hɪz fˈɜːst ɐpˈɪɹəns ɪn ɐ jˈuː.ˈɛs. fˈɪlm wʌz ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti nˈaɪn, wɪððə ɹᵻlˈiːs ʌv θɹˈiː sˈiːzənz, ɐn ɐwˈɔːɹdwˈɪnɪŋ fˈɪlm dᵻɹˈɛktᵻd baɪ hɪz nˈɛfjuː tˈoʊni bjˈuːi ænd ʃˈɑːt ɪn vˌiːətnˈɑːm.
His first appearance in a U.S. film was in 1999, with the release of Three Seasons, an award-winning film directed by his nephew Tony Bui and shot in Vietnam.