Click through our photo gallery to see how well you know the woman behind Cristina Yang. (Photo: WENN)
The Grey’s Anatomy star’s full name is Sandra Miju Oh. Coincidentally, her middle name is very fitting, as it means “pretty pearl” in Korean! (Photo: WENN)
Her parents are immigrants who emigrated to Canada from South Korea in the early ’60s when they were in their twenties to study economics and biochemistry respectively. Sandra grew up with her siblings in Ottawa. (Photo: WENN)
She is a ballet dancer. Sandra’s parents unintentionally sparked her interest in performing when they enlisted her in ballet at the young age of four. Their intention was to correct her natural pigeon-toed gait, but instead it lead to her widely successful career. (Photo: WENN)
She is the only person in her family who doesn’t have a college degree or a masters. Despite this, she turned down an academic school against her parents’ wishes and paid her own way through the National Theatre School of Canada, a prestigious acting school. (Photo: WENN)
Sandra may not have a college degree, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t quite a brainiac. In fact, Sandra is multilingual. She can speak fluent English, Korean, Spanish, and French. Oh la la! (Photo: WENN)
Sandra grew up in a very religious household and went to two different churches growing up. She doesn’t necessarily go to church anymore, but she still considers herself to be spiritual, but instead of praying she meditates. (Photo: WENN)
Sandra Oh originally auditioned for the role of Bailey because that was what her manager suggested she try for, but once she learned about the character of Cristina Yang, she asked if she could read her part and of course, she got it! (Photo: WENN)
She is very similar to her character of Cristina in the way that she sets extremely high standards for herself and is very driven. Also, the idea of making Christina Yang a messy person was Sandra’s idea because she told Shonda that she was messy in real life. (Photo: WENN)
Sandra Oh doesn’t consider herself to be a celebrity and she thinks the more famous you get, the more it takes away from being an artist. This is why we don’t see in the press unless it strictly pertains to her work. (Photo: WENN)
She just became the first actress of Asian descent to earn an Emmy nomination for lead actress in a drama series for her outstanding role on the drama series “Killing Eve.” Way to go, Sandra! (Photo: WENN)
Last week, Sandra Oh became the first actress of Asian descent to earn an Emmy nomination for lead actress in a drama series for her outstanding role on the BBC’s Killing Eve. However, believe it or not, her historic nomination isn’t the most outstanding thing about Sandra’s life.
From her origins, to her beginnings in the entertainment world, her days in Shonda Rhimes’ iconic series, and her legacy in the fight for the representation in Hollywood, off screen, Sandra Oh is even more amazing than the remarkable Cristina Yang—and that’s saying something when you’re being compared to Meredith Gray’s bestie, who also happens to be the Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the absolute most chaotic hospital in the world.
In honor of her 47th birthday, we celebrate Sandra Oh with 15 fun facts about the life and career of our favorite fiction doctor that even the most diehard Grey’s Anatomy fans might not know. Click through our photo gallery above to see how well you know the woman behind Cristina Yang.
