About Haing S. Ngor
Haing Somnang Ngor (Khmer: ហាំង សំណាង ង៉ោ; March 22, 1940 – February 25, 1996) was a Cambodian and American actor, physician, and activist. He made his acting debut in the biographical drama film The Killing Fields (1984) as journalist Dith Pran, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, becoming the first actor of Asian descent to win the award and one of the only two amateur actors to win an Academy Award, following Harold Russell. Ngor practiced as a physician before the start of the Cambodian genocide in 1975. He eventually survived the genocide, immigrating to the United States in 1980. There, he became active in humanitarian efforts assisting the Cambodian community. In 1996, Ngor was murdered outside his home in Los Angeles. The case was speculated to be linked to the Khmer Rouge, which remains unconfirmed. Ngor became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1986.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.