Who Is Ke Huy Quan's Wife? All About Echo Quan

Actor Ke Huy Quan and his wife, Echo Quan, are everything to each other, all at once.

Ke Huy had his first shot at fame as a 12-year-old starring as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984. He made his triumphant return to the big screen in 2022, starring as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once — a role that earned him a bevy of awards, including the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. But Ke Huy couldn’t take all the credit for his good fortune — he remembered to thank his wife for all of her support.

Echo also worked on the set of Everything Everywhere All At Once as a translator, helping the directors and writers create a truly multilingual film. However, it wasn’t her first time working on a movie set. She used to work with renowned director Wong Kar-wai, who introduced her to Ke Huy.

So, who is Ke Huy Quan’s wife? Here's everything to know about Echo Quan and her relationship with the actor.

She and Ke Huy met in Hong Kong

Echo and Ke Huy met in 2004 on the set of 2046, a film by Wong Kar-wai, which served as a sequel to his critically acclaimed romantic film In The Mood For Love. Echo had worked with Wong Kar-wai before, and Ke Huy worked as an assistant director for 2046.

After rising to fame as a child star in Indiana Jones, Ke Huy was struggling to book roles, so he went to film school and started working behind the scenes.

“When I walked on set, it was a different feeling, but I was still happy to be there, to be able to contribute to making movies,” Ke Huy said in an interview with Variety about his time working as an assistant director.

“Now, because of that experience, when I walk on a movie set, I see everybody," he explained. "I see the production assistants, I see the gaffer, I see the boom operator.”

After being introduced by the director, the pair started dating, and eventually got married and moved to Los Angeles together, where they still reside.

She was an integral part of the Everything Everywhere All At Once crew

The 2022 Oscars Best Picture winner, Everything Everywhere All At Once, notably marked Ke Huy’s return to the big screen. But it also marked Echo’s return to a movie set for the first time since moving to Los Angeles, as the film’s writers/directors, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (also known as The Daniels), revealed in a post on Twitter. Echo worked as an on-set translator for the multilingual film.

“Echo Quan (On Set Translator) was the secret soul to our film set,” they wrote. “So many people have told us how much it meant to them to hear the family speaking in multiple languages (Cantonese, Mandarin, Chinglish and English) and we couldn't have pulled it off without her.”

“Echo used to work for Wong Kar-wai when she was in Hong Kong. But when she moved to L.A. she didn't find any work in our industry (for several years!),” they continued. “This is her first job in the industry since she has moved here. She teared up when we hired her. But we’re the lucky ones!”

Ke Huy has been vocal about his appreciation for The Daniels in giving him his return to the big screen, in a film that was a success for him and his family.

“Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, thank you so, so much for helping me find my answer. You have given me more than I could have ever hoped,” he said in his acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes.

She’s her husband’s biggest supporter

Everything Everywhere All At Once won big during awards season, with Ke Huy Quan winning awards for his role as Waymond Wang, including the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

As a result, Ke Huy had to deliver a number of speeches, and he never forgot to thank his wife.

In his acceptance speech for the Golden Globes, he said, “I want to thank the most important person in my life. The one person who never stopped believing in me. My wife Echo. I love you with all my heart."

He had similar sentiments to share in his acceptance speech at the Oscars.

“I owe everything to the love of my life, my wife, Echo, who month after month, year after year for 20 years told me that one day my time will come,” he said, referring to his long-delayed return to the screen.

“Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine. To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive,” he added.

Ke Huy elaborated on his wife’s support in an interview with Variety, saying: “At times, I was frustrated with her. I told her, ‘You keep saying that, and it’s never going to happen.’ I didn’t believe it. Twenty years isn’t a short time.”

She’s admired by her husband’s costars

Echo was not just an integral part of the making of Everything Everywhere All At Once for her translation, but also for her belief in the success of the film.

In an interview with The Jess Cagle Show on Sirius XM, Ke Huy’s costar Jamie Lee Curtis credited Echo for being the first person to know that the film would be a big deal.

“She said from day one, before we stepped foot on set, ‘This movie is very special, the script has a very strong soul … and people are gonna love this movie,” Ke Huy said.

“She was the first person who really said, ‘I think this is gonna be something,’ ” Curtis added.

“Echo is everything in this movie. She is the kindest person. I think she is Waymond,” she continued, noting Echo’s real-life similarities to Ke Huy’s character in the film.

“She has the most tolerance. She’s the most giving and accepting person,” Ke Huy added. “I’m so lucky. I’m a changed man because of her.”

“We are changed because of her,” Curtis agreed.

Ke Huy’s on-screen wife Michelle Yeoh also had kind things to say about Echo, as well as Ke Huy, in an interview with PEOPLE.

“He's the most wonderful on — and off camera husband," she said of Ke Huy. "He's loving, charming and funny, and his wife is now my good sister-friend. We are very blessed that he's back on the big silver screen."

She loves a good suit moment

During the press runs for Everything Everywhere All At Once and American Born Chinese, Echo attended a few red carpets. Each time, she rocked a suit that complemented her husband's

Among them were a tartan plaid suit that she wore to the White House Correspondents Dinner in April 2023, and a black velvet Giorgio Armani pantsuit embellished with jewels, to play off her husband Ke Huy’s black Giorgio Armani tuxedo at the Oscars. Both wore Fred Leighton jewelry to accessorize as well.

For the Gold Gala, a Gold House event that celebrates the AAPI community, Echo wore a black suit with a cropped jacket adorned with little googly eyes as a nod to the film she and her husband both worked on. Ke Huy, who was honored at the gala, wore a black Thom Browne suit with embroidered flowers and a matching googly eye on his lapel, while Echo wore an everything bagel pin on her lapel, another nod to EEAAO.

In March 2024, Echo and Ke Huy attended the Oscars. The translator donned a velvet suit, while the actor looked chic in a maroon and black tux.