Born in Cambodia, he survived the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, enduring harrowing experiences that mirrored the role he would later famously portray. A trained physician, he fled to the United States, where his unexpected acting career began. His powerful performance as Dith Pran in "The Killing Fields" earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1985, making him one of the few non-professional actors to achieve such recognition. Tragically, his life was cut short in 1996 in Los Angeles.