Yao – whose real name is Thomas Pang – is a Malaysian actor of Chinese and Filipino descent. He is a 2015 graduate of the Lasalle College of the Arts who was prominent in Singapore’s theatre and film scene, earning three Best Actor nominations in The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards, and winning it in 2018 for his performance in Hand To God by Singapore Repertory Theatre. Yao remained in the United States after obtaining a Master of Fine Arts degree in 2023 from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University in Connecticut, not far from his current home in New York. He is best known for his role as Bo Chow in the 2025 movie Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler.