Brian Tee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brian Tee
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![]() Tee in April 2011
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Born |
Jae-Beom Takata
高田 ジェボム March 15, 1977 Okinawa, Japan
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Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2000–present |
Spouse(s) | Mirelly Taylor |
Children | 1 |
Jae-Beom Takata, known professionally as Brian Tee, is an American actor. He was born in Okinawa, Japan, on March 15, 1977. When he was two years old, his family moved to California.
Brian Tee started his acting career in television in 2000. His first role was in the TV series The Pretender. He later appeared in popular shows like Entourage and Grey's Anatomy. He also had a repeating role on Zoey 101. From 2015 to 2022, Brian Tee was a main actor in the medical drama Chicago Med. He played Dr. Ethan Choi in the first eight seasons of the show.
In movies, Brian Tee is known for playing D.K. (Drift King) in the action film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006). He also appeared in The Wolverine (2013) and Jurassic World (2015). Other notable film roles include No Tears for the Dead (2014) and playing Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016). In 2013, he played Liu Kang in the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy. More recently, he played Xavier Quinn/Julius McCabe in the third season of the Amazon series Reacher.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Brian Tee was born Jae-Beom Takata in Okinawa, Japan, on March 15, 1977. His father was Japanese-American, and his mother was Korean. When he was two years old, his family moved to California. He grew up in Hacienda Heights, California.
He went to Glen A. Wilson High School. There, he was the president of the student body and the captain of the football team. He also worked at a pizza place during high school.
Brian Tee later went to the University of California, Berkeley. He studied theater and performing arts. After graduating, he chose the stage name Brian Tee. He did this because a director once told him his Japanese last name might make it harder for him to get certain roles.
Acting Career
Brian Tee has had many interesting roles in TV shows and movies.
Television Roles
He played Kazu, who owned a sushi restaurant, on the Nickelodeon show Zoey 101. He was also Eddie Choi in Crash. Brian Tee appeared as Akira Kimura on Grimm and Takeda on Burn Notice. He was also in an episode of Bones as Ken Nakamura.
From 2015 to 2022, Brian Tee was a main actor on the NBC medical drama Chicago Med. He played Dr. Ethan Choi, a doctor in the emergency room. He also appeared as the same character in related shows like Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D.. In October 2022, it was announced that he would leave Chicago Med after eight seasons.
In March 2024, Brian Tee joined the cast of Reacher for its third season. This season premiered in February 2025.
Movie Roles
One of Brian Tee's most famous movie roles was as "D.K." Takashi, also known as the "Drift King," in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006).
In The Wolverine (2013), he played Noburo Mori. This character was a minister who was supposed to marry the daughter of a Yakuza boss.
Brian Tee also played Hamada, a high-ranking commander, in the 2015 film Jurassic World. His character worked for the Asset Containment Unit (ACU).
In 2016, he took on the role of Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. This was a big role in the sequel to the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.
He also played coach Liang Chow in the television movie The Gabby Douglas Story, which aired in 2014.
Personal Life
Besides English, Brian Tee speaks Japanese very well and can speak Korean too. He is married to actress Mirelly Taylor. They have one daughter, who was born in 2015.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2000 | What Planet Are You From? | Alien | Uncredited |
2002 | We Were Soldiers | PFC. Jimmy Nakayama | |
Austin Powers in Goldmember | Japanese Pedestrian | ||
2004 | Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation | Cpl. Thom Kobe | |
2005 | Fun with Dick and Jane | Sushi Chef | |
2006 | All In | Rosenbloom Player 2 | |
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift | Takashi "D.K." | ||
2007 | Finishing the Game | Mac Chang | |
2008 | The Trade | Mr. Cho | |
2009 | Deadland | Jax | |
Chain Letter | Brian Yee | ||
Wedding Palace | Jason | ||
2013 | The Wolverine | Noburo Mori | |
2014 | The Gabby Douglas Story | Liang Chow | |
No Tears for the Dead | Chaoz | ||
2015 | Jurassic World | Hamada | |
2016 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | Oroku Saki/The Shredder | |
2017 | The Beautiful Ones | Casper | |
2025 | A House of Dynamite ![]() |
TBA | Post-production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2000 | The Pretender | Male Agent | Episode: "The Agent of Year Zero" |
The Invisible Man | Mallon | Episode: "The Value of Secrets" | |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Intern | Episode: "Family" | |
2001 | Family Law | DEA Agent | Episode: "Liar's Club: Part 1" |
18 Wheels of Justice | Host | Episode: "The Game" | |
The Chronicle | Neo | Episode: "Here There Be Dragons" | |
2002 | Flipside | Lance | Episode: "Pilot" |
2003 | JAG | North Korean Soldier | Episode: "Close Quarters" |
2004 | Passions | Young Asian Man | Episode: "#1.1217" |
Cracking Up | Frat Guy #1 | Episode: "Daddy's Home" | |
Monk | James Lu | Episode: "Mr. Monk Meets the Godfather" | |
Tiger Cruise | MA2 Chan | Television film | |
2005 | Without a Trace | Kirk | Episode: "Transitions" |
Wanted | Jin-Lee Park | Episode: "Rubbing One Out" | |
2005–08 | Zoey 101 | Kazu | 6 episodes |
2006 | The Unit | Rebel Leader | Episode: "200th Hour" |
Entourage | Fukijama's Bodyguard | Episode: "What About Bob?" | |
2007 | Grey's Anatomy | Andy Meltzer | 2 episodes |
Pandemic | Danny | Miniseries | |
2008 | Jericho | Cheung | Episode: "Patriots and Tyrants" |
2008–09 | Crash | Eddie Choi | 13 episodes |
2009 | Lie to Me | Han Yong-Dae | Episode: "Love Always" |
Bones | Ken Nakamura | Episode: "The Girl in the Mask" | |
Dark Blue | Kang | Episode: "K-Town" | |
2010 | Sym-Bionic Titan | Mike Chan (voice) | Episode: "Roar of the White Dragon" |
2011 | Burn Notice | Takeda | Episode: "Bloodlines" |
2012 | Shake It Up | Mr. Itou | Episode: "Made in Japan" |
2012–13 | Grimm | Akira Kimura | 3 episodes |
2013 | Hawaii Five-0 | Ryu Nabushi/Hideaki Kuroda | Episode: "Kupouli 'la" |
2014 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Toshiro Mori | Episode: "A Fractured House" |
One Christmas Eve | Dr. Chen | TV movie | |
2015 | Chicago P.D. | Jesse Kong | Episode: "The Three Gs" |
Baby Daddy | Tommy Kwan | Episode: "It Takes a Village Idiot" | |
2015–25 | Chicago Med | Dr. Ethan Choi | Main role (seasons 1–8) Director: 3 episodes (seasons 8–10) |
2016–18 | Chicago Fire | Recurring role | |
Chicago P.D. | |||
2018 | Lucifer | Ben Rogers | Episode: "Once Upon a Time" |
2021 | Star Wars: Visions | Ronin (voice) | Short film: The Duel: English language dub |
2024 | Expats | Clarke | Miniseries, main cast |
2025 | Reacher | Francis Xavier Quinn/Julius McCabe | Main role, season 3 |
TBA | The Scapegoat ![]() |
N/A | Anthology series, producer |
Web
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2013 | Mortal Kombat: Legacy | Liu Kang | 4 episodes |
Video games
Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
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2008 | Saints Row 2 | Jyunichi |
Music videos
Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
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2006 | "Conteo" | Don Omar | |
2008 | "Dance Like Michael Jackson" | Far East Movement |
See also
In Spanish: Brian Tee para niños