Sung Kang (born April 8, 1972) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Han Lue in The Fast and the Furious film franchise. He played Lieutenant Yoshi Tanaka in the 2018 series Magnum P.I.
Early Life[]
Kang was born in Gainesville, Georgia, to South Korean immigrant parents and spent his adolescence in California. He attended the University of California, Riverside. 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.
Career[]
His first major role was in Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), in which he played Han Hu, an aloof gang member. He was one of the stars in The Motel, in which he played Sam Kim. He played the recurring character Han Lue in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, and Fast & Furious 6, as well as the short film Los Bandoleros. 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, in which he is conversant. The character Tae Kim was written specifically for him by creator Chris Morgan, who had worked on the Fast & Furious film franchise.
Business Ventures[]
He owned a restaurant called Saketini in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, which closed in early 2013.
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. 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.
Appearances[]
| Magnum P.I., Season 1 | |||||||||
| "I Saw the Sun Rise": | "From the Head Down": | "The Woman Who Never Died": | "Six Paintings, One Frame": | "Sudden Death": | "Death Is Only Temporary": | "The Cat Who Cried Wolf": | |||
| Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | |||
| "Die He Said": | "The Ties That Bind": | "Bad Day to Be a Hero": | "Nowhere to Hide": | "Winner Takes All": | "Day of the Viper": | "I, The Deceased": | |||
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | |||
| "Day the Past Came Back": | "Murder Is Never Quiet": | "Black Is the Widow": | "A Kiss Before Dying": | "Blood in the Water": | "The Day It All Came Together": | ||||
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | ||||