Ngor came to America with his niece. Even though he had no background in acting, he was cast as Dith Pran in The Killing Fields, and eventually won a Golden Globe and Academy Award for his performance. It was not difficult for him to play such a character, especially since he had actually lived through the hard times in Cambodia.
On February 25, 1996, in front of his home, he was shot and killed by members of a gang after they supposedly wanted to steal from him. It's astonishingly tragic how someone could survive so long after going through one of the worst events in history, do great things to make a difference, only to be killed in an instant.
May Haing S. Ngor rest in peace. 

Born in Cambodia and growing up to become a physician, Ngor's life was in danger when the Khmer Rouge began to take control. He was forced to leave his homeland after the Khmer Rouge killed and tortured many educated, professional people including himself, and came to the United States.