Yao
Yao – whose real name is Thomas Pang – is a Malaysian actor of Chinese and Filipino descent. He is a 2015 graduate of the Lasalle College of the Arts who was prominent in Singapore’s theatre and film scene, earning three Best Actor nominations in The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards, and winning it in 2018 for his performance in Hand To God by Singapore Repertory Theatre. Yao remained in the United States after obtaining a Master of Fine Arts degree in 2023 from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University in Connecticut, not far from his current home in New York. He is best known for his role as Bo Chow in the 2025 movie Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler.
Yao awards and nominations
| Year | Category | Subcategory | Info | Movie/Tv Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Golden Carp Film Award | Winner Chinese Film Competition | Best Original Song (Chen Yao, Mang Liang, Wei Ding) | Flaming Cloud |
| 2023 | Shanghai International Film Festival | Winner China Movie & TV Night Award | Best Visual Effects for Film of the Year (Chris Qi Yao, Summer Liu, Yao Yih) | Deep Sea |
| 2016 | China Australia International Film Festival | Winner Jury Award | Special Jury Prize (Chen Yao) | Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe |
| 2007 | Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America | Winner Nebula Award | Best Script (Hayao Miyazaki, Cindy Davis, Donald H. Hewitt) | Howl's Moving Castle |
| 2005 | Hollywood Film Awards | Winner Hollywood Film Award | Animation of the Year (Hayao Miyazaki) | Howl's Moving Castle |
| 2005 | Mainichi Film Concours | Winner Readers' Choice Award | Best Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Howl's Moving Castle |
| 2005 | Tokyo Anime Award | Winner Animation of the Year | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Howl's Moving Castle |
| 2005 | Tokyo Anime Award | Winner Best Director | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Howl's Moving Castle |
| 2004 | Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival | Winner Audience Award | Best Feature Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Howl's Moving Castle |
| 2003 | Academy Awards, USA | Winner Oscar | Best Animated Feature (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2003 | Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival | Winner Silver Scream Award | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2003 | Annie Awards | Winner Annie | Outstanding Directing in an Animated Feature Production (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2003 | Annie Awards | Winner Annie | Outstanding Writing in an Animated Feature Production (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2003 | Cambridge Film Festival | Winner Audience Award | Best Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2003 | Christopher Awards | Winner Christopher Award | Film (Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Takeyoshi Matsushita, Seiichirô Ujiie, Yutaka Narita, Kôji Hoshino, Banjiro Uemura, Hironori Aihara, Kirk Wise, Cindy Davis, Donald H. Hewitt, Donald W. Ernst, John Lasseter) | Spirited Away |
| 2003 | International Online Cinema Awards (INOCA) | Winner INOCA | Best Non-English Language Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2003 | International Online Cinema Awards (INOCA) | Winner INOCA | Best Animated Feature (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Berlin International Film Festival | Winner Golden Berlin Bear | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Blue Ribbon Awards | Winner Blue Ribbon Award | Best Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Cinekid | Winner Cinekid Film Award | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Durban International Film Festival | Winner Best Film | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Jeonju Film Festival | Winner Audience Award | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Kinema Junpo Awards | Winner Readers' Choice Award | Best Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards | Winner LAFCA Award | Best Animation (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Mainichi Film Concours | Winner Mainichi Film Concours | Best Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Mainichi Film Concours | Winner Mainichi Film Concours | Best Animated Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Mainichi Film Concours | Winner Mainichi Film Concours | Best Director (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Mainichi Film Concours | Winner Readers' Choice Award | Best Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | San Francisco International Film Festival | Winner Audience Award | Best Narrative Feature (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival | Winner Special Mention | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Tokyo Anime Award | Winner Animation of the Year | Grand Prix (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Tokyo Anime Award | Winner Best Character Design | Film Category (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Tokyo Anime Award | Winner Best Director | Film Category (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Tokyo Anime Award | Winner Best Screenplay | Film Category (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Tokyo Anime Award | Winner Notable Entry | Domestic Feature Film Category (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Utah Film Critics Association Awards | Winner UFCA Award | Best Director (Hayao Miyazaki, Kirk Wise) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Utah Film Critics Association Awards | Winner UFCA Award | Best Screenplay (Hayao Miyazaki, Cindy Davis, Donald H. Hewitt) | Spirited Away |
| 1998 | Blue Ribbon Awards | Winner Special Award | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Princess Mononoke |
| 1998 | Kinema Junpo Awards | Winner Readers' Choice Award | Best Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Princess Mononoke |
| 1998 | Mainichi Film Concours | Winner Mainichi Film Concours | Best Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Princess Mononoke |
| 1998 | Mainichi Film Concours | Winner Mainichi Film Concours | Best Animated Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Princess Mononoke |
| 1998 | Mainichi Film Concours | Winner Readers' Choice Award | Best Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Princess Mononoke |
| 1997 | Hochi Film Awards | Winner Special Award | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Princess Mononoke |
| 1997 | Nikkan Sports Film Awards | Winner Nikkan Sports Film Award | Best Director (Hayao Miyazaki) | Princess Mononoke |
| 1990 | Kinema Junpo Awards | Winner Readers' Choice Award | Best Japanese Film Director (Hayao Miyazaki) | Kiki's Delivery Service |
| 1990 | Mainichi Film Concours | Winner Mainichi Film Concours | Best Animated Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Kiki's Delivery Service |
| 1989 | Blue Ribbon Awards | Winner Special Award | (Hayao Miyazaki) | My Neighbor Totoro |
| 1989 | Kinema Junpo Awards | Winner Kinema Junpo Award | Best Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | My Neighbor Totoro |
| 1989 | Kinema Junpo Awards | Winner Readers' Choice Award | Best Japanese Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | My Neighbor Totoro |
| 1989 | Mainichi Film Concours | Winner Mainichi Film Concours | Best Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | My Neighbor Totoro |
| 1989 | Mainichi Film Concours | Winner Ofuji Noburo Award | (Hayao Miyazaki) | My Neighbor Totoro |
| 1987 | Mainichi Film Concours | Winner Ofuji Noburo Award | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Castle in the Sky |
| 1985 | Fantafestival | Winner Best Short Film | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind |
| 1985 | Kinema Junpo Awards | Winner Readers' Choice Award | Best Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind |
| 1985 | Mainichi Film Concours | Winner Ofuji Noburo Award | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind |
| 1984 | Faro Island Film Festival | Winner Golden Train Award | Outstanding Artistic Contribution (Hayao Miyazaki) | Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind |
| Year | Category | Subcategory | Info | Movie/Tv Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Golden Screenwriters' Night | Nominee TV Unit | Best Adapted Screerplay Of Chinese Comics (Xinyue Wang, Shengyao Chen) | Great Journey of Teenagers |
| 2025 | Golden Screenwriters' Night | Nominee TV Unit | Best Costume Adapted Screenplay for a Long Series (Lei Lei, Moyi Yan, Yao Xi, Shi Qian) | Moonlight Mystique |
| 2024 | Golden Carp Film Award | Nominee Chinese Film Competition | Most Popular Actress (Chen Yao) | Flaming Cloud |
| 2018 | 20/20 Awards | Nominee Felix | Best Foreign Language Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Princess Mononoke |
| 2016 | Changchun Film Festival | Nominee Golden Deer | Best Supporting Actress (Chen Yao) | Monster Hunt |
| 2016 | Hundred Flowers Awards | Nominee Hundred Flowers Award | Best Supporting Actress (Chen Yao) | Monster Hunt |
| 2006 | Academy Awards, USA | Nominee Oscar | Best Animated Feature Film of the Year (Hayao Miyazaki) | Howl's Moving Castle |
| 2006 | Annie Awards | Nominee Annie | Best Directing in an Animated Feature Production (Hayao Miyazaki) | Howl's Moving Castle |
| 2006 | Annie Awards | Nominee Annie | Best Writing in an Animated Feature Production (Hayao Miyazaki, Donald H. Hewitt, Cindy Davis) | Howl's Moving Castle |
| 2006 | International Online Cinema Awards (INOCA) | Nominee INOCA | Best Animated Feature (Hayao Miyazaki) | Howl's Moving Castle |
| 2006 | Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists | Nominee Silver Ribbon | Best Foreign Director (Regista del Miglior Film Straniero) (Hayao Miyazaki) | Howl's Moving Castle |
| 2004 | Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards | Nominee Silver Condor | Best Foreign Film (Mejor Película Extranjera) (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2004 | BAFTA Awards | Nominee BAFTA Film Award | Best Film not in the English Language (Toshio Suzuki, Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2004 | Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America | Nominee Nebula Award | Best Script (Hayao Miyazaki, Cindy Davis, Donald H. Hewitt) | Spirited Away |
| 2004 | Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival | Nominee Best Film | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Howl's Moving Castle |
| 2004 | Venice Film Festival | Nominee Golden Lion | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Howl's Moving Castle |
| 2003 | Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA | Nominee Saturn Award | Best Writing (Hayao Miyazaki, Cindy Davis, Donald H. Hewitt) | Spirited Away |
| 2003 | César Awards, France | Nominee César | Best Foreign Film (Meilleur film étranger) (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2003 | Hugo Awards | Nominee Hugo | Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form (Hayao Miyazaki, Cindy Davis, Donald H. Hewitt) | Spirited Away |
| 2003 | International Online Cinema Awards (INOCA) | Nominee INOCA | Best Original Screenplay (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Cahiers du Cinéma | Nominee Top 10 Film Award | Best Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | European Film Awards | Nominee Screen International Award | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2002 | Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival | Nominee Best Film | (Hayao Miyazaki) | Spirited Away |
| 2001 | Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America | Nominee Nebula Award | Best Script (Hayao Miyazaki, Neil Gaiman) | Princess Mononoke |
| 2000 | Annie Awards | Nominee Annie | Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production (Hayao Miyazaki) | Princess Mononoke |
| 2000 | Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Nominee Sierra Award | Best Animated Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Princess Mononoke |
| 1984 | Faro Island Film Festival | Nominee Golden Train Award | Best Film (Hayao Miyazaki) | Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind |
Yao profile photos
