Gedde Watanabe

Although he's appeared in numerous movies and television shows since the mid-'80s, Gedde Watanabe is still widely recognized for his comical portrayal of foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong in "Sixteen Candles" (1984). In the film, a coming-of-age teen dramedy directed by John Hughes, Watanabe uttered several memorable phrases, such as "What's happenin', hot stuff?" and "Oh, sexy girlfriend," which have become as important to the American film lexicon as "Here's looking at you, kid." When the film was released in 1984, Watanabe received his share of outrage from those who believed his portrayal of Long Duk Dong to be overtly stereotypical of Asian-Americans. However, Watanabe never allowed himself to be sidetracked by criticism, and has since gone on to have a long career as a film, television and stage actor.