10 People Who Won An Oscar For Their First Ever Film

Like Anna Paquin and Jennifer Hudson, Haing S. Ngor didn't have much professional acting experience before being cast in Roland Joffe's The Killing Fields (1984), but the director knew he was the person for the job due to the life he had led up until that moment.

Ngor would be playing Cambodian journalist Dith Pran, a man living under the regime of the savage Khmer Rouge. Joffe clearly felt the doctor was a good fit for the role as he himself had actually survived the Khmer Rouge in real life after being imprisoned in a concentration camp.

His truthful performance quickly resonated with audiences and critics everywhere and the first-time actor picked up the Best Supporting Actor award at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and the Academy Awards, becoming the first Asian performer to win an Oscar in this category.

In the wake of his critically acclaimed debut, Ngor also notably appeared in Oliver Stone's Heaven & Earth (1993) and My Life (also, 1993) opposite Michael Keaton and Nicole Kidman.

Sadly, this remarkable human being was later shot and killed in 1996 outside of his Los Angeles home. But, his legacy has since been preserved by the Dr. Haing S. Ngor foundation, where his niece, Sophia Ngor Demetri, acts as President.