Jump to content

Haing S. Ngor

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Haing S. Ngor
Ngor in 1986
Born
Haing Somnang Ngor

(1940-03-22)March 22, 1940
Samrong Yong,Cambodia,French Indochina
DiedFebruary 25, 1996(1996-02-25)(aged 55)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of deathMurder (gunshot wounds)
Resting placeRose Hills Memorial Park,Whittier, California, U.S.
Citizenship
  • Cambodia (until 1986)
  • United States (from 1986)
OccupationActor
Years active1984–1996
Spouse
Chang My-Huoy
​
(died 1978)​
RelativesChan Sarun(brother)

Haing Somnang Ngor(Khmer:ហាំង សំណាង ង៉ោ; March 22, 1940 – February 25, 1996) was a Cambodian-born American actor. He won theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actorfor his portrayal ofDith Pranin the biographical drama filmThe Killing Fields(1984). He was murdered in Los Angeles in 1996.

Early life

[edit]

Haing Somnang Ngor was born on March 22, 1940, inSamrong Yong,a village inCambodia,then part of French Indochina.[1][2]His mother wasKhmer,and his father was of Chinese descent.[3]

Ngor trained as agynecologistandobstetrician,practicing inPhnom Penhbefore thecapture of the citybyPol Pot'sKhmer Rougein 1975. He had to conceal his education, medical skills, and even the fact that he wore glasses to avoid the new regime's intense hostility to intellectuals and professionals. Ngor was expelled from Phnom Penh with the bulk of its two million inhabitants as part of the Khmer Rouge's ideaYear Zeroand imprisoned in a concentration camp with his wife, Chang My-Huoy, who required acesarean sectionand died with the couple's unborn child[1][4]during labor in 1978[3]because it was impossible to perform the surgery without risking the whole family's life.[5][6][7]He survived three terms in the concentration camp, using his medical knowledge to keep himself alive by eating beetles, termites,[8]and scorpions.[9]

After thefall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979,Ngor and his niece crawled to safety in aRed Crossrefugee camp[9]in Thailand, where he subsequently worked as a physician.[1]The next year, they relocated to the United States,[2][3][10][11]where they settled in Los Angeles.[12]Later in his life, Ngor was unable to resume his medical practice[13]and did not remarry.[4]

Career

[edit]

Despite having no previous acting experience, Ngor was cast as Cambodian-American journalistDith Pranin the biographical drama filmThe Killing Fields(1984)—for which he won theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor,[3][4][13][14]becoming thefirst actor of Asian descent to win the awardand one of the only two amateur actors to win an Academy Award, followingHarold Russell.[15]Ngor was not initially interested in the role, but interviews with the filmmakers changed his mind, as he recalled that he promised his wife to tell Cambodia's story to the world. After appearing in the film, he toldPeople,"I wanted to show the world how deep starvation is in Cambodia, how many people die under communist regime. My heart is satisfied. I have done something perfect."[16]

In 1987, he published his autobiography,[4]Haing Ngor: A Cambodian Odyssey,in which he described his life under the Khmer Rouge.[3][14]

Ngor went on to appear in various other onscreen projects, most memorably inVanishing Son(1994–1995) and the biographical war drama filmHeaven & Earth(1993). He also appeared in the Hong Kong action filmEastern Condors(1987).

Ngor appeared in a supporting role in the 1989 Vietnam War dramaThe Iron Triangle andguest-starred in a two-episode storyline on the acclaimed seriesChina Beach(episodes "How to Stay Alive in Vietnam 1 & 2"[17]) as a wounded CambodianPOWwho befriendsColleen McMurphywhile under her care. Ngor guest-starred in an episode ofMiami Vicecalled "The Savage / Duty and Honor".

InMy Life(1993), Ngor portrayed Mr. Ho, aspiritual healerwho provides guidance for Bob Jones (Michael Keaton) and his wife Gail (Nicole Kidman) after Bob is diagnosed with terminal cancer, months before the birth of the couple's first child.

Humanitarian work

[edit]

Ngor and his close friendJack Ongestablished the Dr. Haing S. Ngor Foundation to assist in raising funds for Cambodian aid.[14]As part of his humanitarian efforts, Ngor built an elementary school and operated a small sawmill that provided jobs and an income for local families.[2]

Personal life

[edit]

Ngor became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1986. He was a Buddhist.[6]

Death and legacy

[edit]

On February 25, 1996, Ngor was shot and killed outside his home inChinatown, Los Angeles.[14][18]Three alleged members of the "Oriental Lazy Boyz"street gang,who had prior arrests for snatching purses and jewelry, were charged with the murder. They were tried together in theSuperior Court of Los Angeles County,though their cases were heard by three separate juries.[7]Prosecutors argued that they killed Ngor because, after handing over his goldRolexwatch willingly, he refused to give them a locket that contained a photo of his late wife, My-Huoy. Defense attorneys suggested the murder was a politically motivated killing carried out by sympathizers of the Khmer Rouge.Kang Kek Iew,a former Khmer Rouge official on trial in Cambodia, claimed in November 2009 that Ngor was murdered on Pol Pot's orders, but U.S. investigators did not find him credible.[19]

Some criticized the theory that Ngor was killed in a bungled robbery, pointing to $2,900 in cash that had been left behind and that the thieves had not rifled his pockets. Why the thieves would have demanded his locket is not known; Ngor typically wore the locket next to his skin under his clothing, so it would not have been easily visible. As of 2003,the locket had not been recovered.[20]

All of the defendants were found guilty on April 16, 1998, the same day Pol Pot's death was confirmed in Cambodia.[21]Tak Sun Tan was sentenced to 56 years to life; Indra Lim to 26 years to life; and Jason Chan to life sentence without parole. In 2004, theU.S. District Court for the Central District of Californiagranted Tak Sun Tan'shabeas corpuspetition, finding that prosecutors had manipulated the jury's sympathy by presenting false evidence. This decision was reversed, and the conviction was ultimately upheld by theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuitin July 2005.

Many Cambodians claimed they had a stake in his estate, with one woman claiming he had married her after coming to the United States. Most of Ngor's Cambodian assets went to his younger brother,Chan Sarun,while his American assets were used up in legal fees staving off claims to his estate.[22]He was buried atRose Hills Memorial Park,Whittier, California.

After the release ofThe Killing Fields,Ngor had told aNew York Timesreporter, "If I die from now on, OK! This film will go on for a hundred years."[23]

Dith Pran, whom Ngor portrayed inThe Killing Fields,said of Ngor's death, "He is like a twin with me. He is like a co-messenger and right now I am alone."[24]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1984 The Killing Fields Dith Pran
1986 Ba er san pao zhan
1987 In Love and War Major Bui TV movie
Eastern Condors Yeung Lung
1989 The Iron Triangle Colonel Tuong, NVA
Vietnam War Story: The Last Days Major Huyen (segment "The Last Outpost" )
1990 Vietnam, Texas Wong
Last Flight Out Pham Van Minh TV movie
1991 Ambition Tatay
1993 My Life Mr. Ho
Heaven & Earth Papa
1994 Vanishing Son The General TV movie
Fortunes of War Khoy Thuon
Vanishing Son II The General TV movie
Vanishing Son III The General TV movie
Vanishing Son IV The General TV movie
The Dragon Gate Sensei
1996 Hit Me Billy Tungpet Posthumous release, (final film role)

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1987 Miami Vice Nguyen Van Trahn Episode: "The Savage / Duty and Honor"
1989 Highway To Heaven Truong Vann Diep Episode: "Choices"
1992 The Commish Nhu Hao Duong Episode: "Charlie Don't Surf"

References

[edit]
  1. ^abcLu, Elizabeth (September 12, 1989)."For Haing Ngor, Sorrow Marks a Return Home".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJuly 12,2024.
  2. ^abc"Biography".Haing S. Ngor.Archived fromthe originalon July 24, 2008.RetrievedOctober 6,2007.
  3. ^abcdeKim, Fugita & Cordova 1999.
  4. ^abcd"'Killing Fields' Of L.A. Claim Cambodian Hero ".Deseret News.Associated Press.March 3, 1996.RetrievedJuly 12,2024.
  5. ^Ngor & Warner 1987,p. 332–333.
  6. ^ab"Cambodian Actor Slain In 'Killing Fields' Of LA".St. Louis Post-Dispatch.Los Angeles. February 27, 1996.RetrievedJuly 12,2024– viaNewspapers.
  7. ^ab"Court Revives Convictions in Murder of 'Killing Fields' Survivor".Metropolitan News.July 8, 2005.RetrievedOctober 6,2007.
  8. ^Ngor & Warner 1987,p. 454.
  9. ^abEbert, Roger(March 24, 1985)."The day Haing S. Ngor won the Oscar".RetrievedSeptember 15,2016.
  10. ^Liefer, Richard (April 27, 1996)."3 Teens Are Charged With Murder of 'Killing Fields' Actor Haing Ngor".Chicago Tribune.RetrievedJuly 12,2024.
  11. ^"Ngor, Haing S."Encyclopædia Britannica.Archived fromthe originalon July 20, 2012.RetrievedOctober 6,2007.
  12. ^Goldberg, Reid (September 20, 2023)."The Oscar Winner Whose Death Became a True Crime Story".Collider.RetrievedJuly 12,2024.
  13. ^ab"Famous Chinese-Americans in Entertainment: Acting; Haing S. Ngor".Yellow Bridge.RetrievedOctober 6,2007.
  14. ^abcdNg, David (July 17, 2013)."Unauthorized play about Oscar-winner Haing S. Ngor causes friction".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJuly 12,2024.
  15. ^"Actor".Haing S. Ngor Foundation.Archived fromthe originalon July 24, 2008.RetrievedOctober 6,2007.
  16. ^Donahue, Deirdre."Cambodian Doctor Haing Ngor Turns Actor in the Killing Fields, and Relives His Grisly Past".People. Archived fromthe originalon March 3, 2016.RetrievedAugust 5,2013.
  17. ^Lemaster, Donna (May 14, 2005)."China Beach an Episode Guide".epguides.
  18. ^Noble, Kenneth B. (February 27, 1996)."Cambodian Physician Who Won an Oscar for 'Killing Fields' Is Slain".The New York Times.RetrievedNovember 28,2021.
  19. ^My-Thuan Tran,Revisiting Haing Ngor's murder: 'Killing Fields' theory won't dieArchived2010-12-04 at theWayback Machine,Los Angeles Times,January 21, 2010
  20. ^Ngor & Warner 2003,p. 515.
  21. ^Daniel Yi, Greg Krikorian,Three Men Convicted of Killing Ngor,Los Angeles Times,April 17, 1998
  22. ^Ngor & Warner 2003,p. 512–513.
  23. ^Suryadinata 2018.
  24. ^Jim Hill (February 27, 1996)."Actor Haing Ngor found gunned down outside L.A. home".CNN.RetrievedSeptember 6,2007.

Cited sources

[edit]
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Haing_S._Ngor&oldid=1246467769"