Tzi Ma

Tzi Ma’s been tearing it up in Hollywood for, what, over forty years now? The guy’s basically a legend when it comes to breaking barriers for Asian American and Pacific Islander actors. He’s done it all—blockbusters like Rush Hour, indie darlings like Tigertail, and enough TV to make you dizzy. If you’ve watched anything with an Asian dad or a wise mentor in the last few decades, odds are good it was Ma. He was born in Hong Kong, grew up hustling in Staten Island, and worked at his folks’ restaurant while grinding through New York’s theater scene in the 70s. Dude refused to play into stereotypes, even when that meant turning down work. He teamed up with playwrights like David Henry Hwang, who literally wrote parts just for him. And before he was popping up in movies, he was a fixture in Manhattan’s Chinatown, helping at-risk youth and volunteering at community orgs. Ma’s screen debut? Cocaine Cowboys in ‘78, of all things, with Jack Palance and Andy Warhol. After that, you’d catch him everywhere—in regional theater, TV classics like MacGyver and Star Trek, and action flicks all through the ‘90s. The guy never stopped. He kept landing roles in everything from Arrival to Veep, while still supporting indie films by Asian filmmakers. Lately, he’s been killing it in Kung Fu as Jin Shen and even made his directorial debut with Hanako. At this point, he’s not just acting—he’s making Hollywood history.