John Cho facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Cho
Cho in 2024
Born	Cho Yo-Han (1972-06-16) June 16, 1972 (age 53) Seoul, South Korea
Nationality	American
Education	University of California, Berkeley (BA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1997–present
Spouse(s)	Kerri Higuchi ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	2

John Cho (born Cho Yo-Han; June 16, 1972) is an American actor. He is famous for playing Harold Lee in the Harold & Kumar movies. He also played Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek films.

John Cho made history as the first Asian American actor to lead a mainstream thriller movie in Hollywood. This was for his role in the film Searching. He was also the first Asian American actor to be a romantic lead in a romantic comedy TV series. This happened when he starred as Henry Higgs in the show Selfie.

Early Life and Education

John Cho was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1972. His family moved to the United States in 1978. They lived in several cities before settling in Los Angeles. His father was a minister.

Cho went to Herbert Hoover High School in Glendale, California. He graduated in 1990. After high school, he attended the University of California, Berkeley. He earned a degree in English literature in 1996.

Acting Career

After college, John Cho taught English literature for a while. He also started acting in plays in Los Angeles. He quickly began getting roles in TV shows and movies.

Early Roles

One of his early TV roles was in the fantasy series Charmed in 1998. He played a ghost named Mark Chao. Many people still remember him from this role.

He also starred in the TV comedy Off Centre from 2001 to 2002. His character, Chau Presley, was very popular. Cho also had supporting roles in movies like Evolution and Down to Earth.

Breakthrough Films

In 2002, John Cho starred in the movie Better Luck Tomorrow. This film was about a group of Asian American students. Critics really liked his performance.

He also played a film director named Dustin Wong in the movie Big Fat Liar. He worked with the director to make sure his character did not have a stereotypical accent.

Becoming a Star

John Cho became widely known for playing Harold Lee in the Harold & Kumar comedy movies. These films were very popular.

In 2009, he took on the role of helmsman Hikaru Sulu in the new Star Trek movie. This role made him even more famous. Critics praised his performance as Sulu.

Cho being interviewed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

From 2009 to 2010, Cho starred in the TV series FlashForward. He played an FBI agent named Demetri Noh. His character was supposed to die, but because of his growing popularity from Star Trek, the show's creators changed the story to keep him alive.

Making History on TV

In 2014, John Cho starred in the sitcom Selfie. He played Henry Higgs, a romantic lead. This was a big moment because he was the first Asian American man to play a romantic lead in a U.S. romantic comedy TV series. Many fans loved the show, even after it was canceled.

Recent Work

In 2017, he starred in the critically acclaimed film Columbus. The next year, in 2018, he starred in Searching. In this movie, he played a father looking for clues about his missing daughter online. This role made him the first Asian American actor to lead a major Hollywood thriller.

In 2019, Variety reported that Cho would play Spike Spiegel in a live-action TV series of Cowboy Bebop. The show premiered on Netflix in 2021.

John Cho also wrote a book for middle school readers called Troublemaker. It was released in 2022. In 2023, he joined the cast of the Apple TV+ comedy series The Afterparty. In 2024, he appeared in the TV show The Sympathizer and voiced an audiobook called Drop Dead. He also starred in the sci-fi horror film Afraid. He will make his first Korean drama appearance in Tempest in 2025.

Music Career

Besides acting, John Cho is also a musician. He is the lead singer for a Los Angeles garage rock band called Viva La Union. The band used to be called Left of Zed. They have released one album.

Personal Life

John Cho married actress Kerri Higuchi in 2006. They met while attending college. They have two children, a son born in 2008 and a daughter born in 2013. The family lives in Los Angeles, California.

In 2016, John Cho was part of a social media movement called "#StarringJohnCho". This campaign used Photoshop to put his face on movie posters where the lead role was usually played by a white actor. The goal was to show that there are not enough opportunities for Asian American actors in Hollywood.

Selected Filmography

Film

Television

Audiobooks

• Troublemaker (2022) - author and narrator
• Drop Dead (2024) - narrator

See also

In Spanish: John Cho para niños