Famous Msians you didnt know were

Msians
Jafwan Jaafar
| December 22, 2015

From international celebs youd never guess were fully/partly Malaysian,

to global VIPs with local roots (whom youve never heard of) heres a
little-seen page in our extended family album
Malaysias constellation of international stars may be modest in size, but blazes
with the moon-eclipsing intensity of Michelle Yeoh, Jimmy Choo, Nicol David,
Yuna, Ling Tan, Tony Fernandes, Lee Chong Wei, Ramli Ibrahim, Guy Sebastian
and more. Beyond these familiar heavenly bodies, avid stargazers also point to
other luminaries with identifiable Malaysian connections who are dazzling the
spheres of international business, art, entertainment, sports, politics and fashion.
Unfamiliar to locals, or whose Malaysian roots are not widely known (shame on
us!), some of the worlds leading business bigwigs, movie mavens, sporting
sensations and literary lions are, in fact, Malaysians living abroad, former
citizens, of Malaysian birth, or of mixed-Malaysian parentage. Full or partial
members of the chaotic Malaysian diaspora, the following global groundbreakers
should take pride of place in our messy, dog-eared family album:
Tash Aw, author

Image credit: Robert Laffont at YouTube

One of the toasts of the global literary scene, Aw has penned masterpieces twice
longlisted for the Man Booker Prize (the Daddy of all biblio-honours), with one

adroitly bagging the Whitbread Book Award. The 43 year-old London-based,

Cambridge-educated scribe is also a columnist for the eminent New York Times
(the Godzilla of newspapers).
Tsai Ming-Liang, filmmaker
Exalted as a major force behind Second New Wave cinema, Tsai is perennially
ranked as one of the top 20 auteur directors in the world. The 58 year-old has
been pelted with illustrious awards at the Cannes, Venice and Berlin Film
Festivals but the Kuching-born, Taipei-based heavyweight is, appallingly, a
virtual who dat? in Malaysia.
Ren Ng, entrepreneur
Ng created the revolutionary Lytro light-field camera based on his graduate
research at Stanford University. Now an American citizen (aiyoh, why lah?), 36
year-old Ng went on to found Lytro Inc, a pioneering camera-equipment
developer, and is now an Assistant Professor at the University of California,
Berkeley.
Jay Manuel, TV personality

Image credit: Joella Marano at Wikipedia

Americas Next Top Model judge and makeup mogul Manuel revealed recently
that his father is half Malaysian. The 43 year-old Canadian, who also has his
own clothing line with Sears, was a pre-med student and studied opera before
sashaying into the fashion and entertainment industry.

Penny Wong, politician

Kota Kinabalu-born (and partly-raised) Wong is Australias Leader of the
Opposition in the Senate the first female to ever hold the position. The 47 yearold is also the first openly gay Australian federal parliamentarian.
Nick Kyrgious, tennis player
20 year-old Australian shooting star Kyrgious, who reached the quarterfinals of
the 2014 Wimbledon Championships (wiping the floor with Rafael Nadal in the
process) and the 2015 Australian Open, is the son of a Greek father and a
Malaysian princess (Norlaila).
James Wan, filmmaker

Image credit: Gage Skidmore at Wikipedia

Director, producer and screenwriter Wan is the whiz behind Hollywood

blockbusters The Fast and the Furious 7, The Conjuring, Insidious and Saw.
The 38 year-old Kuching-born Australian (how can lah, bro!) is currently
developing the highly-anticipated DC Comics Aquaman.
Pua Khein-Seng, entrepreneur
Founder of US$1 billion Taiwanese tech company Phison Electronics Corp, Pua
is widely regarded as the inventor of the USB flash drive (dont play-play, wor!).
Born and raised in Sekinchan, Selangor, the 41 year-old father of the pendrive
and his Penang-based Phisontech Centre have contributed greatly to Malaysias
economy.

Tan Twan Eng, author

Though he began his career as a lawyer in KL, Penang-born University of
London-graduate Tan switched gears midstream and began penning fiction in
2007. The 43 year-old Cape Town residents first book was longlisted for the Man
Booker Prize, while his second garnered the Whos your daddy? Man Asian
Literary Prize.
Other stars with Malaysian connections:
Angelica Lee Star of The Eye (2002); Hong Kong-based pop singer; wife of
one of the Pang Brothers was born in Alor Setar.
Godfrey Gao Canadian actor and face of Louis Vuitton. Mother is Peranakan
Malaysian.
Yin Chang Half-Malaysian American star of Gossip Girl. Maternal grandfather
is world-renowned Terengganu artist, Dr Teng Beng Chew.