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 well-known for playing Louis Huang in the TV show Fresh Off the Boat (2015–2020). For this role, he was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award in 2016. He also gained fame for his part in the web series IKEA Heights.

Before these big roles, Park became popular by playing Steve, a funny replacement for Jim Halpert, in an episode of The Office. He also had a recurring role as Governor Danny Chung in the HBO comedy series Veep. Park co-starred in and helped write the Netflix romantic comedy film Always Be My Maybe (2019) with Ali Wong. He also directed the comedy-drama film Shortcomings (2023).

You might also know him as Agent Jimmy Woo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films like Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), and the miniseries WandaVision (2021). He played a future version of himself in the 2021 Dwayne Johnson comedy series Young Rock. Park also played North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the comedy film The Interview. In the DC Extended Universe films, he played Dr. Stephen Shin in 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 mother was an accountant at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and his father owned a photo store. Park went to Hamilton High School.

In 1993, Park started attending UCLA. While he was a student, he helped start "Lapu, the Coyote that Cares" in 1995. This was a theater group for Asian American students on campus, now known as the LCC Theatre Company. He says his time with LCC made him want to become a professional actor. He even wrote a play called Treehouse Bachelor Society, which was their first performance.

Park earned a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Asian American studies from UCLA in 1997. He stayed at UCLA to continue acting with LCC and finished his master's degree in Asian American studies in 1999. After college, he worked as a graphic designer for a newspaper for a few years.

Randall Park's Acting Journey

Starting Out (2001–2006)

After college, Randall Park co-founded a theater group called Propergander with friends from LCC. Their first play was in 2001. Around this time, Park also started doing stand-up comedy for fun in his backyard during Propergander shows. He was inspired by comedians like Mike Birbiglia and Mitch Hedberg.

Park made his first appearance on screen in the 2003 short film Dragon of Love. This film won an award at the 2003 Hawaii International Film Festival. He also co-wrote and starred in the movie American Fusion, which won an award in 2005.

Early in his career, Park didn't have a manager. He found acting jobs through special events at TV networks that showcased diverse talent. In 2006, he was part of the CBS Diversity Showcase. Even when he was on MTV's Wild 'n Out, he worked at Starbucks to earn extra money. In 2007, he was a regular actor on the reality show On the Lot.

Online Work and Growing Fame (2007–2013)

Around 2009, it was hard to find acting jobs, so Park started creating his own projects. He wrote a short film called Blueberry, which won an award for Best Actor in 2010.

Park had a recurring role as Martin Fukanaga on the TV show Supah Ninjas. He also worked on several projects with Wong Fu Productions, appearing in comedy skits and web series.

He also created, directed, wrote, and starred in several short internet series for Channel 101. These included Dr. Miracles, The Food, IKEA Heights, and Dumb Professor. In 2013, he wrote and starred in a series called Baby Mentalist, which featured his baby daughter. This show was very popular and was voted number one many times on Channel 101.

Mainstream Success (2014–Present)

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

In 2014, Park played a company representative in the movie Neighbors. The director of that film, Nicholas Stoller, later suggested Park for the role of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the film The Interview. Park gained over 20 pounds for the role and impressed the directors with his audition.

From 2015 to 2020, Park starred as Louis Huang in the ABC TV show Fresh Off the Boat. This show was about a Taiwanese American family. Park was the first actor chosen for the show. He was initially unsure about playing a Taiwanese father since he is of Korean heritage, but the show's creator, Eddie Huang, told him he was the perfect choice. The show ran for six seasons.

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

Park also produced and starred in the Netflix original film Always Be My Maybe with Ali Wong. He, along with Michael Golamco and Hieu Ho, started a production company called Imminent Collision in 2019, focusing on Asian American stories.

In 2022, Park starred in the Netflix comedy series Blockbuster. In January 2023, his first movie as a director, Shortcomings, was shown at the Sundance Film Festival. It was released in theaters in August 2023.

Other Creative Works

Randall Park was the lead singer for a hip-hop/jazz/rock band in Los Angeles called Ill Again. This band inspired his character's band, Hello Peril, in the movie Always Be My Maybe. He later formed another rap group called Novelists and released an album called Bookends in 2008.

In 2019, Park rapped with other artists in a video called "Housewarming Cypher." In 2020, he voiced a character named Eugene in the Cartoon Network show Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart. In 2022, he was featured in a song by rapper Lyrics Born called "This Song's Delicious."

Park has also appeared in commercials for companies like HBO Go, Ally Financial, and Verizon Droid.

Personal Life

Randall Park is married to actress Jae Suh Park. They have a daughter named Ruby, who was born in 2012. Ruby Louise even starred with her parents in a comedy web series her father created in 2013 called Baby Mentalist.

Randall Park has shared that his daughter, Ruby Louise, is autistic. He supports a non-profit organization called KultureCity, which helps make places more welcoming for people with invisible disabilities by focusing on sensory accessibility. Park is on KultureCity's board of directors.

Park is also a strong supporter of the East West Players theater group in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. He has publicly encouraged people to donate to the theater.

Awards and Recognition

• 2010 – Best Actor Award at NBC's Short Cuts Film Festival.
• 2011 – Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment New Writers Award.
• 2015 – Asian Pacific Alumni Alumnus of the Year Award.
• 2015 – V3Con Visibility Award.
• 2016 – Edward A. Dickson Alumnus of the Year.
• 2017 – Visionary Award by East West Players (EWP).
• 2022 – Nominated for a Children's and Family Emmy Award for Doogie Kameāloha, M.D..

Filmography

Film

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2005	Will Unplugged	Kevin
	American Fusion	Josh
2007	Universal Remote	The Sick Man / Asian Father
2008	Fix	Sam
2009	Winged Creatures	Resident
2010	Dinner for Schmucks	Henderson
	The 41 Year Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It
2011	Larry Crowne	Trainee Wong
	Our Footloose Remake	Ren McCormack
	The Good Doctor	Clerk
2012	The Five Year Engagement	Ming
2014	They Came Together	Martinson
	The Interview	Kim Jong Un
2015	Trainwreck	Bryson
	The Meddler	Officer Lee
	Everything Before Us	Randall
	The Night Before	Ethan's Boss
	Amigo Undead	Kevin Ostrowski
2016	The Hollars	Dr. Fong
	Office Christmas Party	Fred
2017	The Disaster Artist	Rob
	Snatched	Michael
	The 60 Yard Line	Trapper
	The House	Buckler
	The Lego Ninjago Movie	Chen the Cheerleader	Voice
	Dismissed	Mr. Sheldon
2018	The Samurai of Tsushima	Ganpei	Voice
	Ant-Man and the Wasp	Jimmy Woo
	Aquaman	Stephen Shin
2019	Long Shot	Boss
	Always Be My Maybe	Marcus Kim	Also writer, producer
	Straight Up	Wallace
2020	Valley Girl	Principal Evans
2021	PAW Patrol: The Movie	Butch	Voice
2022	The People We Hate at the Wedding	Russell
2023	Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania	Jimmy Woo	Cameo
	Shortcomings	Ji-Hun	Also director Feature directorial debut
	Strays	Hunter	Voice
	Totally Killer	Sheriff Dennis Lim
	Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom	Dr. Stephen Shin
2024	Shell	Randolph Chan
TBA	Night Always Comes		Post-production
	Eenie Meanie		Post-production

Television

Music videos

Web series

Discography

with Ill Again

• Self Titled (2004)

with Novelists

• Bookends (2008)

See also

In Spanish: Randall Park para niños