Sandra Oh Wiki: TV Show, Net Worth, 'Grey's Anatomy' And Facts To Know

Sandra Oh was born in Ottawa, Canada in 1971. The daughter of Korean immigrants, she was part of one of the only Asian families in the neighborhood. She grew up alongside her brother Ray, and sister Grace, studying ballet and acting from an early age. Oh continued taking acting and ballet classes until high school, when she chose to focus on acting. When she graduated, she went against her parents wishes and enrolled in the National Theater School of Canada, instead of accepting a journalism scholarship to Carleton University. She paid her own way through college, reflecting her outspoken and independent nature. After graduating from the National Theater School of Canada, Oh starred in a stage production of ‘Oleanna’ in 1993. Soon after, she landed two major roles as two Chinese-Canadian women: author Evelyn Lau, and governor Adrienne Clarkson. The next year, she continued gaining fame when she starred in ‘Double Happiness,’ a film about an Asian-Canadian woman who defies her parents wishes. Her performance was praised, and she won a Genie Award for Best Actress. Oh continued to gain traction in Canada, starring in a string of Canadian films over the next few years. Her notable Canadian films include ‘Bean,’ ‘Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity,’ and ‘Last Night.’ She won a second Genie Award for ‘Last Night’ in 1998. In 1996, she became part of the cast of ‘Arli$$,’ an HBO comedy about sports agents. The show ran for six seasons, and she played Rita Wu until 2002.

Her transition to American film and television began in 2000, when she had a small role in ‘Waking the Dead.’ This was followed by a supporting role in ‘The Princess Diaries,’ where she played the Vice Principal of the protagonist’s high school. ‘The Princess Diaries’ was a massive hit, and introduced Oh to a new audience. She continued to land roles in teen movies, and ‘The Princess Diaries’ was followed by ‘Big Fat Liar.’ The film was another hit, in 2002. Throughout all of this, Oh continued to appear on stage as well, starring in ‘Doghouse’ and ‘Stop Kiss.’ In 2003, she caught a big role in ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ opposite Diane Lane. ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ was another hit, and Diane Lane was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy. The film was also recognized by GLAAD, for its representation of a lesbian couple. Her next major role was in ‘Sideways,’ a film directed and written by her then husband Alexander Payne. ‘Sideways’ was nominated for five Academy Awards, and Payne won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay with Jim Taylor. Oh has said that she considers ‘Sideways’ one of the best movies she has ever made.

2005 brought a big change for Sandra Oh as she landed what would become her defining role as Cristina Yang in ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ Playing Yang on the medical drama earned her fame and plenty of acclaim. Of the principal cast members, Yang’s outspoken attitude and ambition made her a stand out character and showed how powerful of an actress Oh is. ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ has been nominated for countless awards, but in its first season only two cast members were nominated for Golden Globes: Oh and Patrick Dempsey. Oh won the award for Best Supporting Actress in 2006, and was nominated for five consecutive Primetime Emmy awards between 2005 and 2009. She also won a Screen Actors Guild award for her work on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ in 2006. During her time on ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ from 2005 to 2014, Oh continued to appear in films and occasionally on television. In 2005, she was in ‘Hard Candy,’ an intense thriller about a woman who tries to expose a pedophile. In 2010, she was in the family comedy ‘Ramona and Beezus’ with Selena Gomez and Ginnifer Goodwin. The same year, she was also in the critically acclaimed drama ‘Rabbit Hole,’ starring Nicole Kidman. In 2005, she also began voicing recurring character Hiko Yoshida on the animated series ‘American Dad!’ which she continued to do until 2013.

Oh took no breaks after quitting ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ during its tenth season in 2014. In 2014, she had a part in ‘Tammy,’ a comedy starring Melissa McCarthy, and then a role in the short lived web series ‘Shitty Boyfriends’ in 2015. Her next starring role was in ‘Catfight’ in 2016. ‘Catfight’ is about two high school rivals who meet again at a glamorous event. Oh starred alongside Anne Heche and Alicia Silverstone. 2017 saw her briefly return to television in a four episode story arc on ‘American Crime.’ Earlier this year, Oh made her big television comeback in a new BBC America series called ‘Killing Eve.’ She stars as Detective Eve Polastri, who tries to track down a famous female assassin. As the investigation continues, both women become obsessed with each other. ‘Killing Eve’ has received excellent reviews, and has already been renewed for a second season.

Sandra Oh and writer and director Alexander Payne were together for five years. They married in 2003, and divorced in 2006. Payne is a prominent writer and director who wrote and directed the 1999 Reese Witherspoon film ‘Election.' He won a Golden Globe for the 2002 feature ‘About Schmidt.’ ‘Sideways’ marked his first Oscar nomination, and win, for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2004. Payne won a second Oscar for writing ‘The Descendants’ in 2011, a family drama starring George Clooney. He also directed ‘Nebraska,’ starring Will Forte and Bruce Dern, in 2013, which was also nominated for several awards. His latest film is called ‘Downsizing,’ which was not well liked by critics. Sandra Oh’s net worth is estimated at $25 million dollars and Alexander Payne’s net worth is also $25 million dollars. You can follow Sandra Oh on instagram at instagram.com/iamsandraohinsta.