John Cho
Encyclopedia
John Yohan Cho is an American actor and musician, best known for his roles in the American Pie
American Pie (film)
American Pie is a 1999 teen comedy film written by Adam Herz. American Pie was the directorial film debut of brothers Paul and Chris Weitz, and the first film in the American Pie film series...

films (1999–2012) and the Harold & Kumar
Harold & Kumar
Harold & Kumar is the common name for a series of stoner comedy films starring John Cho and Kal Penn . The first film, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, was released on July 30, 2004 by New Line Cinema and spawned a sequel titled Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, released four years...

films (2004–present). He also starred in the critically acclaimed hit film Better Luck Tomorrow
Better Luck Tomorrow
Better Luck Tomorrow is a 2002 crime-drama film directed by Justin Lin. The movie is about Asian American overachievers who become bored with their lives and enter a world of petty crime and material excess...

. More recently, Cho portrayed Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by George Takei in the original Star Trek series, Sulu also appears in the animated Star Trek series, the first six Star Trek movies, one episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and in numerous books, comics, and video games...

 in the 2009 film Star Trek and starred in the television drama FlashForward
Flashforward
A flashforward is an interjected scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards are often used to represent events expected, projected, or imagined to occur in the future...

as FBI agent Demetri Noh.

Early life

Cho was born in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

, South Korea, and raised in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, where his family settled in 1978. His father was a minister in the Church of Christ, and was originally from North Korea. Cho graduated from Herbert Hoover High School
Herbert Hoover High School (Glendale)
Herbert Hoover High School is a public high school in Glendale, California. The school's colors are purple and white.Hoover High School, named after Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States, is located on in Glendale...

 in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...

, in 1991. He then attended the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...

, graduating in 1996 with a BA degree in English, and taught English at Pacific Hills School
Pacific Hills School
Pacific Hills School is a co-educational, college-preparatory independent school located in West Hollywood, California, serving the needs of a diverse student population in grades 6-12....

 in West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...

.

Career

Cho began his career as a print model for Korean magazines, and after appearing in advertisements for companies such as Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Enterprise Holdings, Inc. is a privately held company formed in 2009 to operate rental car subsidiaries: Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, Alamo Rent A Car, WeCar and its commercial fleet management, used car sales, and commercial truck rental operations.Enterprise Holdings was formed as...

. After graduating from Berkeley, he moved to Los Angeles, and worked with the Asian American theatre
Asian American theatre
Asian American theater is theater written, directed or acted by Asian Americans.- Background :Asian American theater emerged in the 1960s and the 1970s with the foundation of four theatre companies: East West Players in Los Angeles, Asian American Theatre Workshop in San Francisco, Theatrical...

 company East West Players
East West Players
East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As one of the nation's first Asian American theatre organizations, East West Players today continues to produce works and educational programs that give voice to the Asian Pacific American...

, appearing in Edward Sakamoto's The Taste of Kona Coffee in 1996, and Euijoon Kim's My Tired Broke Ass Pontificating Slapstick Funk in 2000. He gained attention with a small role in the 1999 comedy American Pie
American Pie (film)
American Pie is a 1999 teen comedy film written by Adam Herz. American Pie was the directorial film debut of brothers Paul and Chris Weitz, and the first film in the American Pie film series...

, in which he popularized the slang term "MILF
MILF
MILF, an acronym for "Mother/Mom/Mum I'd Like to Fuck", is a common colloquial term generally regarded as vulgar when spelled out. It denotes a sexually attractive older female, generally between 25 and 50 years of age.-History:...

". His most successful starring role to date has been as Harold Lee in 2004's Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle is a 2004 American stoner film and the first installment in the Harold & Kumar series...

. Cho was one of the stars of the short-lived situation comedy Off Centre
Off Centre
Off Centre is an American sitcom that aired on The WB network from October 14, 2001 to October 31, 2002. Created by Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz, and Danny Zuker, the series was heavily promoted as "from the guys who brought you American Pie".-Synopsis:...

, and guest-starred on Charmed as a ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...

. He was a costar of the now-defunct Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

 sitcom Kitchen Confidential
Kitchen Confidential (TV series)
Kitchen Confidential is an American television sitcom that debuted on September 19, 2005 on the Fox network, based on Anthony Bourdain's New York Times bestselling book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly...

. Cho had supporting roles in American Beauty
American Beauty (film)
American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged magazine writer who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend, Angela...

, Evolution
Evolution (film)
Evolution is a 2001 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and starring David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, Julianne Moore and Ted Levine...

and Down to Earth
Down to Earth (2001 film)
Down to Earth is a 2001 comedy film directed by Chris and Paul Weitz. It is the third film adaptation based on Harry Segall's stageplay Heaven Can Wait, preceded by Here Comes Mr. Jordan and Heaven Can Wait . The film stars Chris Rock as Lance Barton, a comedian who is killed before his time on...

, and a minor role in Bowfinger
Bowfinger
Bowfinger is a 1999 comedy cult film directed by Frank Oz. It depicts a down-and-out filmmaker in Hollywood attempting to make a film on a small budget with a star who does not know that he is in the film...

.

In 2002, Cho had a starring role in the ensemble cast of Better Luck Tomorrow
Better Luck Tomorrow
Better Luck Tomorrow is a 2002 crime-drama film directed by Justin Lin. The movie is about Asian American overachievers who become bored with their lives and enter a world of petty crime and material excess...

, a drama focusing on the travails of a group of Asian Americans living in Southern California who are academically successful but socially discontented, and as a result engage in wantonly violent, criminal behavior. He was cast in NBC's new comedy The Singles Table
The Singles Table
The Singles Table was an American comedy series that was originally considered for debut on NBC as a mid-season replacement in the 2006-2007 TV season...

in September 2006, but the series never aired due to changes in scheduling and production. In 2006 and 2009, Cho was selected as one of the sexiest men alive in People Magazine.

Cho appeared on July 2004 issue of KoreAm Journal
KoreAm Journal
KoreAm is an award-winning monthly magazine dedicated to news, commentary, politics, lifestyle and culture published in the United States. It is the oldest and most widely circulated English-language monthly magazine for the Asian American community. The magazine has featured prominent Asian...

. In 2007, Cho was added to the cast of Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...

as a recurring regular. Cho plays Kenny, a best friend of accountant Henry Grubstick
Henry Grubstick
Henry Grubstick is a fictional character in the American drama series Ugly Betty. He is played by Christopher Gorham.Henry's character is equivalent to Nicolás in Betty la fea. Henry and Nicolás have similar features. They are both tall, have dark brown hair, and wear square glasses...

 (played by Christopher Gorham
Christopher Gorham
Christopher David Gorham is an American actor.- Early life :Gorham was born in Fresno, California to David Gorham, a certified public accountant and Cathryn Gorham, a school nurse. He attended high school at Roosevelt School of the Arts and graduated from UCLA with a BA in Film & Theater Arts...

). Cho played helmsman Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by George Takei in the original Star Trek series, Sulu also appears in the animated Star Trek series, the first six Star Trek movies, one episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and in numerous books, comics, and video games...

 in J. J. Abrams
J. J. Abrams
Jeffrey Jacob "J. J." Abrams is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, director, actor, and composer. He wrote and produced feature films before co-creating the television series Felicity...

's feature film Star Trek.

Cho appeared in Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...

's "Be a Nigger Too" music video along with various celebrities, and had a guest appearance on the sitcom How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...

, in the episode "I'm Not That Guy
I'm Not That Guy
"I'm Not That Guy" is the sixth episode in the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and fiftieth overall. It originally aired on October 29, 2007.- Plot :...

".

In 2009–10, Cho starred in the TV series FlashForward
Flashforward
A flashforward is an interjected scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards are often used to represent events expected, projected, or imagined to occur in the future...

as FBI Special Agent Demetri Noh. His character was originally slated to be killed off during what turned out to be the show's only season, but after his turn as Sulu in Star Trek boosted his popularity, the producers revised the show's storyline so that he survived, in an attempt to boost declining ratings.

Musical career

He is the lead singer for Viva La Union (formerly known as Left of Zed), a Los Angeles band composed of former UCB and USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...

 students. They have one album, self-titled, while their song "Chinese Baby" is featured on the Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay soundtrack. Cho is also an avid practitioner of the trombone, spending much of his free time practicing Charlie Parker lines and singing in falsetto.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1997 Wag the Dog
Wag the Dog
Wag the Dog is a 1997 black comedy film starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro, co-starring Anne Heche, Denis Leary and William H. Macy about a Washington spin doctor who, merely days before a presidential election, distracts the electorate from a sex scandal by hiring a Hollywood film producer...

Aide #3
Shopping for Fangs
Shopping for Fangs
-Cast:* Radmar Jao as Phil* Jeanne Chin as Katherine* Clint Jung as Jim* Lela Lee as Naomi* John Cho as Clarance* Peggy Ahn as Grace* Scott Eberlein as Matt* Daniel Twyman as Dr. Suleri* Jennifer Hengstenberg as Sammi* Dana Pan as May...

Clarence Independent film
1998 Charmed
Charmed
Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...

Mark Chao TV series
Yellow Joey Independent film
1999 American Beauty Sale House Man #1
Bowfinger
Bowfinger
Bowfinger is a 1999 comedy cult film directed by Frank Oz. It depicts a down-and-out filmmaker in Hollywood attempting to make a film on a small budget with a star who does not know that he is in the film...

Nightclub Cleaner
American Pie
American Pie (film)
American Pie is a 1999 teen comedy film written by Adam Herz. American Pie was the directorial film debut of brothers Paul and Chris Weitz, and the first film in the American Pie film series...

John
2000 The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas is a 2000 comedy film and prequel to 1994's The Flintstones based on the hit cartoon series of the same name, produced by Amblin Entertainment and Hanna-Barbera and distributed by Universal Studios...

Parking Valet 
2001 American Pie 2
American Pie 2
American Pie 2 is a 2001 comedy film and sequel to American Pie and is the second film in the American Pie film series. It was written by Adam Herz and David H. Steinberg, and directed by J. B. Rogers. The film picks up the story of the four friends from the first film as they reunite during the...

John
Evolution
Evolution (film)
Evolution is a 2001 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and starring David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, Julianne Moore and Ted Levine...

Student
Off Centre
Off Centre
Off Centre is an American sitcom that aired on The WB network from October 14, 2001 to October 31, 2002. Created by Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz, and Danny Zuker, the series was heavily promoted as "from the guys who brought you American Pie".-Synopsis:...

Chau Presley TV series
Down to Earth
Down to Earth (2001 film)
Down to Earth is a 2001 comedy film directed by Chris and Paul Weitz. It is the third film adaptation based on Harry Segall's stageplay Heaven Can Wait, preceded by Here Comes Mr. Jordan and Heaven Can Wait . The film stars Chris Rock as Lance Barton, a comedian who is killed before his time on...

Phil Quon
Pavilion of Women Fengmo Wu
2002 Better Luck Tomorrow
Better Luck Tomorrow
Better Luck Tomorrow is a 2002 crime-drama film directed by Justin Lin. The movie is about Asian American overachievers who become bored with their lives and enter a world of petty crime and material excess...

Steve Choe
Solaris
Solaris (2002 film)
Solaris is a 2002 science fiction film and psychological drama directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney and Natascha McElhone...

DBA Emissary #1
Big Fat Liar
Big Fat Liar
Big Fat Liar is a 2002 American teen comedy film directed by Shawn Levy, written and produced by Dan Schneider and Brian Robbins, and starring Frankie Muniz, Paul Giamatti, and Amanda Bynes...

Dustin Wong
2003 American Wedding
American Wedding
American Wedding is a 2003 comedy film that is a sequel to American Pie and American Pie 2 as part of the American Pie series. It was written by Adam Herz and directed by Jesse Dylan...

John
Kim Possible
Kim Possible
Kim Possible is an American animated television series about a teenage crime fighter who has the task of dealing with worldwide, family, and school issues every day. The show is action-oriented, but also has a light-hearted atmosphere and often lampoons the conventions and clichés of the...

Hirotaka (voice) TV series
2004 In Good Company Petey
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle is a 2004 American stoner film and the first installment in the Harold & Kumar series...

Harold Lee
See This Movie
See This Movie
See This Movie is a 2005 comedy movie written by David M. Rosenthal and Joseph Matthew Smith, and directed by Rosenthal. The film stars Seth Meyers and John Cho, and also features Jessica Paré, Jim Piddock, and Jessalyn Gilsig, with cameo appearances by Patton Oswalt, Miguel Arteta, and the film's...

Larry Finkelstein
2005 House, M.D. Harvey Park TV series
Kitchen Confidential
Kitchen Confidential (TV series)
Kitchen Confidential is an American television sitcom that debuted on September 19, 2005 on the Fox network, based on Anthony Bourdain's New York Times bestselling book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly...

Teddy Wong TV series
2006 American Dreamz
American Dreamz
American Dreamz is a 2006 comedy/parody film that satirizes both American politics and popular entertainment.Director/producer/writer Paul Weitz has stated that the movie is meant to satirize both the TV show American Idol and the Bush Administration...

Frank Ittles
Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas
Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas
Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas is a 2006 film directed by Scott Lew, starring Patrick Fugit and Olivia Wilde.-Plot:Bickford Shmeckler is a lonely college student who keeps a journal of his philosophical ideas and theories. One night, during a party, his book is stolen by an inebriated Sarah Witt ...

Tom
American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...

Vince Chung TV series
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...

Marshall Stone TV series
2007 West 32nd
West 32nd
West 32nd is a 2007 film and the second feature film by Michael Kang. The film stars John Cho, Jun-Seong Kim, Grace Park, Jane Kim and Jeong Jun-ho....

John Kim
Smiley Face
Smiley Face (film)
Smiley Face is a 2007 American/German comedy film written by Dylan Haggerty and directed and co-produced by Gregg Araki. It stars Anna Faris as a young woman who has a series of misadventures after eating a large number of cupcakes laced with cannabis...

Mikey
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...

Jefferson Coatsworth TV series
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...

Kenny TV series
'Til Death
'Til Death
’Til Death is an American sitcom which aired on the Fox network from September 7, 2006, to June 20, 2010. The series was created by husband-and-wife team Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, who were also the writers and executive-producers...

Vice Principal TV series
2008 Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Peter Sollett and starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. Written by Lorene Scafaria and based on the novel of the same name by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, the story tells of teenagers Nick and Norah , who meet when...

Hype Man
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay Harold Lee
2009 Star Trek Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by George Takei in the original Star Trek series, Sulu also appears in the animated Star Trek series, the first six Star Trek movies, one episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and in numerous books, comics, and video games...

 
FlashForward
Flashforward
A flashforward is an interjected scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards are often used to represent events expected, projected, or imagined to occur in the future...

Demetri Noh TV series
Saint John of Las Vegas
Saint John of Las Vegas
Saint John of Las Vegas is a 2009 American comedy-drama film starring Steve Buscemi, Romany Malco, and Sarah Silverman.The film, directed and written for the screen by Hue Rhodes and produced by Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci, and Spike Lee, follows an ex-gambler as he takes a road trip with his new...

Carnival Human Torch
2011 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...

Lorne TV series
NTSF:SD:SUV:: Chip TV series
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas Harold Lee
2012 American Reunion
American Reunion
For the fourth installment in the American Pie series, see American Pie Presents: Band CampAmerican Reunion is an upcoming comedy film written and directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg...

John
Total Recall
Total Recall (2012 film)
Total Recall is an upcoming science-fiction action film based on the 1990 film of the same name and the 1966 novelette We Can Remember It for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick. It is directed by Len Wiseman and written by Mark Bomback, James Vanderbilt and Kurt Wimmer. It was first announced in 2009...

McClane
Star Trek 2
Star Trek 2 (2013 film)
Star Trek XII is a planned film sequel to 2009's Star Trek currently untitled and in the pre-production stages. The sci-fi action film is scheduled to enter production in January 2012 and is due to be directed by J.J. Abrams.-Development:...

Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by George Takei in the original Star Trek series, Sulu also appears in the animated Star Trek series, the first six Star Trek movies, one episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and in numerous books, comics, and video games...

 

External links

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