Randall Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Randall Park
Park in 2016
Born	(1974-03-23) March 23, 1974 (age 51) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	University of California, Los Angeles (BA, MA)
Occupation	Actor screenwriter producer director
Years active	2003–present
Spouse(s)	Jae Suh Park ​ (m. 2008)​
Children	1

Randall Park (born March 23, 1974) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is famous for his roles in many popular movies and TV shows.

You might know him as Agent Jimmy Woo from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He also played Louis Huang in the TV show Fresh Off the Boat. He was even nominated for an award for that role in 2016!

Before these big roles, Randall Park was known for playing Steve, also called "Asian Jim," in an episode of The Office. He also played Governor Danny Chung in the TV series Veep. He helped write and starred in the movie Always Be My Maybe (2019). He also directed the movie Shortcomings (2023).

Randall Park has been in several Marvel movies like Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). He also appeared in the miniseries WandaVision (2021). He played a future version of himself in the TV show Young Rock (2021). He also played Dr. Stephen Shin in the DC Extended Universe movies Aquaman (2018) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023).

Early Life and Education

Randall Park was born in Los Angeles, California. His parents were immigrants from Korea. He grew up in a neighborhood called Castle Heights, Los Angeles. His mom was an accountant at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His dad owned a photo store.

Park went to Hamilton High School. After that, he attended University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1993. While at UCLA, he helped start a theater group for Asian American students called "Lapu, the Coyote that Cares" in 1995. This group is now known as the LCC Theatre Company. He says his time with LCC made him want to become a professional actor.

He earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1997. He also got a master's degree in Asian American studies in 1999. After college, he worked as a graphic designer for a newspaper for a few years.

Becoming an Actor

Starting Out in Theater and Film

In 2001, Randall Park helped start another theater group called Propergander. He also began doing stand-up comedy shows in his backyard. He was inspired by comedians like Mike Birbiglia and Mitch Hedberg.

His first acting role on screen was in a short film called Dragon of Love in 2003. This film won an award at the Hawaii International Film Festival. He also co-wrote and starred in the movie American Fusion (2005), which also won an award.

Early in his career, he often found roles through special showcases for diverse actors. In 2006, he was part of the CBS Diversity Showcase. He even worked at Starbucks for a while to help pay his bills.

Online Videos and TV Roles

Around 2008, it was hard to find acting jobs. So, Randall Park started making his own projects. He wrote a short film called Blueberry, which won him an award for Best Actor in 2010.

He had a regular role as Martin Fukanaga in the TV show Supah Ninjas. He also worked on several projects with a group called Wong Fu Productions. He appeared in their comedy skits and films.

Randall Park also created, directed, and starred in many short internet series for Channel 101. These included Dr. Miracles, The Food, and IKEA Heights. In 2013, he made a series called Baby Mentalist which featured his baby daughter. This series was very popular online.

Mainstream Success

Park at a viewing party for Fresh Off the Boat in 2015

Randall Park became widely known after 2014. He played Governor Danny Chung in the HBO comedy Veep.

In 2014, he was in the movie Neighbors. He also played a character who turned out to be North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the movie The Interview. The directors were very impressed with his acting. He even gained over 20 pounds for the role! That same year, he starred in the comedy film ... Tape.

From 2015 to 2020, Park starred as Louis Huang in the ABC TV show Fresh Off the Boat. He played the dad in a Taiwanese American family. This show was very popular and ran for six seasons.

In 2018, he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as FBI Agent Jimmy Woo in Ant-Man and the Wasp. He returned as Jimmy Woo in the Disney+ series WandaVision (2021). He also played Dr. Stephen Shin in the DC Extended Universe movie Aquaman.

In 2019, Randall Park produced and starred in the Netflix original film Always Be My Maybe. He wrote the film with Ali Wong and Michael Golamco. The movie's hip-hop band, Hello Peril, was inspired by Park's own band from the 1990s.

In 2023, Randall Park made his debut as a director with the film Shortcomings. The movie was released in August 2023. In March 2025, he starred in the Netflix series The Residence as FBI Special Agent Edwin Park. He also plays the famous villain Moriarty in the CBS show Watson.

Other Projects

Randall Park was the lead singer for a hip-hop/jazz/rock band called Ill Again. This band inspired the fictional band Hello Peril in his movie Always Be My Maybe. He later formed another rap group called Novelists.

He has also lent his voice to animated shows. In 2020, he voiced Eugene in Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart. In 2022, he was featured in a song by rapper Lyrics Born.

You might have seen him in commercials for companies like HBO Go and Verizon.

Personal Life

Randall Park is married to actress Jae Suh Park. They have a daughter named Ruby, who was born in 2012. Ruby even starred with her parents in a comedy web series called Baby Mentalist.

Randall Park has shared that his daughter Ruby is autistic. He supports a non-profit organization called KultureCity. This group helps make places more welcoming for people with invisible disabilities and sensory needs. Randall Park is also on their board of directors.

He has returned to UCLA several times to give speeches to graduating students. He also supports the East West Players theater group in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles.

Randall Park has an older brother. His parents were not always sure about his acting career at first. But they supported him by letting him live at home. When he got the script for The Interview, his parents encouraged him to take the role.

Film and Television Roles

Here are some of the movies and TV shows Randall Park has been in:

Films

Television Shows

Music and Web Series

Music

With Ill Again

• Self Titled (2004)

With Novelists

• Bookends (2008)

Web Series

Awards and Recognition

• 2010 – Best Actor Award at NBC's Short Cuts Film Festival.
• 2015 – Asian Pacific Alumni Alumnus of the Year Award
• 2017 – Visionary Award by East West Players (EWP)
• 2022 – Nominated for a Children's and Family Emmy Award for Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.

See also

In Spanish: Randall Park para niños