Steve Park (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Steve Park is a Korean-American comedian
. Originally a stand-up
comedian, his best known work includes being a cast member of In Living Color
during the 1991-1992 season and the roles of Mike Yanagita in Fargo
, Sonny in Do The Right Thing
and Detective Brian in Falling Down
. During his run on In Living Color, he often portrayed Asian born characters, or spoofed people such as Yoko Ono
and Connie Chung
. He is married to another former cast member of In Living Color, Kelly Coffield
.
After witnessing a racist incident while doing a guest role on the show Friends
, he wrote a mission statement
requesting that mainstream media portray East Asian people in a more positive light rather than encourage hate towards them.
He played a secondary character, Mike Sorayama, in the Cartoon Network
Adult Swim
cartoon The Venture Bros.
He is now seen in advertising, most recently as a laboratory technician in a Schick Quattro Titanium Razor advertisement.
Park also had minor roles in critically acclaimed independent films, such as Rocket Science
(2007) and two Coen Brothers
movies, Fargo
(1996) and A Serious Man
(2009).
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
. Originally a stand-up
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
comedian, his best known work includes being a cast member of In Living Color
In Living Color
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
during the 1991-1992 season and the roles of Mike Yanagita in Fargo
Fargo (film)
Fargo is a 1996 American dark comedy-crime film produced, directed and written by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Frances McDormand as a pregnant police chief who investigates a series of homicides, William H...
, Sonny in Do The Right Thing
Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing is a 1989 American dramedy produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee, who is also a featured actor in the film. Other members of the cast include Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, and John Turturro. It is also notably the...
and Detective Brian in Falling Down
Falling Down
Falling Down is a 1993 crime-drama film directed by Joel Schumacher. The film stars Michael Douglas in the lead role of William Foster , a divorcee and unemployed former defense engineer...
. During his run on In Living Color, he often portrayed Asian born characters, or spoofed people such as Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
and Connie Chung
Connie Chung
Connie Chung, full name: Constance Yu-Hwa Chung Povich is an American journalist who has been an anchor and reporter for the U.S. television news networks NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and MSNBC. Some of her more famous interview subjects include Claus von Bülow and U.S...
. He is married to another former cast member of In Living Color, Kelly Coffield
Kelly Coffield Park
Kelly Coffield Park is an American actress and comedian. She is known for being one of two white members of the original cast in the sketch comedy television series In Living Color ....
.
After witnessing a racist incident while doing a guest role on the show Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, he wrote a mission statement
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
requesting that mainstream media portray East Asian people in a more positive light rather than encourage hate towards them.
He played a secondary character, Mike Sorayama, in the Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
cartoon The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros. is an American animated television series that premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on February 16, 2003. The series mixes action and comedy together while it chronicles the adventures of the Venture family: well-meaning but incompetent teenagers Hank and Dean Venture; their...
He is now seen in advertising, most recently as a laboratory technician in a Schick Quattro Titanium Razor advertisement.
Park also had minor roles in critically acclaimed independent films, such as Rocket Science
Rocket Science (film)
Rocket Science is a 2007 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Jeffrey Blitz, and starring Reece Thompson, Anna Kendrick, Nicholas D'Agosto, Vincent Piazza, and Aaron Yoo...
(2007) and two Coen Brothers
Coen Brothers
Joel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...
movies, Fargo
Fargo (film)
Fargo is a 1996 American dark comedy-crime film produced, directed and written by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Frances McDormand as a pregnant police chief who investigates a series of homicides, William H...
(1996) and A Serious Man
A Serious Man
A Serious Man is a 2009 dark comedy written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film stars Michael Stuhlbarg as a Minnesota Jewish man whose life crumbles both professionally and personally, leading to questions about his faith...
(2009).