[5] Ma grew up in New York, where his parents ran an American Chinese restaurant, Ho Wah, in Staten Island.

[2] Ma found his love for acting when he played Buffalo Bill in an elementary school production of Annie Get Your Gun.

[6] In 1994, he was the assistant director on a stage production of Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior by the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

[9] His major film roles include credits in The Quiet American, the remake of The Ladykillers, Dante's Peak, and Tigertail.

Additionally, he has appeared as Consul Han in the Rush Hour series, General Shang, the commander of the Chinese military in Denis Villeneuve's Arrival (2016),[10] and Hua Zhou in Niki Caro's Disney live-action adaptation of Mulan (2020).

[11] Ma has appeared in numerous Asian American-produced independent films, such as Red Doors, Catfish in Black Bean Sauce (1999), Baby (2007), The Sensei (2008), and The Farewell (2019).

Ma's other TV credits include guest appearances on MacGyver, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, ER, Boomtown, Commander in Chief, Chicago Hope, The Unit, Star Trek: The Next Generation, L.A. Law, NYPD Blue, Millennium, Fringe, Cold Case, NCIS: Los Angeles, Hawaii Five-0, Lie to Me, The Cosby Show, Grey's Anatomy, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Hell on Wheels.