Biography - Sandra Oh

“Grey’s Anatomy” actress Sandra Oh has a long list of distinguished credits, and came to fame in the U.S. with a supporting role in her then-husband Alexander Payne’s Oscar-winning 2004 comedy “Sideways”. The talented Korean-Canadian star has recently won a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her work on ABC’s popular medical drama.

Oh’s parents immigrated to Nepean, Ontario from Seoul, South Korea in the 60s. Sandra was born on July 20, 1971 in Nepean, and attended Sir Robert Borden High School. Though she took ballet lessons from an early age, she became more interested in acting while in high school and eventually entered the National Theatre School in Montreal. After starring in the intense lead role in an Ontario stage production of David Mamet’s “Oleanna”, Oh beat out hundreds of actresses for the title role in the Canadian TV film “The Diary of Evelyn Lau” for which she won the FIPA d’Or Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Oh’s next major role, in the Canadian film “Double Happiness”, earned her a Genie Award for Best Actress as did 1998’s apocalyptic dramedy “Last Night”. 1998 also saw Oh appear in the critically acclaimed ensemble drama “The Red Violin”, as well as the American films “Permanent Midnight” and “Guinevere”.

Before her breakthrough with “Sideways”, Oh appeared in the indie “Waking the Dead”, “The Princess Diaries”, and in a memorable role in the Diane Lane romance “Under the Tuscan Sun”. In “Sideways”, Oh played the snappy, free-spirited vineyard worker Stephanie who falls for the charms of a sleazy television actor played by Thomas Haden Church. The indie comedy, from “Citizen Ruth” and “Election” writer-director Alexander Payne, was a surprise success at the box office and earned Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor an Oscar for Best Screenplay, in addition to acting nominations for Virginia Madsen and Church. Oh and Payne had been married for over two years, but the pair has since divorced.

“Sideways” helped Oh nab the role of Dr. Cristina Yang in “Grey’s Anatomy”, which has become one of the most popular shows on television. Oh is particularly impressive in the series playing the sarcastic, somewhat nihilistic Yang, and her on-screen romance with sexy co-star Isaiah Washington has proved to be truly electric. The role has earned her significant acclaim, and she was recently nominated for a Supporting Actress Emmy. Oh played a brief role in the 2006 indie thriller “Hard Candy”, and will star alongside Robin Williams and Toni Collette in “The Night Listener” later this year.