Born c. 1941 (some sources say c. 1951), in Cambodia; murdered outside his home, February 25, 1996, in Los Angeles, CA. Physician, counselor, author, actor. As an actor, Ngor is best remembered for his Academy Award-winning role inThe Killing Fields, the fact- based film about the Khmer Rouge Government'stakeover of Cambodia and its persecution and massacre of citizens, beginningin 1975. As a citizen, Ngor is best remembered for his efforts to bring to light the genocide in Cambodia and to bring its perpetrators to justice. Like the character he portrayed in the film, Ngor also escaped Cambodia through minefields. Because he was a doctor, Ngor had been arrested by the Khmer Rouge;questioned about his occupation, which he denied to save his life; and physically tortured several times. Before he could escape, he worked in rice fieldsand eventually fled to Thailand after the Vietnamese takeover of Cambodia in1979. In Thailand he worked in refugee camps providing medical care. He later relocated to the United States and found work as a security guard. Ngor studied English and later worked to help refugees as a job counselor. He answered a call for work in The Killing Fields and was cast in the role of Dith Pran, the Cambodian translator who worked with the New York Times' Sydney Schanberg and got caught in the Khmer Rouge takeover. Although acting was not his profession, Ngor won numerous awards for his work in the 1984 film. Among themwere an Academy Award for best supporting actor, British Academy of Film andTelevision Arts Awards for best actor and most outstanding newcomer to film,and a Golden Globe Award for best supporting actor. After his successful debut in film, Ngor looked for other roles that explored important stories, including work in Heaven and Hell, the story of Le Ly Hayslip and her family during the Vietnam war. His other films included Eastern Condors, The Iron Triangle, The Dragon Gate, Vietnam, Texas, Fortunes of War, and Ambition. On television, he starred in "The Doctors Wilde" for CBS Summer Playhouse, "The Last Outpost" for HBO's Vietnam War Story, and "Last Flight Out" for AT&T Presents on NBC. He also made guest appearances on shows such as China Beach and Miami Vice. Ngor detailed his own life story in a book entitled Haing Ngor: A Cambodian Odyssey. He continued to work to assist refugees and help found Aidto Displaced Persons in Brussels and Enfants d'Angkor in Paris. He remained acounselor at Los Angeles' Chinatown Service Center. In addition, he often returned to the Thai-Cambodian border to assist refugees. He worked to open a medical training center in the area.
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