Haing S. Ngor
Encyclopedia
Dr. Haing Somnang Ngor was a Cambodian American
physician, actor and author who is best known for winning the 1985 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
for his debut performance in the movie The Killing Fields
, in which he portrayed Cambodian journalist and refugee Dith Pran
. His mother was Khmer
and his father was of Chinese descent. Ngor and Harold Russell
are the only two non-professional actors to win an Academy Award in an acting category.
, Ngor trained as a surgeon and gynecologist. He was practicing in the capital, Phnom Penh
, in 1975 when Pol Pot
's Khmer Rouge
seized control of the country and proclaimed it Democratic Kampuchea
. He was compelled 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. He was expelled from Phnom Penh along with the bulk of its two million inhabitants as part of the Khmer Rouge's "Year Zero
" social experiment and imprisoned in a concentration camp along with his wife, My-Huoy, who subsequently died giving birth. Although a gynecologist, he was unable to treat his wife who required a Cesarean section as he would have been exposed and both he and his wife (as well as the child) would very probably have been killed. After the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979, Ngor worked as a doctor in a refugee camp in Thailand
and left with his niece for the United States on August 30, 1980. Ngor was not able to resume medical practice in the U.S. He never remarried.
In 1988, he wrote Haing Ngor: A Cambodian Odyssey, describing his life under the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. In the second edition of Survival in the Killing Fields, Roger Warner, Ngor's co-author, adds an epilogue telling the story of Ngor's life after winning the Academy Award.
The "Dr. Haing S. Ngor Foundation" was founded in his honor in 1997 to assist in raising funds for Cambodian aid. 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. Ngor's niece, Sophia Ngor Demetri, who testified at the trial of his murderers and with whom he arrived to the U.S., is the current President of the Foundation.
in The Killing Fields, a role for which he later won three awards, including a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
.
After appearing in The Killing Fields he told People magazine, "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."
Ngor also appeared in other movies and TV shows, most memorably in Oliver Stone
's Heaven & Earth and the Vanishing Son
miniseries. He also appeared in the Hong Kong film Eastern Condors
, which was directed by and starred Sammo Hung
.
He also appeared in a supporting role in the 1989 Vietnam War drama The Iron Triangle. He guest-starred in a two-episode storyline on the acclaimed series China Beach
(episodes "How to Stay Alive in Vietnam 1 & 2 http://epguides.com/ChinaBeach/guide.shtml#ep034") as a wounded Cambodian POW who befriends Colleen McMurphy while under her care. He also guest-starred in an episode of Miami Vice
called "The Savage / Duty and Honor".
. The two actors met in 1989 while filming "The Iron Triangle" and soon after, Pastor Ong's church (Venice Christian Community in Venice, CA) launched Project Cambodia to raise funds to care for orphans and help rebuild the devastated country's infrastructure. Project Cambodia was the original foundation for The Dr. Haing S. Ngor Foundation, which was incorporated in 1997 after Ngor's homicide (Feb. 25, 1996) as a 501 (C) (3) charitable organization. The goals of the Foundation include preserving the legacy of Ngor's accomplishments and human rights endeavors as well as the promotion of Cambodia's history and culture through education, activism and the arts. Ngor's niece, Sophia Ngor Demetri, who testified at the trial of his murderers and whom he brought to the U.S., is the current President of the Foundation; Ong serves as Executive Director.
. Ngor was buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park
in Whittier, California
. 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 brother, Chan Sarun
, while his American assets were used up in legal fees staving off claims to his estate.
Charged with the murder were three reputed members of the "Oriental Lazy Boyz" street gang who had a prior history of snatching purses and jewelry. They were tried together in the Superior Court of Los Angeles, though their cases were heard by three separate juries. Prosecutors argued that they killed Ngor because, after handing over his gold Rolex
watch willingly, he refused to give them a locket that contained a photo of his deceased wife, My-Huoy. Defense attorneys suggested the murder was a politically motivated killing carried out by sympathizers of the Khmer Rouge but offered no evidence to support this theory.
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.
Some criticized the theory that Ngor was killed in a bungled robbery, pointing to $2,900 in cash that had been left behind and the fact that the thieves had not rifled his pockets. Why the thieves would have demanded his locket has never been answered; Ngor typically wore the locket next to his skin under his clothing, so it would not have been in plain sight. As of 2003, the locket has not been recovered.
All three were found guilty on April 16, 1998, the same day Pol Pot
's death was confirmed in Cambodia. Tak Sun Tan was sentenced to 56 years to life; Indra Lim to 26 years to life; and Jason Chan to life without parole. In 2004, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted Tak Sun Tan's habeas corpus
petition, finding that prosecutors had manipulated the jury's sympathy by presenting false evidence. This decision was reversed, and the conviction was ultimately upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
in July 2005.
After the release of The Killing Fields, Ngor had told a New York Times reporter, "If I die from now on, OK! This film will go on for a hundred years."
Dith Pran
, whom Ngor portrayed in The 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."
Cambodian American
A Cambodian American is an American who is born, raised, or from Cambodia usually of Khmer descent but also including Chinese Cambodians, Vietnamese Cambodians, Cham people and other ethnicities of Cambodia...
physician, actor and author who is best known for winning the 1985 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for his debut performance in the movie The Killing Fields
The Killing Fields (film)
The Killing Fields is a 1984 British drama film about the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, which is based on the experiences of two journalists: Cambodian Dith Pran and American Sydney Schanberg. The film, which won three Academy Awards, was directed by Roland Joffé and stars Sam Waterston as...
, in which he portrayed Cambodian journalist and refugee Dith Pran
Dith Pran
Dith Pran was a Cambodian photojournalist best known as a refugee and survivor of the Cambodian Genocide. He was the subject of the Academy Award-winning film The Killing Fields . He was portrayed in the movie by first-time actor Haing S. Ngor , who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor...
. His mother was Khmer
Khmer people
Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
and his father was of Chinese descent. Ngor and Harold Russell
Harold Russell
Harold John Russell was a Canadian-American World War II veteran who became one of only two non-professional actors to win an Academy Award for acting...
are the only two non-professional actors to win an Academy Award in an acting category.
Life under the Khmer Rouge
Born in Samrong Young, CambodiaCambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Ngor trained as a surgeon and gynecologist. He was practicing in the capital, Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
, in 1975 when Pol Pot
Pol Pot
Saloth Sar , better known as Pol Pot, , was a Cambodian Maoist revolutionary who led the Khmer Rouge from 1963 until his death in 1998. From 1976 to 1979, he served as the Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea....
's Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
seized control of the country and proclaimed it Democratic Kampuchea
Democratic Kampuchea
The Khmer Rouge period refers to the rule of Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen, Khieu Samphan and the Khmer Rouge Communist party over Cambodia, which the Khmer Rouge renamed as Democratic Kampuchea....
. He was compelled 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. He was expelled from Phnom Penh along with the bulk of its two million inhabitants as part of the Khmer Rouge's "Year Zero
Year Zero (political notion)
The term Year Zero, applied to the takeover of Cambodia in 1975 by Pol Pot, is an analogy to the Year One of the French Revolutionary Calendar. During the French Revolution, after the abolition of the French monarchy , the National Convention instituted a new calendar and declared the beginning of...
" social experiment and imprisoned in a concentration camp along with his wife, My-Huoy, who subsequently died giving birth. Although a gynecologist, he was unable to treat his wife who required a Cesarean section as he would have been exposed and both he and his wife (as well as the child) would very probably have been killed. After the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979, Ngor worked as a doctor in a refugee camp in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and left with his niece for the United States on August 30, 1980. Ngor was not able to resume medical practice in the U.S. He never remarried.
In 1988, he wrote Haing Ngor: A Cambodian Odyssey, describing his life under the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. In the second edition of Survival in the Killing Fields, Roger Warner, Ngor's co-author, adds an epilogue telling the story of Ngor's life after winning the Academy Award.
The "Dr. Haing S. Ngor Foundation" was founded in his honor in 1997 to assist in raising funds for Cambodian aid. 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. Ngor's niece, Sophia Ngor Demetri, who testified at the trial of his murderers and with whom he arrived to the U.S., is the current President of the Foundation.
Acting career
Ngor, despite having no previous acting experience, was cast as Dith PranDith Pran
Dith Pran was a Cambodian photojournalist best known as a refugee and survivor of the Cambodian Genocide. He was the subject of the Academy Award-winning film The Killing Fields . He was portrayed in the movie by first-time actor Haing S. Ngor , who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor...
in The Killing Fields, a role for which he later won three awards, including a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
.
After appearing in The Killing Fields he told People magazine, "I wanted to show the world how deep starvation is in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, how many people die under communist regime. My heart is satisfied. I have done something perfect."
Ngor also appeared in other movies and TV shows, most memorably in Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
's Heaven & Earth and the Vanishing Son
Vanishing Son
Vanishing Son is a short-lived syndicated action television series that was part of Universal Television's Action Pack. Starting as a series of four made for television movies in 1994, the series debuted on January 16, 1995...
miniseries. He also appeared in the Hong Kong film Eastern Condors
Eastern Condors
Eastern Condors is a 1987 Hong Kong action film set in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. It was directed by and starred Sammo Hung along with Yuen Biao and Yuen Wah...
, which was directed by and starred Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in many martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema...
.
He also appeared in a supporting role in the 1989 Vietnam War drama The Iron Triangle. He guest-starred in a two-episode storyline on the acclaimed series China Beach
China Beach
China Beach is an American dramatic television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Da Nang, Vietnam, which was nicknamed "China Beach" by unknown foreigners, most likely Americans...
(episodes "How to Stay Alive in Vietnam 1 & 2 http://epguides.com/ChinaBeach/guide.shtml#ep034") as a wounded Cambodian POW who befriends Colleen McMurphy while under her care. He also guest-starred in an episode of Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
called "The Savage / Duty and Honor".
Foundation and legacy
The Dr. Haing S. Ngor Foundation was organized in 1990 by Ngor and Jack OngJack Ong
Jack Ong is an American actor, writer, activist and marketing professional.-Early life:Ong was born in Mesa, Arizona, the sixth of seven children of Chinese immigrant parents, Kam Fong and Jeung Shee Ong. His family owned and operated a small grocery store, where he received an early education in...
. The two actors met in 1989 while filming "The Iron Triangle" and soon after, Pastor Ong's church (Venice Christian Community in Venice, CA) launched Project Cambodia to raise funds to care for orphans and help rebuild the devastated country's infrastructure. Project Cambodia was the original foundation for The Dr. Haing S. Ngor Foundation, which was incorporated in 1997 after Ngor's homicide (Feb. 25, 1996) as a 501 (C) (3) charitable organization. The goals of the Foundation include preserving the legacy of Ngor's accomplishments and human rights endeavors as well as the promotion of Cambodia's history and culture through education, activism and the arts. Ngor's niece, Sophia Ngor Demetri, who testified at the trial of his murderers and whom he brought to the U.S., is the current President of the Foundation; Ong serves as Executive Director.
Murder
On February 25, 1996, Ngor was shot dead outside his home in Chinatown, in downtown Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Ngor was buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park
Rose Hills Memorial Park
Rose Hills Memorial Park is the largest cemetery in the United States and is located in Whittier, California. It is owned and operated by Service Corporation International .-Mausoleums and Chapels:...
in Whittier, California
Whittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
. 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 brother, Chan Sarun
Chan Sarun
Chan Sarun is a Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. He belongs to the Cambodian People's Party and was elected to represent Takeo Province in the National Assembly of Cambodia in 2003. The younger brother of the late Cambodian-American actor Haing S...
, while his American assets were used up in legal fees staving off claims to his estate.
Charged with the murder were three reputed members of the "Oriental Lazy Boyz" street gang who had a prior history of snatching purses and jewelry. They were tried together in the Superior Court of Los Angeles, though their cases were heard by three separate juries. Prosecutors argued that they killed Ngor because, after handing over his gold Rolex
Rolex
Rolex SA is a Swiss watchmaking manufacturer of high-quality, luxury wristwatches. Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands...
watch willingly, he refused to give them a locket that contained a photo of his deceased wife, My-Huoy. Defense attorneys suggested the murder was a politically motivated killing carried out by sympathizers of the Khmer Rouge but offered no evidence to support this theory.
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.
Some criticized the theory that Ngor was killed in a bungled robbery, pointing to $2,900 in cash that had been left behind and the fact that the thieves had not rifled his pockets. Why the thieves would have demanded his locket has never been answered; Ngor typically wore the locket next to his skin under his clothing, so it would not have been in plain sight. As of 2003, the locket has not been recovered.
All three were found guilty on April 16, 1998, the same day Pol Pot
Pol Pot
Saloth Sar , better known as Pol Pot, , was a Cambodian Maoist revolutionary who led the Khmer Rouge from 1963 until his death in 1998. From 1976 to 1979, he served as the Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea....
's death was confirmed in Cambodia. Tak Sun Tan was sentenced to 56 years to life; Indra Lim to 26 years to life; and Jason Chan to life without parole. In 2004, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted Tak Sun Tan's habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
petition, finding that prosecutors had manipulated the jury's sympathy by presenting false evidence. This decision was reversed, and the conviction was ultimately upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona...
in July 2005.
After the release of The Killing Fields, Ngor had told a New York Times reporter, "If I die from now on, OK! This film will go on for a hundred years."
Dith Pran
Dith Pran
Dith Pran was a Cambodian photojournalist best known as a refugee and survivor of the Cambodian Genocide. He was the subject of the Academy Award-winning film The Killing Fields . He was portrayed in the movie by first-time actor Haing S. Ngor , who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor...
, whom Ngor portrayed in The 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."
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Dith Pran | ||
| 1986 | Eastern Condors Eastern Condors Eastern Condors is a 1987 Hong Kong action film set in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. It was directed by and starred Sammo Hung along with Yuen Biao and Yuen Wah... |
Yeung Lung | |
| 1989 | Vietnam War Story: The Last Days | Major Huyen | segment "The Last Outpost" |
| Colonel Tuong, NVA | |||
| 1990 | Vietnam, Texas | Wong | |
| 1990 | Last Flight Out | Pham Van Minh | |
| 1991 | Ambition | Tatay | |
| 1993 | My Life My Life (film) My Life is a 1993 film starring Michael Keaton and Nicole Kidman and directed by Bruce Joel Rubin. With a PG-13 rating, this film's domestic box office gross was $28 million.-Plot summary:... |
Mr. Ho | |
| 1993 | Heaven & Earth | Papa | |
| 1993 | Fortunes of War | Khoy Thuon | |
| 1994 | Sensei | ||
| 1996 | Hit Me | Billy Tungpet |
Further reading
- Ngor, Haing with Roger Warner. A Cambodian Odyssey. Macmillian Publishing Company, 1987. ISBN 0-02-589330-0.
- Ngor, Haing with Roger Warner. Survival in the Killing Fields. Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2003. ISBN 0786713151.