---
name: "Sandra Oh"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/sandra-oh"
fi1m_id: "sandra-oh"
imdb_id: "nm0644897"
tmdb_id: 25540
wikidata_id: "Q40337"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "20 July 1971"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 10
average_fi1m_score: 66
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 10
updated: "2026-10-05T04:18:07.483572+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Sandra Oh

## Identity

Sandra Oh

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/sandra-oh
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** sandra-oh
- **IMDb ID:** nm0644897
- **TMDB ID:** 25540
- **Wikidata ID:** Q40337
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandra_Oh, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q40337, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0644897/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/25540

Actor. Born 20 July 1971 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 20 July 1971, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- **Active:** 1997–present
- **Also known as:** Sandra Miju Oh , 산드라오, 오미주, Oh Mi-ju, Wu Shanzhuo, Wu Shan-zhuo
- **Golden Globes:** 1 Golden Globe (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 66, as actor, over 10 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 60 (1), 2000s 65 (3), 2010s 65 (3), 2020s 71 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 66 to 64 across 10 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 6 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 2 of 9 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 6, Comedy 5, Romance 2, Action & Adventure 1, Adventure 1, Animation 1
- **Screen time:** 10 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $496m across 6 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandra_Oh, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q40337, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0644897/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/25540

## Coming up

- *Untitled Daniels Event Film* (2027-11-18)

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*Killing Eve*](https://film.one/tv/killing-eve.md) (82), [*Good Fortune*](https://film.one/film/good-fortune.md) (66)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Rabbit Hole*](https://film.one/film/rabbit-hole.md) (76), [*INVINCIBLE*](https://film.one/tv/invincible-2021.md) (74)
- **HBO Max:** [*The Sympathizer*](https://film.one/tv/the-sympathizer.md) (72)
- **Disney+:** [*Grey's Anatomy*](https://film.one/tv/greys-anatomy.md) (68)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Sandra Oh

> Sandra Oh underplays where other actors push. The funny line and the cruel one arrive at the same volume and she lets us sort them out, which made Cristina Yang the best thing in *Grey's Anatomy* for years.

Cristina Yang does not sit with the family. Other surgeons on *Grey's Anatomy* learn to; she treats compassion as a waste of theatre time and says so, in the same flat voice she uses for everything, so that a joke and a wound come out sounding identical. That flatness is what Sandra Oh does. Most actors lean into a line to tell you how to take it. Oh sets it down and walks off, and leaves you to work out whether you have been amused or insulted, which is usually both.

She had been doing it for a decade before anyone in Los Angeles noticed. There were leads in Canada, *The Diary of Evelyn Lau* (1994) and *Double Happiness* (1994), then a move south in 1996 for *Arli$$* and a run of supporting parts in films. *Sideways* (2004) was the one that turned heads, and rightly. Alexander Payne gives her Stephanie, and she and Virginia Madsen are at their most persuasive once the men stop being charming. We wanted the film to stay with the two of them rather than trotting back to the men's troubles, and we suspect Payne half knew it.

Then Shonda Rhimes wrote her a part built entirely out of talk. Rhimes's interns speak fast, over each other and mostly about themselves, and Cristina cuts through the noise by refusing to raise her voice. We laughed out loud at her more than once, and it was the refusal that did it: she never asks for the laugh, so when it comes it feels earned rather than served. For its first few years the programme is as quick and sharp as American network television gets, and Oh is doing most of the cutting.

She stayed ten seasons, from 2005 to 2014, and left before the writing could wear her out, which is more judgement than the series itself has shown. *Killing Eve* (2018–2022) followed, with Oh as Eve Polastri in a series created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and since then there has been *The Chair*, voice work, producing and a return to the theatre she trained for. Those are for another day. What Stephanie and Cristina have in common is that neither is decoration: take either out and the scene around her stops making sense.

That is by design. Oh has said, "I decided that I'm only going to play characters that are essential to the plot, that conduct the narrative and therefore can't be cut out." Watching Stephanie and Cristina again, we would have cut most of the people around them first.

## Biography

Sandra Oh is a Canadian and American actress. She trained at the National Theatre School of Canada and first gained recognition for lead roles in the Canadian films Double Happiness (1994) and The Diary of Evelyn Lau (1994), winning Genie Awards for both.

Oh is known for her television roles as Rita Wu in Arli$$ (1996–2002), Dr Cristina Yang in Grey's Anatomy (2005–2014) and Eve Polastri in Killing Eve (2018–2022). Her film credits include supporting parts in Bean (1997), The Princess Diaries (2001), Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) and Sideways (2004), as well as voice work in several animated features.

She has received one Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2021 she starred in and executive-produced the Netflix series The Chair.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, biography.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (10)

- *Good Fortune* (2025), Fi1m 66, as Martha — [page](https://film.one/film/good-fortune.md)
- *The Sympathizer* (2024), Fi1m 72, as Sofia Mori — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-sympathizer.md)
- *INVINCIBLE* (2021), Fi1m 74, as Debbie Grayson (voice) — [page](https://film.one/tv/invincible-2021.md)
- *Killing Eve* (2018), Fi1m 82, as Eve Polastri — [page](https://film.one/tv/killing-eve.md)
- *Tammy* (2014), Fi1m 38, as Susanne — [page](https://film.one/film/tammy.md)
- *Rabbit Hole* (2010), Fi1m 76, as Gabby — [page](https://film.one/film/rabbit-hole.md)
- *Grey's Anatomy* (2005), Fi1m 68, as Cristina Yang — [page](https://film.one/tv/greys-anatomy.md)
- *Sideways* (2004), Fi1m 86, as Stephanie — [page](https://film.one/film/sideways.md)
- *Full Frontal* (2002), Fi1m 40, as Fourth Fired Employee — [page](https://film.one/film/full-frontal.md)
- *Bean* (1997), Fi1m 60, as Bernice Schimmel — [page](https://film.one/film/bean.md)

## Complete filmography (89)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Untitled Daniels Event Film* (2027), Actor
- *National Theatre Live: The Misanthrope* (2026), as Alice
- *The Big Whoop* (2025), as Wendy
- *Twelfth Night* (2025), as Olivia
- *Good Fortune* (2025), as Martha — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/good-fortune.md)
- *Can I Get a Witness?* (2025), as Ellie
- *Smurfs* (2025), as Moxie Smurf (voice)
- *The Sympathizer* (2024), series, as Sofia Mori — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-sympathizer.md)
- *The Tiger's Apprentice* (2024), as Mistral (voice)
- *Quiz Lady* (2023), as Jenny Yum · Producer
- *Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai* (2023), series, as Nuwa (voice)
- *The Same Storm* (2022), as Grace Park
- *The Sandman* (2022), series, as The Prophet (voice)
- *Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March* (2022), as Narrator(voice)
- *Umma* (2022), as Amanda · Executive Producer
- *Turning Red* (2022), as Ming (voice)
- *The Chair* (2021), series, as Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim · Executive Producer
- *INVINCIBLE* (2021), series, as Debbie Grayson (voice) — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/invincible-2021.md)
- *Raya and the Last Dragon* (2021), as Virana (voice)
- *She Walks with Apes* (2020), series, as Narrator
- *Over the Moon* (2020), as Mrs. Zhong (voice)
- *She-Ra and the Princesses of Power* (2018), series, as Castaspella (voice)
- *Killing Eve* (2018), series, as Eve Polastri · Associate Producer, Co-Executive Producer, Executive Producer — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/killing-eve.md)
- *Meditation Park* (2017), as Ava
- *Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming* (2017), as Rosie Ming (voice) · Producer
- *Catfight* (2017), as Veronica
- *The Scarecrow* (2015), as Evelyn
- *Tammy* (2014), as Susanne — Fi1m 38, [page](https://film.one/film/tammy.md)
- *Betas* (2013), series, as Sharron
- *Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays* (2011), series, as Dr. Judy Song
- *Rabbit Hole* (2010), as Gabby — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/rabbit-hole.md)
- *Thorne* (2010), series, as DS Sarah Chen
- *Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey* (2010), as Gal 2000 (voice)
- *Ramona and Beezus* (2010), as Mrs. Meacham
- *Defendor* (2009), as Dr. Park
- *Blindness* (2008), as Minister of Health
- *The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends* (2007), as Doofah (voice)
- *Phineas and Ferb* (2007), series, as Dr. Doofenshmirtz's Girlfriend (voice) — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/phineas-and-ferb.md)
- *For Your Consideration* (2006), as Marketing Person
- *Hard Candy* (2006), as Judy Tokuda
- *The Night Listener* (2006), as Anna
- *Kind of a Blur* (2005), as Joe
- *Sorry, Haters* (2005), as Phyllis
- *3 Needles* (2005), as Mary the Nun
- *Cake* (2005), as Lulu
- *Break a Leg* (2005), as Young Turk
- *Grey's Anatomy* (2005), series, as Cristina Yang — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/greys-anatomy.md)
- *American Dad!* (2005), series, as Katie (voice), Hiko Yoshida (voice)
- *American Dragon: Jake Long* (2005), series, Actor
- *Mulan II* (2004), as Ting Ting (voice)
- *Sideways* (2004), as Stephanie — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/sideways.md)
- *8 Minutes to Love* (2004), as Joy
- *Wilby Wonderful* (2004), as Carol French
- *Stationery* (2004), as Voice
- *Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche* (2004), as Jade Li / Sandra (archive footage)
- *Under the Tuscan Sun* (2003), as Patti
- *Rick* (2003), as Michelle
- *Owning Mahowny* (2003), as Craps Player (uncredited)
- *Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity* (2002), as Kim Ho Lum
- *Full Frontal* (2002), as Fourth Fired Employee — Fi1m 40, [page](https://film.one/film/full-frontal.md)
- *Barrier Device* (2002), as Audrey
- *Big Fat Liar* (2002), as Mrs. Caldwell
- *Dancing at the Blue Iguana* (2001), as Jasmine
- *The Proud Family* (2001), series, as Marsha Mitsubishi (voice)
- *The Princess Diaries* (2001), as Vice Principal Gupta
- *Six Feet Under* (2001), series, as Porn Starlet — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/six-feet-under.md)
- *Further Tales of the City* (2001), series, as Bambi Kanetaka
- *Waking the Dead* (2000), as Kim
- *Popular* (1999), series, as Humanities Teacher
- *Judging Amy* (1999), series, as Detective Shelly Tran
- *Guinevere* (1999), as Cindy
- *The Red Violin* (1998), as Madame Ming (Montréal)
- *Last Night* (1998), as Sandra
- *Permanent Midnight* (1998), as Friend
- *Bean* (1997), as Bernice Schimmel — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/bean.md)
- *Arli$$* (1996), series, as Rita Wu
- *Cagney & Lacey: The View Through the Glass Ceiling* (1995), as Officer Angela Lum
- *Prey* (1995), as Il Bae
- *Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years* (1995), series, Actor
- *If Not for You* (1995), series, as Anna
- *Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child* (1995), series, as Breadcrumb (voice)
- *Little Criminals* (1995), as uncredited
- *Double Happiness* (1994), as Jade Li
- *The Diary of Evelyn Lau* (1994), as Evelyn Lau
- *Kung Fu: The Legend Continues* (1993), series, as Mai Chi
- *Denim Blues* (1989), series, as Gwen
- *Great Performances* (1971), series, as Olivia
- *Fairyheart*, as Iris (voice)
- *Child's Play*, as Marlene Lee

## Gallery

- ![Sandra Oh](https://film.one/media/person/98367/gallery-f6a186897fbd.png) Sandra Oh — Peabody Awards, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Sandra_Oh_Peabody_Awards%2C_June_2021.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Sandra Oh and Don McKellar. Photo: Jesse Grant. (2016)](https://film.one/media/person/98367/gallery-dfdf8788790c.jpg) Sandra Oh and Don McKellar. Photo: Jesse Grant. (2016) — Canadian Film Centre from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/CFC_in_L.A._-_Honouring_Don_McKellar_%2825409366433%29.jpg/1280px-CFC_in_L.A._-_Honouring_Don_McKellar_%2825409366433%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Sandra Oh, Don McKellar, Semi Chellas, Lynne St. David-Jewison and Norman Jewison. (2016)](https://film.one/media/person/98367/gallery-e3a452135631.jpg) Sandra Oh, Don McKellar, Semi Chellas, Lynne St. David-Jewison and Norman Jewison. (2016) — Jesse Grant, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/CanadianF.jpg/1280px-CanadianF.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Joel Oulette, Keira Jang, Sandra Oh, actor, and Ann Marie Fleming, director, at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the movie Can I Get A Wi](https://film.one/media/person/98367/gallery-63253610996a.jpg) Joel Oulette, Keira Jang, Sandra Oh, actor, and Ann Marie Fleming, director, at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the movie Can I Get A Wi — Sara Komatsu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Joel_Oulette%2C_Keira_Jang%2C_Sandra_Oh%2C_and_Ann_Marie_Fleming_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival.jpg/1280px-Joel_Oulette%2C_Keira_Jang%2C_Sandra_Oh%2C_and_Ann_Marie_Fleming_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Sandra Oh](https://film.one/media/person/98367/gallery-b2615136acbe.jpg) Sandra Oh — Image via TMDB
- ![Sandra Oh](https://film.one/media/person/98367/gallery-a01938098a67.jpg) Sandra Oh — Image via TMDB
- ![Sandra Oh](https://film.one/media/person/98367/gallery-51c44da375dd.jpg) Sandra Oh — Image via TMDB
- ![Joel Oulette, Keira Jang, Sandra Oh, actor, and Ann Marie Fleming, director, at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the movie Can I Get A Wi](https://film.one/media/person/98367/gallery-8637727dc76d.jpg) Joel Oulette, Keira Jang, Sandra Oh, actor, and Ann Marie Fleming, director, at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the movie Can I Get A Wi — Sara Komatsu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Joel_Oulette%2C_Keira_Jang%2C_Sandra_Oh%2C_and_Ann_Marie_Fleming_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_02.jpg/1280px-Joel_Oulette%2C_Keira_Jang%2C_Sandra_Oh%2C_and_Ann_Marie_Fleming_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_02.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Mina Shum, director, and Sandra Oh, actor, at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the movie Double Happiness.](https://film.one/media/person/98367/gallery-7cc27295b3ae.jpg) Mina Shum, director, and Sandra Oh, actor, at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the movie Double Happiness. — Sara Komatsu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Mina_Shum_and_Sandra_Oh_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_01.jpg/1280px-Mina_Shum_and_Sandra_Oh_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_01.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Sandra Oh](https://film.one/media/person/98367/gallery-1d00bba17e87.jpg) Sandra Oh — Image via TMDB
- ![Sandra Oh](https://film.one/media/person/98367/gallery-8651cd34c1e3.jpg) Sandra Oh — Image via TMDB
- ![Sandra Oh](https://film.one/media/person/98367/gallery-756ad92575ee.jpg) Sandra Oh — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Golden Globes — 1 won

- 2006: Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (won), for *Grey's Anatomy*

### Other awards — 4 won

- Officer of the Order of Canada 2022: Officer of the Order of Canada (won)
- Governor General's Performing Arts Award 2019: Governor General's Performing Arts Award (won)
- Canada's Walk of Fame 2011: Canada's Walk of Fame (won)
- Theatre World Award 1999: Theatre World Award (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/sandra-oh