Sung Kang

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). Kang also played John Mak in the television series ''Power''.

Early life

Kang was born in Clarkston, Georgia, to Korean immigrant parents. He was raised by his Korean mother and his Black American stepfather in Gainesville, Georgia. He moved to Barstow, California, while in high school.

Kang attended the University of California, Riverside. While in college, he chose acting over law school.

Career

Kang's first major role was in ''Better Luck Tomorrow'' (2002), directed by Justin Lin, 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.

Kang reprised his role as Han Lue in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise, first appearing in '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'', Lin's second movie. Kang's role in ''Tokyo Drift'' was originally written as a one-off character in an almost straight-to-DVD release: an opportunity for a rapper to make a cameo, tossing his keys to the main character (portrayed by Lucas Black). As production progressed, Lin expanded Han to a significant supporting character who proved "emotionally affecting" and provided "a more delicate touch than the ''Fast'' movies had seen before, or since". In portraying Han, Kang emulated "the laid-back cool of the Paul Newmans and Steve McQueens" with "an added Pitt-esque obsession with constantly snacking". An unexpected fan favorite, Kang was brought back to the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise by Lin, appearing in ''Fast & Furious'', ''Fast Five'', ''Fast & Furious 6'', and the short film '' Los Bandoleros''.

Kang played an FBI agent in Jet Li's film ''War'' (2007), 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 for him by creator Chris Morgan, with whom he had worked on the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise.

In 2018, he played Detective Yoshi Tanaka in the ''Magnum P.I.'' reboot pilot, which was directed and produced by Lin.

Kang started the YouTube channel "Sung's Garage" in January 2020, which hosts the videos for the podcast of the same name.

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 & Furious'' franchise, in which he reprises his role in '' F9'' (2021), reuniting with director Lin once more.

In 2022, Kang portrayed Fifth Brother in the Disney+ series ''Obi-Wan Kenobi''. The same year, Kang made his directorial debut in the horror comedy film ''Shaky Shivers''.

Other ventures

Business

He owned a restaurant called Saketini in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, which closed in early 2013.

Kang launched a watch with Perrelet in 2016.

Auto drifting

Kang has said that he had been unaware of the drifting culture that existed in Japan before he was cast as Han in '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift''. He learned to drift for the role. He said that filming the ''Fast & Furious'' film franchise rekindled his long-dormant interest in cars; he had grown up watching an elderly neighbor restore vintage cars.

Filmography

Film

Television

Director

Music videos

Video games

References

External links

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UCLA Asia Pacific Arts InterviewBack Stage InterviewSung Kang's 2015 profile
at ''The New York Times''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kang, Sung
1972 births
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American male actors of Korean descent
American male television actors
American male film actors
American people of South Korean descent
Living people
Male actors from Georgia (U.S. state)
Male actors from Greater Los Angeles
People from Barstow, California
People from Gainesville, Georgia