Steven Yeun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Steven Yeun
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Yeun in 2025
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| Born |
Sang-yeop Yeun
December 21, 1983 Seoul, South Korea
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| Citizenship |
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| Alma mater | Kalamazoo College (BA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Joana Pak
(m. 2016) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul |
연상엽
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| RR | Yeon Sangyeop |
| MR | Yŏn Sangyŏp |
Steven Yeun (born December 21, 1983) is an American actor. He became very well-known for playing Glenn Rhee in the TV show The Walking Dead from 2010 to 2016. He also earned great praise for his roles in the films Burning (2018) and Minari (2020). For Minari, he made history as the first East Asian-American actor to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
In 2021, Time magazine recognized him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. More recently, in 2023, Steven Yeun starred in and produced the Netflix series Beef. For his work on Beef, he won Primetime Emmy Awards for both Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Lead Actor.
Steven Yeun has also appeared in other popular films like Okja (2017), Sorry to Bother You (2018), The Humans (2021), and Nope (2022). He is also a talented voice actor. He has lent his voice to main characters in animated shows such as Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016–2018), Tales of Arcadia (2016–2021), Final Space (2018–2021), Tuca & Bertie (2019–2022), and Invincible (2021–present).
Contents
About Steven Yeun
His Early Life
Steven Yeun was born as Sang-yeop Yeun in Seoul, South Korea, on December 21, 1983. His parents are Je and June Yeun. When he was five years old, in 1988, his family moved to Canada. They lived in Regina, Saskatchewan for a while. He attended Ruth M. Buck Elementary School there. Steven also has a younger brother named Brian.
Later, his family moved to the United States. They settled in Michigan, first in Taylor, Michigan, and then in Troy, Michigan. Troy is a suburb of Detroit. Steven lived there until he finished Troy High School in 2001. At home, his family always spoke Korean. His parents owned beauty-supply stores in Detroit. They started calling him "Steven" after meeting a doctor with that name.
Starting His Acting Journey
Steven went to Kalamazoo College and earned a degree in psychology in 2005. He also studied neuroscience. While in college, a friend took him to an improv comedy show. This show inspired him to try acting. He took his first acting class and later moved to Chicago. There, he joined a famous comedy group called The Second City.
Becoming a Star
The Walking Dead and Big Success
Steven Yeun told his parents he wanted to be an improv actor in Chicago. They were not thrilled but supported him for two years. He moved to Chicago in 2005. He joined an Asian American sketch comedy group called Stir Friday Night. Later, he joined The Second City before moving to Los Angeles in 2009.
His biggest role came when he was cast as Glenn Rhee in The Walking Dead. This was a very popular TV show on AMC. It was based on a comic book series. The story is about a group of people trying to survive in a world filled with zombies.
The Walking Dead became one of the most-watched shows on cable TV. Steven's character, Glenn, was a key part of the show's success. He grew from a brave young man to a true hero. Steven left the show in 2016 after the start of its seventh season.
Moving to Movies and Voice Acting
After The Walking Dead, Steven Yeun started working on many films. In 2017, he starred in the action-horror film Mayhem. He also appeared in the action-adventure film Okja, which was shown at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. He also voiced the character Bo in the animated movie The Star.
In 2018, Steven co-starred in the unique comedy Sorry to Bother You. He also played Ben in the South Korean mystery film Burning. His acting in Burning received a lot of praise and several awards. He won Best Supporting Actor from many film critic groups. In 2019, he appeared in an episode of the new The Twilight Zone series.
Steven is also a busy voice actor. He voiced Avatar Wan in The Legend of Korra (2013). He was Steve Palchuk in the Tales of Arcadia series (2016–2020). He also voiced Keith in Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016–2018). Other voice roles include Little Cato in Final Space (2018–2021) and Speckle in Tuca & Bertie (2019–2022). Since 2021, he has voiced the main hero, Mark Grayson, in the animated superhero series Invincible.
Award-Winning Roles
In 2020, Steven Yeun starred in and helped produce the film Minari. This movie tells the story of a Korean immigrant family who become farmers in Arkansas. Steven used his own experiences as an immigrant to help his acting. The film won top awards at the Sundance Film Festival. Steven was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role. This was a historic moment for East Asian-American actors. He was also nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.
In 2021, Time magazine included him in their annual list of the 100 most influential people. In 2022, he co-starred in Jordan Peele's science fiction horror film Nope. He played Ricky "Jupe" Park, who owned a fictional theme park.
In 2023, Steven Yeun starred with Ali Wong in the Netflix dark comedy series Beef. He also worked as an executive producer for the show. For his amazing performance, he won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. He was the second person of Asian descent to win the Golden Globe in this category.
Beyond Acting
Personal Life
Steven Yeun married photographer Joana Pak on December 3, 2016. They live in Los Angeles and have two children together. He is a big fan of the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings sports teams. He also supported a politician in the 2020 U.S. election.
Film and TV Roles
Here is a list of some of the films and TV shows Steven Yeun has been a part of:
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Kari Files | Chip | Short film | |
| My Name Is Jerry | Chaz | |||
| 2010 | Carpe Millennium | Kevin | Short film | |
| Blowout Sale | Customer | |||
| 2014 | I Origins | Kenny | ||
| 2015 | Like a French Film | Steve | ||
| 2017 | Okja | K | ||
| Mayhem | Derek Cho | |||
| The Star | Bo | Voice | ||
| 2018 | Sorry to Bother You | Squeeze | ||
| Burning | Ben | |||
| 2019 | Naysayer | Ian | Short film | |
| 2020 | Minari | Jacob Yi | Also executive producer | |
| 2021 | Space Jam: A New Legacy | Warner Bros. Executive | Cameo appearance | |
| Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans | Steve Palchuk | Voice | ||
| The Humans | Richard | |||
| 2022 | Nope | Ricky "Jupe" Park | ||
| 2024 | Love Me | Iam / Liam | ||
| 2025 | Bubble & Squeak | Bkofl | Also producer | |
| Mickey 17 | Timo | |||
| Crash Site | Max | Short film | ||
| 2026 | The Rip | Det. Mike Ro | ||
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender  |
Zuko | Voice; in production | ||
| Animals |
TBA | Post-production |
Television Shows
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Big Bang Theory | Sebastian | Episode: "The Staircase Implementation" | |
| 2010–2016, 2020, 2022 |
The Walking Dead | Glenn Rhee | 73 episodes | |
| 2011 | Law & Order: LA | Ken Hasui | Episode: "Hayden Tract" | |
| Warehouse 13 | Gibson Rice | Episode: "Don't Hate the Player" | ||
| 2012 | NTSF:SD:SUV:: | Ricky Meeker | Episode: "16 Hop Street" | |
| Harder Than it Looks | Steven | Episode: "Lockdown" | ||
| 2013 | The Legend of Korra | Avatar Wan | Voice, 3 episodes | |
| Filthy Preppy Teen$ | Martin | Pilot | ||
| 2014 | Drunk History | Daniel Inouye | Episode: "Hawaii" | |
| American Dad! | Charles | Voice, episode: "Blagsnarst, a Love Story" | ||
| Comedy Bang! Bang! | Himself | Episode: "Steven Yeun Wears Rolled Up Black Jeans & No Socks" | ||
| 2016–2018 | Voltron: Legendary Defender | Keith | Voice, 64 episodes | |
| Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia | Steve Palchuk | Voice, 28 episodes | ||
| 2017–2018 | Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters | Nathan Park / Wingspan additional voices |
Voice, 24 episodes | |
| 2017 | Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ | Eric | Episode: "Disaster Drills" | |
| Robot Chicken | Glenn Rhee | Voice, episode: "The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who's Walking" | ||
| 2018–2021 | Final Space | Little Cato Additional voices |
Voice, 36 episodes | |
| 2018–2019 | 3Below: Tales of Arcadia | Steve Palchuk | Voice, 19 episodes | |
| 2019 | Weird City | Barsley | Episode: "Chonathan & Mulia & Barsley & Phephanie" | |
| The Twilight Zone | A. Traveler | Episode: "A Traveler" | ||
| I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson | Jacob | Episode: "Has This Ever Happened To You?" | ||
| 2019–2022 | Tuca & Bertie | Speckle | Voice, 30 episodes, also producer | |
| 2020 | Wizards: Tales of Arcadia | Steve Palchuk | Voice, 10 episodes | |
| 2021–present | Invincible | Mark Grayson / Invincible | Voice, 31 episodes | |
| 2023 | Beef | Danny Cho | Main role, also executive producer |
Music Videos
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | "Fire" | Park Jin-young (feat. Conan O'Brien & Jamie) |
Video Games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Crysis | North Korean soldier 2 | Voice |
| 2008 | Crysis Warhead | ||
| 2017 | DreamWorks Voltron VR Chronicles | Keith |
Awards and Recognitions
Steven Yeun has received many awards and nominations throughout his career. For his main role in Minari (2020), he was nominated for an Academy Award, an Independent Spirit Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor. For his work on Beef (2023), he won two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and two Critics' Choice Television Awards. He also received nominations for two Independent Spirit Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Beef.
See also
In Spanish: Steven Yeun para niños
