Hiep Thi Le

Hiep Thi Le (; February 18, 1971 – December 19, 2017) was an American actress. She is known for her portrayal of Le Ly in Oliver Stone war drama film Heaven & Earth.

Early life Le was born on February 18, 1971, in Da Nang, South Vietnam. In 1978, her father became a refugee, leaving Vietnam for Hong Kong. When Le was nine years old, her mother arranged for her and her younger sister to join their father.

We were told by my mom that we had to go look for Dad, and that he had gone to someplace called 'America', which we interpreted was the city across the river, since it had lights.

Eventually, Le lived in Oakland, California as a child. There her mother worked at a French-Vietnamese restaurant. She graduated from Oakland High School.

Le originally planned to graduate in June 1993 and pursue a career in science.

When Le was asked what she had learned from her experience with the film: "I have grown a lot. I have grown so much in the past two years, but the experiences that I went through throughout my whole life really made me what I am today."

Later career Le subsequently appeared in Bugis Street (1995, released in the United States in 1997) and co-starred in the little-seen Dead Men Can't Dance (1997).

She appeared in Green Dragon in 2001, opposite Patrick Swayze and Forest Whitaker.

Restaurateur After her career in the film industry, in 2002 Le opened The China Beach Bistro, a Vietnamese restaurant in Venice, Los Angeles. After 10 years at that location, Hiep closed China Beach in 2012 and opened Le Cellier, a French-Vietnamese fusion restaurant on the Venice and Marina del Rey border. "Although it's not easy to find out here, French-Vietnamese food dates back to the 18th century ... This unique cuisine combines the fresh herbs of Vietnamese food with the fine heritage of country French cooking", Le said. As of 2016, she owned the restaurant Le Cellier with Mark Van Gessel and Bernard Louberssac.

Death Le died on December 19, 2017, in Los Angeles from stomach cancer at the age of 46. She was acknowledged in the In Memoriam segment at the 90th Academy Awards.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes1993 Heaven & Earth Le Ly 1995 Bugis Street Lian 1996 Hey Arnold! Mai Hyunh Voice, Episode: "Arnold's Christmas"1997 Dead Men Can't Dance Sgt. Mia Yan Chun 1998 Tracey Takes On... Milou Episode: "Marriage"1999 Cruel Intentions Mai-Lee 1999 Bastards Tony's Mother 1999 Shark in a Bottle The Tutor 2001 Green Dragon Thuy Hoa 2001 Return to Pontianak Charity Yamaguchi 2003 National Security McDuff's Secretary 2007 The Princess of Nebraska Mother at Mall 2008 Julia Kitty 2008 Lakeview Terrace Nurse 2010 Sympathy for Delicious Female Volunteer 2011 Touch Mother Final role