Sung Kang

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This article is about the actor. For the golfer, see Kang Sung-hoon (golfer).

In this Korean name, the family name is Kang, while the given name is Sung-Ho.
Sung Kang
Sung Kang (Sundance 2007).jpg
Kang in 2007
Born
Sung-Ho Kang

(1972-04-08) April 8, 1972 (age 49)
Clarkston, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation
  • Actor
  • producer
Years active1999–present
Spouse(s)Miki Yim
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationGang Seongho
McCune–ReischauerKang Sŏngho

Sung-Ho Kang (Korean name: Kang Sung-Ho; 강성호; born April 8, 1972) is an American actor and producer. 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 Asians 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]

Kang has been cast in the upcoming 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[]

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

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
2022 Obi-Wan Kenobi TBA Upcoming miniseries

Video games[]

Year Title Role
2013 Fast & Furious: Showdown Han (voice)

References[]

  1. ^ Earl, William (March 24, 2021). "GOOD: Sung Kang as Han Lue in 'Better Luck Tomorrow' and 'Fast & Furious' Franchise". Variety. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  2. ^ CAAMFest (February 19, 2016). "The Fast and Furious Star Sung Kang talks about his career and future". Center for Asian American Media.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Ho, Rodney (May 22, 2014). "Former Clarkston resident Sung Kang stars in Fox's 'Gang Related'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c Yamato, Jen; Shyong, Frank (May 19, 2020). "Sung Kang". Asian Enough (Podcast). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  6. ^ Klinkenberg, Brendan (June 23, 2021). "Sung Kang's Road Home: How His Fast & Furious Character Became a Lightning Rod". GQ.
  7. ^ Nicholson, Amy (May 20, 2014). "Fast & Furious' Breakout Star Sung Kang Anchors Fox TV's Gang Related". LA Weekly.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Kang, Sung (January 31, 2020). "Ep#1 - Jen Yamato #JusticeForHan". Sung's Garage (Podcast). Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  9. ^ "Obi-Wan Kenobi Series to Begin Production in April, Cast Revealed". StarWars.com. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  10. ^ "Index of /". Sungkang.com. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  11. ^ Naas, Robert (October 25, 2016). "Actor Sung Kang Talks Cars, Kids, Time and Watches". Haute Time.
  12. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^ Klein, Jonathon (August 9, 2016). "Catching Up With "Fast and Furious" Star Sung Kang". Automobile.
  14. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (February 21, 2013). "'Fast & Furious' star Sung Kang joins Fox drama 'Gang Related'". Digitalspy.com. Retrieved July 23, 2016.

External links[]

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