” Keep scrolling to learn more about Quan — from his early career days and family to the major franchise he is set to join and more.

Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

Who Is Ke Huy Quan? 5 Things to Know About the ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once' Star

A comeback king. Ke Huy Quan has taken Hollywood by storm with his performance as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once — culminating in his 2023 Oscars win. The film — codirected by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — lead the 2023 Oscars race with a total of 11 nominations, including first-time acting nominations for Quan and his onscreen wife, Michelle Yeoh, for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, respectively. In addition to the 2021 film Finding ‘Ohana, Everything Everywhere marked the Vietnamese-American actor’s first major film role in two decades since 2002’s Second Time Around. After his years-long break, the former child star dominated the 2023 awards season by scoring Best Supporting Actor wins at the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, among many other accolades. The Goonies star made history with his SAG Awards win, becoming the first Asian male to win in his category. “This is a really emotional moment for me,” he tearfully said during his acceptance speech. “Recently, I was told that if I were to win tonight, I would become the very first Asian actor to win in this category. When I heard this, I quickly realized that this moment no longer belongs to just me. It also belongs to everyone who has asked for changed.” Going on to praise his fellow Asian SAG Award nominees — including fellow Everything Everywhere stars Stephanie Hsu and Harry Shum Jr. — Quan continued: “The landscape looks so different now than before, so thank you so much to all of you in this room and everyone who contributed to these changes. And thank you so much to SAG-AFTRA for this truly, truly prestigious honor.” [jwplayer ubxoMQhQ-zhNYySv2] He ended his speech on a heartfelt note, stating, “To all those at home who are watching, who are struggling and waiting to be seen, please keep on going and the spotlight will one day find you.” Quan got just as emotional while accepting the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture at the Golden Globes in January. He thanked director Steven Spielberg for casting him in his breakout role as Short Round in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and shared his struggles with overcoming his child star fame. “Through so many years, I was afraid I had nothing more to offer, that no matter what I did, I would never surpass what I achieved as a kid,” he stated, before thanking Kwan and Scheinert (a.k.a. The Daniels). “Thankfully, more than 30 years later two guys thought of me. They remembered that kid and they gave me an opportunity to try again. Everything that has happened since has been unbelievable.” Keep scrolling to learn more about Quan — from his early career days and family to the major franchise he is set to join and more.

Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

1. When Did Ke Huy Quan Begin Acting?

If you recognize Quan, it's likely because he starred in two of the biggest movies from the 1980s. He beat out 6,000 other kids for the role of Short Round in 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. One year later, he portrayed Data in the hit adventure film The Goonies.

Amid his acting comeback, Quan confessed that he'd be happy to revive Short Round on the big screen. “If Disney or Lucasfilm ever come to me and say, ‘We want to do a Short Round spinoff,’ I’m there man!” he said during a January episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast. “I love that character so much, I love that experience so much, and it would just be incredible to revisit so many years later.”

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2. Did Ke Huy Quan Quit Acting?

Following his success in Indiana Jones and The Goonies, Quan booked a handful of smaller TV and film roles before taking a hiatus from acting. As he explained in his 2023 SAG Awards speech, “When I stepped away from acting, it was because there were so few opportunities," specifically for Asian actors.

However, he still stayed within the entertainment industry. Quan attended the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts and went on to work as a stunt coordinator and assistant director on projects such as 2000’s X-Men and 2001’s The One.

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3. What Inspired Ke Huy Quan to Act Again?

Before booking Everything Everywhere, Quan said that the 2018 movie Crazy Rich Asians reignited his love for acting. The film made waves for its all-Asian cast, which featured his future costar Yeoh.

"I saw it three times in the theater; I cried every single time," he shared in a February interview with CBS News. "But one of the reasons why I cried was because I wanted to be up there with them."

Chatting with Variety one month later, Quan joked that the rom-com gave him "serious FOMO," adding, "I can’t imagine how many others like me, out there, young and old, shared in the same dreams. I hope our movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once does what Crazy Rich Asians did for me."

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4. Is Ke Huy Quan Married?

Quan is happily married to his wife, Corinna Ke Quan (often referred to by her nickname "Echo"), though it is unknown how long it's been since they tied the knot. It is also unknown whether the two share any kids.

While Crazy Rich Asians may have driven his desire to get back into acting, he also credits his wife for encouraging him to follow through. "It was my wife that said, 'Ke, you will get this role,'" he told CBS News of auditioning for Everything Everywhere. "I said, 'How can you be so sure?' And she said, 'Because you said this role is written for you, and you want it more than anything. You will get it.’”

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5. Is Ke Huy Quan Joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

The actor will soon be joining another big franchise, as he will make his Marvel debut in season 2 of Loki on Disney+.

“When our movie came out, the first phone call I got was from Kevin Feige, who graciously asked me if I wanted to join the MCU.” Quan shared on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast in January. His role has yet to be revealed.