Rick Yune(born August 22, 1971)[1]is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, and martial artist of Korean descent. His most notable roles have been in the moviesSnow Falling on Cedars,the firstFast & FuriousfilmThe Fast and the Furious,theJames BondmovieDie Another Day,andOlympus Has Fallen.He was part of the main cast of theNetflixoriginal seriesMarco Polo.
Rick Yune | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Richard Yun August 22, 1971 Washington, D.C.,U.S. |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania(BS) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Relatives | Karl Yune(brother) |
Early life
editYune was born inWashington, D.C.to mother Park Wonhui and father Yun Taeho,[2]who were both Korean.[2][3]His younger brother is actorKarl Yune.[4]
Yune was educated atOur Lady of Good Counsel High School(Olney, Maryland) andSt. John's College High School.In 1994, he received his degree in finance from theUniversity of Pennsylvania'sWharton School.[5]Yune was one of the originalhedge fundtraders forSAC Capitalbut left to pursue entrepreneurial ventures.[5][6]
Yune practices many forms ofmartial arts,[6][7]but he excels inTaekwondo(in which he holds ablack belt) andBo xing(he is a formerGolden Glovesboxer).[8]He changed the spelling of his last name from "Yun" to "Yune" forScreen Actors Guild(SAG) purposes.[6]
Career
editWhile studying at Wharton, Rick Yune worked as an intern on Wall Street trading stocks during the mid-1992. During that time, he was "discovered" by a modeling agent and soon became the first Asian-American featured in advertisements forVersaceandRalph Lauren's Polo.[5][6][9]
Yune made his film debut in 1999, playing Kazuo Miyamoto, a Japanese-American war hero accused of killing a respected fisherman (played byDaniel von Bargen) in the close-knit community, in directorScott Hicks' film adaptation of David Guterson's post-World War II novel,Snow Falling on Cedars.[5][6][9]
Yune co-starred as Johnny Tran, a Vietnamese gang leader and the rival ofVin Diesel's character, in the 2001 filmThe Fast and the Furious.
In 2002, Yune portrayed Zao, a North Korean terrorist who works for theKorean People's Army,oppositePierce BrosnanandHalle Berry,in the James Bond filmDie Another Day.[10]That year Yune was voted one ofPeoplemagazine's "Sexiest Man Alive".[11]
Yune appeared in the 2004 video "Call U Sexy"by the bandVS,as well as inSomeone(1997) bySWV,featuringSean "Puffy" Combs.
Yune appeared in two 2005 episodes of ABC's spy seriesAlias,playing a modern-day samurai Kazu Tamazaki who is hunted down byJennifer GarnerasSydney.He also appeared as a guest in an episode of ABC's legal dramedy seriesBoston Legaland the CBS crime dramaCSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
He produced, and starred as a Thai assassin in, the action/adventure movieThe Fifth Commandment,directed by Jesse V. Johnson and also starsKeith DavidandBokeem Woodbine.
Yune starred withRussell CroweandLucy Liuin the 2012 martial arts film,The Man with the Iron Fists.[12][13]
In 2013, Yune played Kang Yeon-Sak, a North Korean ultra-nationalist and ex-terrorist mastermind who plans a terrorist attack on theWhite House,in the action thrillerOlympus Has Fallen,oppositeGerard Butler.[14]
In 2014, Yune took on the role ofKaidu,a Mongol Khan, in the historical drama seriesMarco Polo.Yune reprised his role in the second season, which was released in 2016.
Other work
editYune is a board member of theCenter for Global Dialogue and Cooperation[15]and an ambassador for the Princess Charlene Foundation of Monaco.[16]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Nathan Grimm | Extra | |
| 1999 | Snow Falling on Cedars | Kazuo Miyamoto | |
| 2001 | The Fast and the Furious | Johnny Tran | |
| The Fence | "Lucky" Chang | ||
| 2002 | Die Another Day | Tang Ling Zao | |
| 2008 | The Fifth Commandment | Chance Templeton | Also producer and writer |
| Alone in the Dark II | Edward Carnby | Also associate producer | |
| 2009 | Beyond Remedy | Dr. Lee | |
| Ninja Assassin | Takeshi | ||
| 2011 | Remigration | Jonathan Park | |
| China-Town | Man | ||
| 2012 | The Man with the Iron Fists | Zen Yi | |
| 2013 | Olympus Has Fallen | Kang Yeonsak | |
| 2019 | Alita: Battle Angel | Master Clive Lee | |
| 2020 | Jiu Jitsu | Captain Sand | |
| 2023 | Tetris | Eddie |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Another World | Assistant District Attorney | 1 Epidode |
| 2000 | Any Day Now | Tuan | 1 episode |
| 2001 | The Division | 1 episode | |
| 2005 | Alias | Kazu Tamazaki | 2 episodes |
| Boston Legal | Troi Ran | 1 episode | |
| 2006 | CSI | Robert Hsing | 1 episode |
| 2013 | Hawaii Five-O | Han Ji-Woon | 1 episode |
| 2014–2016 | Marco Polo | Kaidu | Main role |
| 2017 | Prison Break | Ja | Recurring role |
| 2023 | Wu-Tang: An American Saga | Cyrus | 1 episode |
References
edit- ^"Celebrity birthdays for the week of Aug. 22–28".The Independent.August 16, 2021.
- ^ab"Rick Yune".BiJog. June 8, 2016.
- ^"Coming Star, Rick Yune – The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Daily News from Korea – art&ent".English.chosun.January 24, 1999.RetrievedDecember 29,2016.
- ^"'Anacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid' Los Angeles Screening – Red Carpet ".
- ^abcd"Rick Yune – In The Media".Rick Yune. Archived fromthe originalon December 17, 2005.RetrievedJune 7,2017.
- ^abcde"Rick Yune – In The Media".Rick Yune. Archived fromthe originalon December 17, 2005.RetrievedJune 7,2017.
- ^Lesley Jackson."Rick Yune Interview".Martialedge.net. Archived fromthe originalon March 3, 2009.RetrievedJanuary 27,2010.Archived2009-03-03 at theWayback Machine
- ^"Rick Yune: Martial Artist, Actor, Screenwriter, Producer".Martial Arts Entertainment.December 1, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 14,2023.
- ^ab"Rick Yune – In The Media".Rick Yune. Archived fromthe originalon February 9, 2006.RetrievedJune 7,2017.
- ^Patton, Phil (November 10, 2002)."The Spy Who Drove Me".The New York Times.
- ^"Sexiest Pop Sensation – Sexiest Man Alive, Enrique Iglesias".People. December 2, 2002. Archived fromthe originalon January 9, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 19,2010.
- ^"The Man With The Iron Fists: Rick Yune On His Character".The New York Times.May 6, 2001.
- ^"Rick Yune Stars With Russell Crowe in Eli Roth's 'Man With an Iron Fists".thewrap. March 22, 2011.RetrievedMarch 22,2011.
- ^Kit, Borys (July 10, 2012)."Melissa Leo and Rick Yune Joining 'Olympus Has Fallen'".The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^"CGDC: International Board".Archived fromthe originalon December 14, 2018.RetrievedDecember 11,2018.
- ^"PCMFUSA: Ambassadors & advisors".