KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 — Korean American actor Steven Yeun made history after becoming the first actor of Asian descent to win a best actor award at the Golden Globes in Beverly Hills, California.
The 40-year-old won Best Actor in the category for Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for his compelling portrayal as one of two villainous protagonists in the Netflix series Beef which nabbed a separate award for the same category.
As financially-struggling contractor Danny Cho, Yeun brought to life a character with deep-seated anger issues, which surfaces during a road rage incident involving business owner Amy Lau, played by American actress Ali Wong.
Notably, Wong, of half Vietnamese and half Chinese descent who starred alongside Yeun in Beef, also broke barriers, securing the Best Actress award in the same category, making her the first actress of Asian descent to do so.
Yeun clinched the award after beating fellow nominees Matt Bomer in Fellow Travellers, David Oyelowo in Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Jon Hamm in Fargo, Sam Claflin in Daisy Jones & The Six and Woody Harrelson in White House Plumbers.
In an emotional acceptance speech, Yeun reflected on the collective effort that contributed to his achievement and thanked his wife, Joana Pak.
“I’m just so thankful,” he said. “I’m just the recipient of a long line of compassion and love and protection and goodwill, so I appreciate this... Joana, I love you. You are my strength.”
