ACTRA Award of Excellence given to Sandra Oh

Amidst the flurry of recent awards, the ACTRA Award of Excellence was bestowed upon Canadian actor Sandra Oh yesterday at a reception at the Consul General of Canada's Canadian Residence in L.A.

The award was given to acknowledge Oh's contribution to the Canadian film and TV industry. Previous recipient includes Kiefer Sutherland and Leslie Nielsen.

Oh was born in Ottawa, Ontario. She began her career portraying famous Asian Canadians in CBC biopics, such as Vancouver writer Evelyn Lau and former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson. She also starred in Vancouver director Mina Shum's Double Happiness and Long Life, Happiness, and Prosperity.

She later starred in Canadian films such as The Red Violin, Last Night, and, more recently, 3 Needles and Blindness. She also hosted the 2008 Genie Awards.

Oh has also appeared in numerous Hollywood productions, such as Sideways and Under the Tuscan Sun. She currently stars as Dr. Cristina Yang in the TV series Grey's Anatomy.