Rick Yune
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Rick Yune (born August 22, 1971)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, and martial artist of Korean descent. His most notable roles have been in the movies Snow Falling on Cedars, the first Fast & Furious film The Fast and the Furious, the James Bond movie Die Another Day, and Olympus Has Fallen. He was part of the main cast of the Netflix original series Marco Polo.
Early lifeEdit
Yune was born in Washington, D.C. to mother Park Wonhui and father Yun Taeho,<ref name="Rick Yune">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> who were both Korean.<ref name="Rick Yune"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His younger brother is actor Karl Yune.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Yune was educated at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School (Olney, Maryland) and St. John's College High School. In 1994, he received his degree in finance from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.<ref name="interview #1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Yune was one of the original hedge fund traders for SAC Capital but left to pursue entrepreneurial ventures.<ref name="interview #1"/><ref name="interview #2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Yune practices many forms of martial arts,<ref name="interview #2"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Template:Webarchive</ref> but he excels in Taekwondo (in which he holds a black belt) and Boxing (he is a former Golden Gloves boxer).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He changed the spelling of his last name from "Yun" to "Yune" for Screen Actors Guild (SAG) purposes.<ref name="interview #2"/>
CareerEdit
While 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 for Versace and Ralph Lauren's Polo.<ref name="interview #1"/><ref name="interview #2"/><ref name="interview #3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Yune made his film debut in 1999, playing Kazuo Miyamoto, a Japanese-American war hero accused of killing a respected fisherman (played by Daniel von Bargen) in the close-knit community, in director Scott Hicks' film adaptation of David Guterson's post-World War II novel, Snow Falling on Cedars.<ref name="interview #1"/><ref name="interview #2"/><ref name="interview #3"/>
Yune co-starred as Johnny Tran, a Vietnamese gang leader and the rival of Vin Diesel's character, in the 2001 film The Fast and the Furious.
In 2002, Yune portrayed Zao, a North Korean terrorist who works for the Korean People's Army, opposite Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry, in the James Bond film Die Another Day.<ref>Patton, Phil (November 10, 2002). "The Spy Who Drove Me". The New York Times.</ref> That year Yune was voted one of People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Yune appeared in the 2004 video "Call U Sexy" by the band VS, as well as in Someone (1997) by SWV, featuring Sean "Puffy" Combs.
Yune appeared in two 2005 episodes of ABC's spy series Alias, playing a modern-day samurai Kazu Tamazaki who is hunted down by Jennifer Garner as Sydney. He also appeared as a guest in an episode of ABC's legal dramedy series Boston Legal and the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
He produced, and starred as a Thai assassin in, the action/adventure movie The Fifth Commandment, directed by Jesse V. Johnson and also stars Keith David and Bokeem Woodbine.
Yune starred with Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu in the 2012 martial arts film, The Man with the Iron Fists.<ref>"The Man With The Iron Fists: Rick Yune On His Character". The New York Times. May 6, 2001.</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2013, Yune played Kang Yeon-Sak, a North Korean ultra-nationalist and ex-terrorist mastermind who plans a terrorist attack on the White House, in the action thriller Olympus Has Fallen, opposite Gerard Butler.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
In 2014, Yune took on the role of Kaidu, a Mongol Khan, in the historical drama series Marco Polo. Yune reprised his role in the second season, which was released in 2016. In 2025, he made his debut in Indian cinema in L2: Empuraan, as the enigmatic figure in the poster with a red dragon printed on a coat.
Other workEdit
Yune is a board member of the Center for Global Dialogue and Cooperation<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and an ambassador for the Princess Charlene Foundation of Monaco.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
FilmographyEdit
| 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, The X-Blade | |
| 2013 | Olympus Has Fallen | Kang Yeonsak | |
| 2019 | Alita: Battle Angel | Master Clive Lee | |
| 2020 | Jiu Jitsu | Captain Sand | |
| 2023 | Tetris | Bank Manager | |
| 2025 | Empuraan | Shenlong Shen | Debut In Indian Malayalam Film Industry Cinema |
| TBA | L3: The Beginning | Shenlong Shen | Indian Malayalam Film Industry Cinema |
| TBA | Somebody's Girl | Danny Pak |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Another World | Assistant District Attorney | 1 Episode |
| 2000 | Any Day Now | Tuan | Episode: "The Dust of Life" |
| 2001 | The Division | Episode: "Partners in Crime" | |
| 2005 | Alias | Kazu Tamazaki | Episode: "Authorized Personnel Only" |
| Boston Legal | Troi Ran | Episode: "'Til We Meat Again" | |
| 2006 | CSI | Mr. Hsing | Episode: "Toe Tags" |
| 2011 | Futurestates | Jonathan Park | Episode: "Remigration" |
| 2013 | Hawaii Five-O | Han Ji-Woon | Episode: "Olelo Pa'a (The Promise)" |
| 2014–2016 | Marco Polo | Kaidu | Main role |
| 2017 | Prison Break | Ja | Recurring cast: season 5 |
| 2023 | Wu-Tang: An American Saga | Cyrus | Episode: "Liquid Swords" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Scarface: The World is Yours | citation | CitationClass=web
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ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0950935
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