10 Most Surprising Underdog Oscar Victories

By the time Cambodian doctor Haing S. Ngor emigrated to the USA in 1980 he had already led an extraordinary life. A skilled surgeon and gynaecologist practicing in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, Ngor was forced to leave the city when the brutal Khmer Rouge regime took power and spent four years in a concentration camp before escaping to Thailand and eventually America.

His remarkable life journey didn’t end there though. Unable to practice medicine in the US, he got into the acting industry after being spotted at a Cambodian wedding in California and cast as real-life Cambodian journalist Dith Pran who had also survived the Khmer Rouge in the 1984 film The Killing Fields.

Ngor went on to win Best Supporting Actor for his movingly realistic portrayal of Pran and to date remains the only actor of Asian descent to ever win the award. At the time of winning, he was also only the second non-professional actor to win Best Supporting Actor joining fellow winner Howard Russell for his role in 1946’s The Best Years of Our Lives.

He continued acting for the rest of his life which was sadly cut short in 1996 when he murdered in a gang shooting. Nevertheless, his legacy lives on in the annals of Academy Award history.