Biography
Kieu Chinh is a legendary Vietnamese American actress with nearly seven decades of international contributions to the film industry, spanning Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, India, Australia, and Canada. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, Kieu Chinh lost virtually everything and was forced to rebuild her life and career from the ground up in the United States. She came to the United States through the generosity and sponsorship of actress Tippi Hedren. Tippi Hedren, along with William Holden, helped her return to work in Hollywood.
Kieu Chinh’s journey from a celebrated actress to a refugee, and then to a respected working actress in Hollywood, is a story of extraordinary courage and perseverance. Her appearances now number more than 100 films and television shows, including HBO-A24's The Sympathizer, Apple TV’s Dope Thief, M*A*S*H, China Beach, Dynasty, ER, City of Angels, Vietnam War Stories, 21, Neighborhood, NCIS: Los Angeles, City of Angels, Vietnam War Stories, 21, Neighborhood, The Evil Within, Warrior, Who Are you?, From Saigon to Dien Bien Phu, A Yank in Vietnam, Operation C.I.A., Destination Vietnam, Welcome Home, Tempted, The Letter, The Girl Who Spells Freedom, The Children of An Lac, The Joy Luck Club, Face, and Journey from the Fall, which garnered her critical acclaim, numerous accolades, and awards throughout her career including: The Best Actress Award of South Vietnam (1969), Best Actress from the Asian Film Festival in Taipei (1973), Special Award from Cinema Delle Donne Film Festival in Italy (2003), Lifetime Achievement Awards from Viet Film Fest (2003), San Diego Film Festival (2006), Festival of Globe (FogSF) in San Francisco (2015), Asian World Film Festival (2021), and Napa Valley Asian American Film Festival (2026). In 1996, a documentary about her return to Vietnam to reunite with her brother after 41 years and visit her father’s grave titled Kieu Chinh: A Journey Home won an Emmy Award.
In 2021, her memoir, Kieu Chinh - An Artist in Exile, was published in English, Vietnamese, and French, offering an intimate account of her extraordinary life and career. Since then, she has held numerous successful book signings across the United States, France, and Canada, connecting with readers and audiences across generations and cultures. Her newest film, Chrysalis, is slated for theatrical release in fall 2026, marking yet another milestone in her enduring creative journey, in which she plays the lead female role.
Kieu Chinh is president, co-founder, and co-chair of the Vietnam Children’s Fund (VCF), a non-profit organization she established with the late Pulitzer Prizer winner, Vietnam veteran Lewis Puller Jr., and Terry Anderson, the journalist who was held hostage in Lebanon for seven years. Since its inception in 1993, VCF has built 51 schools in Vietnam, providing safe, high-quality education to more than 40,000 students annually.
