From her ethnicity to her personal life and career, Sandra Oh is a much talked about personality in the movie industry. You will surely remember her from the popular ABC medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy where she stars as Cristina Yang. Oh’s remarkable role on the reputable series has earned her lots of recognition and accolades including two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe Award. She has also earned several award nominations on different platforms. There are other interesting facts to know about the talented actress apart from her on-screen appearances. Here are lesser-known facts about Sandar Oh.
Sandra Oh’s Bio
She was born on July 20, 1971, in Ottawa, Canada to Korean parents. Though of Canadian nationality, Oh is of Korean descent. Before she was born, her parents; Oh Junsu and Jeon Young-Nam, moved from Korea to Canada to settle. Sandra’s inclination to the performing arts began at a very young age. While in elementary school, she would participate in school plays and musicals. She was also a ballet dancer at a very young age, though she later switched to acting.
Sandra Oh attended Sir Robert Borden High School in the Nepean district of Ottawa, Ontario. She was very active in high school, contributing significant quotas in the school’s music, drama and political activities. She joined the school’s drama club and had her presence duly felt in the club.
Sandra Oh’s interest in acting was what led her to turn down a four-year scholarship to study journalism at Carleton University. Instead, she proceeded to the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal and took care of her tuition. She graduated in 1993 which was the year her career officially took off. Oh got an offer to feature in Oleanna, a stage production. Subsequently, she featured in a few biopics before making her film debut with the movie Double Happiness in 1994. After an impressive performance in the film, Oh went on to star in movies like Bean, Last Night, Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity, before making an appearance in The Waking the Dead. She also appeared in the comedy Big Fat Liar.
The talented actress appeared in six seasons of the series Arliss before proceeding to join the cast of the hit medical series Grey’s Anatomy in 2005. She played the character of Cristina Yang, a role which earned her lots of accolades including a Golden Globe Award for ‘Best Supporting Actress in a Series in 2005. She also won a Screen Actors Guild Award for ‘Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series’ in 2006. Oh was nominated for the fifth time at the Emmys in 2009 for her Grey’s Anatomy stint.
Despite her fame, Oh did not relax, she went on to star in other movies. Some of her movies include; Rabbit Hoe, Defendor, The Night Listener, and many others. She also starred in the spy series Killing Eve in 2018.
Her Net Worth
Sandra Oh is reaping the fruits of her steadfastness and creativity in the industry. The Canadian actress sits on an estimated net worth of $25 million and has her movie roles to thank for this amount. Reports have it that a bigger part of her income was made from her appearance in Grey’s Anatomy which spanned many years.
Personal Life – Husband, Partner
Having a blossoming career also means having the media and fans alike all in your business. Although she is quite private with her personal life, she does not succeed entirely in keeping it off the grips of the public. Sandra Oh used to be married to Alexander Payne, a filmmaker. Oh and Payne started out as friends and later, ended up as lovers.
They had dated for five years before tying the knot in 2003. However, things grew sour between them and they got separated in 2005 before getting an official divorce the following year. Oh soon moved on and got entangled with Andrew Featherston, a musician and a member of ‘The Hereafter’ band. It is not clear if the two are still together but they have shown no sign of separation.
Other Interesting Facts You Should Know
1. Though she is more popular on TV, Sandra Oh has had her presence felt on the web too. The talented actress starred in the web series Shitty Boyfriends in 2015.
2. Following a remarkable performance in the spy thriller series Killing Eve in 2018, Oh became the first Asian actress to get an Emmy nod for Best Actress in a Drama.
3. For being in love with acting, Oh confesses she is the only one in her family who has no master’s degree, as other members of her family except her, chose the path of education.
