Sung Kang
Sung Kang | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kang in 2007 | |
| Born | Sung-Ho Kang April 8, 1972 Clarkston, Georgia, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse | Miki Yim |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Gang Seongho |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kang Sŏngho |
Sung-Ho Kang (born April 8, 1972) is an American actor. His first major role was as Han Lue in the Fast & Furious franchise, a character he first portrayed in Better Luck Tomorrow (2002).[1][2] Kang also played John Mak in the television series Power.
Early life
Kang was born in Clarkston, Georgia, to South Korean immigrant parents before moving to Gainesville, Georgia.[3][4] He was raised by his Korean mother and African American stepfather.[5] He moved to Barstow, California while in high school.[4]
Kang attended the University of California, Riverside.[4] While in college he chose acting over law school, a decision which was met with disappointment from his parents due to their concerns over the lack of Asian Americans on American television and lack of job prospects.[4]
Career
His first major role was in Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), in which he played Han Lue, an aloof gang member. He was one of the stars in The Motel, in which he played Sam Kim.
He portrayed Han Lue in The Fast and the Furious film franchise, appearing in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious. Initially seen as a one-off in an almost straight-to-DVD release, Han was brought back by director, Justin Lin, subsequently appearing in Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, F9, and short film, Los Bandoleros becoming a fan favorite.[6] He also had a role in Jet Li's film War (2007), playing an FBI agent, and was featured in the movie Forbidden Warrior as Doran, a son of Genghis Khan. He had a small role in the action movie Live Free or Die Hard, and he appeared in Walter Hill's movie Bullet to the Head (2013) as Detective Taylor Kwon, opposite Sylvester Stallone.
Kang has had several notable television roles, including the recurring role of the narcissistic President Gin Kew Yun Chun Yew Nee in the Korean drama parody "Tae Do (Attitudes and Feelings, Both Desirable and Sometimes Secretive)" alongside Bobby Lee on MADtv. He portrayed FBI Agent Tae Kim in the short-lived crime procedural Gang Related on FOX. Both roles required him to speak Korean, which he is conversant in. The character Tae Kim was written specifically for him by creator Chris Morgan, who had worked on the Fast & Furious film franchise.[7]
Kang started the YouTube channel "Sung's Garage" in January 2020, which hosts the videos for the podcast of the same name.[5][8]
Kang credits reporter Jen Yamato of the Los Angeles Times and her #JusticeForHan social media campaign for rallying public interest and bringing the character of Han Lue back to the Fast and the Furious franchise. Kang reprised his role as Han in F9 (2021).[5][8]
In 2022, Kang portrayed Fifth Brother in Obi-Wan Kenobi series for Disney+.[9]
Other ventures
Business
He owned a restaurant called Saketini in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, which closed in early 2013.[10]
Kang launched a watch with Perrelet in 2016.[11]
Auto drifting
Kang has said that, prior to his casting as Han in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, he had been unaware of the drifting culture that existed in Japan. It was not until he began researching the part that he perfected his skills in this popular sport, which is a global craze.[12] He stated that filming the Fast & Furious film franchise rekindled a long-dormant interest in cars; he had grown up watching an elderly neighbor restore vintage cars.[13]
Filmography
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Talk to Taka | Co-producer | |
| 2001 | Pearl Harbor | Listener/Japanese Translator | |
| 2002 | Better Luck Tomorrow | Han Lue | Associate producer |
| Antwone Fisher | Receptionist | ||
| 2004 | 9:30 | Chan Kin Fai | Short film |
| Forbidden Warrior | Doran | ||
| 2005 | The Motel | Sam | |
| 2006 | The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift | Han Lue | |
| Undoing | Samuel | Producer | |
| 2007 | War | Goi | |
| Finishing the Game | Cole Kim | ||
| Live Free or Die Hard | Raj | ||
| 2009 | Fast & Furious | Han Lue | |
| Los Bandoleros | Short film | ||
| Ninja Assassin | Hollywood | ||
| Clap Clap | Roy | Short film | |
| 2011 | Fast Five | Han Lue | |
| 4 Wedding Planners | Kai | ||
| 2012 | Sunset Stories | JP | |
| Bullet to the Head | Taylor Kwon | ||
| 2013 | Fast & Furious 6 | Han Lue | |
| The Come Up | Douchey Actor | Short film | |
| 2015 | Eden | Connie | |
| Furious 7 | Han Lue | Archive footage | |
| Hollywood Adventures | Manny | ||
| 2016 | Pali Road | Mitch Kayne | |
| The Free World | Detective Shin | ||
| Code 8 | Officer Alex Park | Short film | |
| 2017 | Party Boat | Greg | |
| 2019 | Code 8 | Officer Alex Park | |
| 2020 | We Can Be Heroes | Blinding Fast | |
| 2021 | Raya and the Last Dragon | Dang Hai (voice) | |
| F9 | Han Lue | ||
| Snakehead | Rambo | ||
| 2023 | Fast X † | Han Lue | |
| 2024 | Fast & Furious 10 Part 2 † |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Felicity | Student | Episode: "The Love Bug" |
| 2000 | Martial Law | Xian Law | Last 3 episodes |
| 2001 | NYPD Blue | Asian Uniform | Episode: "Fools Russian" |
| 2002 | Girlfriends | Bartender | Episode: "Getting Our Acts Together" |
| Spin City | Jordan | Episode: "Look Who's Not Talking" | |
| 2003 | The Shield | Malcom Rama | Episode: "Scar Tissue" |
| 2004 | Threat Matrix | Ray Lee | Episode: "PPX" |
| Cold Case | Sen Dhiet/Varin Toan | Episode: "Who's Your Daddy" | |
| Without a Trace | Deke | Episode: "Nickel and Dimed: Part 2" | |
| 2005 | Monk | Mr. Huang (Disciple) | Episode: "Mr. Monk vs. the Cobra" |
| 2006–2008 | MADtv | President Gin Kew Yun Chun Yew Nee | 4 episodes |
| 2006 | Standoff | David Lau | Episode: "Shanghai'd" |
| CSI: Miami | Lee Choi | Episode: "Death Pool 100" | |
| 2008 | Samurai Girl | ||
| Knight Rider | Johnny Chang | Episode: "Journey to the End of the Knight" | |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Jang | Episode: "Say Uncle" | |
| 2009 | Monk | Vince Kuramoto | Episode: "Mr. Monk on Wheels" |
| Mental | Jimmy | Episode: "Rainy Days" | |
| 2010 | Easy to Assemble | Sung Skjulstad / Sung Skjulestad | Webseries, 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Acting for Action with Sung Kang | Himself | TV mini-series, director, producer, writer |
| 2014 | Robot Chicken | Jack Skellington / Stratos (voice) | Episode: "Link's Sausages" |
| Gang Related | Tae Kim | Main Role[14] | |
| 2016 | Family Guy | Soap Opera Actor (voice) | Episode: "Candy, Quahog Marshmallow" |
| Hawaii Five-0 | Dae Wan | Episode: "O Ke Ali'i Wale No Ka'u Makemake" | |
| 2017–2020 | Power | Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mak | Main Role (Season 4, 5, 6) |
| 2018 | Magnum P.I. | Lieutenant Yoshi Tanaka | Episode: "I Saw the Sun Rise" |
| 2019 | Whiskey Cavalier | Daniel Lou | Episode: "Two of a Kind" |
| 2020 | Power Book II: Ghost | Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mak | Recurring Role |
| 2021 | Lisey's Story | Officer Dan Boeckman | Miniseries |
| 2022 | Obi-Wan Kenobi | The Fifth Brother | Miniseries, 4 Episodes |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Fast & Furious: Showdown | Han (voice) |
References
- ^ Earl, William (March 24, 2021). "GOOD: Sung Kang as Han Lue in 'Better Luck Tomorrow' and 'Fast & Furious' Franchise". Variety. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ CAAMFest (February 19, 2016). "The Fast and Furious Star Sung Kang talks about his career and future". Center for Asian American Media.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Stevenson, Elena (October 14, 2008). "Chow Talk with Sung Kang, Part 1". Elena Stevenson. Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Ho, Rodney (May 22, 2014). "Former Clarkston resident Sung Kang stars in Fox's 'Gang Related'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- ^ a b c Yamato, Jen; Shyong, Frank (May 19, 2020). "Sung Kang". Asian Enough (Podcast). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Klinkenberg, Brendan (June 23, 2021). "Sung Kang's Road Home: How His Fast & Furious Character Became a Lightning Rod". GQ.
- ^ Nicholson, Amy (May 20, 2014). "Fast & Furious' Breakout Star Sung Kang Anchors Fox TV's Gang Related". LA Weekly.
- ^ a b Kang, Sung (January 31, 2020). "Ep#1 - Jen Yamato #JusticeForHan". Sung's Garage (Podcast). Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "Obi-Wan Kenobi Series to Begin Production in April, Cast Revealed". StarWars.com. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ "Index of /". Sungkang.com. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
- ^ Naas, Robert (October 25, 2016). "Actor Sung Kang Talks Cars, Kids, Time and Watches". Haute Time.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2008.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Klein, Jonathon (August 9, 2016). "Catching Up With "Fast and Furious" Star Sung Kang". Automobile.
- ^ Jeffery, Morgan (February 21, 2013). "'Fast & Furious' star Sung Kang joins Fox drama 'Gang Related'". Digitalspy.com. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
External links
- Official website
- Sung Kang at IMDb
- UCLA Asia Pacific Arts Interview
- Back Stage Interview
- Sung Kang's 2015 profile at The New York Times
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
- American male actors of Korean descent
- American male television actors
- American male film actors
- American people of South Korean descent
- Male actors from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Male actors from Greater Los Angeles
- People from Barstow, California
- People from Gainesville, Georgia
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- Living people
- 1972 births