Haing S. Ngor

Haing S. Ngor (1940–1996) was a Cambodian-American physician and actor who survived the Khmer Rouge regime and won an Academy Award for portraying Dith Pran in The Killing Fields.

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Dith Pran: Dith Pran was a Cambodian photojournalist whose experiences under the Khmer Rouge were portrayed in The Killing Fields. Ngor won his Oscar for portraying Pran, whose survival story shaped the film.
The Killing Fields: The Killing Fields is a 1984 film dramatizing the Khmer Rouge period through the experiences of journalists in Cambodia. Ngor’s portrayal of Dith Pran earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Khmer Rouge: The Khmer Rouge was a Cambodian communist movement that ruled the country from 1975 to 1979. Ngor endured forced labor, imprisonment, and family loss under its rule.
Cambodian American: Cambodian Americans are people in the United States with Cambodian ancestry. Ngor became a prominent Cambodian American public figure after immigrating.
Roland Joffé: Roland Joffé is a British film director known for The Killing Fields and The Mission. Joffé directed the film that brought Ngor international recognition.
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor: The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor recognizes an outstanding performance in a supporting role in a film. Ngor received the award in 1985 for The Killing Fields.
Cambodian genocide: The Cambodian genocide was the mass killing and persecution carried out under Khmer Rouge rule from 1975 to 1979. Ngor survived the regime’s violence, which became central to his public testimony.
Refugee: A refugee is a person forced to leave their country because of persecution, war, or violence. Ngor’s escape from Cambodia and resettlement in the United States fit this broader experience.
Sydney Schanberg: Sydney Schanberg was an American journalist whose reporting on Cambodia earned a Pulitzer Prize. His relationship with Dith Pran forms the other central strand of The Killing Fields.
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture: The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture honors a supporting performance in a motion picture. Ngor also won this award for portraying Dith Pran.