Joan Chen

Asian-Pacific American Celebrities and Athletes

Actress Joan Chen, born in Shanghai, China during the country’s Cultural Revolution, came to international attention for her performance in the 1987 Academy Award-winning film “The Last Emperor.” (Photo: Kristian Dowling/Getty Images)

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Asian-Pacific Am... May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, a celebration of the culture, traditions, and history of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Click through to check out some of the most impactful Asian-American athletes and celebrities. (Photos: AP, Getty)

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Bruce Lee The late Bruce Lee, a Chinese-American actor and director from Hong Kong, is also credited with founding the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement. (AP Photo/Columbia Picture)

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Tiger Woods Tiger Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful athletes of all time. Tiger's ancestral background is Thai, Chinese, Dutch, African-American and Native American. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Lisa Ling Journalist Lisa Ling, best known for her former role as a co-host of ABC's "The View," is both Chinese and Taiwanese. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)

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Daniel Dae Kim Korean-American actor Daniel Dae Kim, best known for his role as Jin-Soo Kwon on “Lost,” was born in Pusan, South Korea. Kim moved to the United States with his family when he was two. (Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

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Jeanette Lee Jeanette Lee, otherwise known as "The Black Widow," one of the nation's top ranked pool players, took home the gold medal for the United States at the 2001 World Games in Akita, Japan. (AP Photo/Christopher Pfuhl)

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Vera Wang Vera Wang is an American fashion designer of Chinese descent. Her parents were born and raised in Shanghai, China. They moved to the United States in the mid-1940s. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

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Dean Cain “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” actor Dean Cain is of French Canadian, Irish, Welsh, and Japanese descent. Cain’s paternal grandfather was born in Japan. (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

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Kristi Yamaguchi... Figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi became the first Asian-American woman to win Olympic gold in 1992. Yamaguchi's paternal grandparents and maternal great-grandparents immigrated to the United States from Japan. (AP Photo/Mervyn's California, Peter Lennihan)

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Lucy Liu Actress Lucy Liu was born into a Chinese immigrant family in Queens, New York. She is best known for her role in "Charlie's Angels." (Photo: Jordan Strauss/Getty Images)

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Margaret Cho Margaret Cho is a Korean-American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author, and recording artist. (Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

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Ron Darling Former New York Mets pitcher Ron Darling was born in Honolulu to a Hawaiian Chinese mother and French Canadian father. Darling speaks both Chinese and French fluently. (AP Photo/Andrew Gombert)

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George Takei Actor George Takei, best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise in the television series "Star Trek," is one of the first major Asian-American actors to clock screen time on television. Takei’s parents are of Japanese descent. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Michelle Wie In 2004, Michelle Wie, the only child of immigrant parents from South Korea, became the youngest player ever to qualify for a USGA amateur championship at just 10 years old. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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Joan Chen Actress Joan Chen, born in Shanghai, China during the country’s Cultural Revolution, came to international attention for her performance in the 1987 Academy Award-winning film “The Last Emperor.” (Photo: Kristian Dowling/Getty Images)

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Johnnie Morton Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Johnnie Morton hails from both African-American and Japanese roots. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Lou Diamond Phil... “Stand and Deliver” star Lou Diamond Phillips’ mother is of Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Hawaiian descent. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Michelle Kwan Two-time Olympic medalist figure skater Michelle Kwan was born in 1980 to Chinese immigrant parents from Hong Kong. Kwan, who has won five World championships, speaks a mix of Cantonese and English. (Photo: Wong Maye-E/Getty Images)

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Phoebe Cates "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" actress Phoebe Cates can attribute her exotic looks to her varied ethnic background. Cates’ maternal grandfather was Chinese and Filipino. (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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Tia Carrere Tia Carrere, best known for her role in "Wayne's World," was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Filipino parents. (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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Michael Chang Former tennis star Michael Chang, best remembered for becoming the youngest-ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17, is of Chinese ancestry. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

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John Cho John Cho, of "Harold and Kumar" fame, was born in Seoul, South Korea. His family settled in Los Angeles in 1978 and Cho began a career in Hollywood years later. (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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Dat Nguyen Former Cowboys linebacker Dat Nguyen was the first Vietnamese-American to play in the NFL. Nguyen's family left South Vietnam during the fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War. (AP Photo/L.M. Otero)

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James Shigeta "Avatar" actor James Shigeta is a Nisei, or second-generation American of Japanese ancestry. (AP Photo/Keystone, Alessandro della Valle)

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Asian-Pacific Am... Click here to see some of the brightest Asian-Pacific American newsmakers and innovators.