Rick Yune Biography

RICK YUNE

Birth Name: Patrick Yun

Date of Birth: 1971

Actor Rick Yune would never have guessed he would end up in front of a camera as an actor. Born and raised in the States, Yune grew up in a black neighborhood near D.C. As the only Asian kid on the block, Yune got into a lot of fights. His parents sent him to military school and then to a Roman Catholic school. He got a black belt in tae kwon do and the fights continued. His skill became so refined that at age 19 he qualified for the Olympics.

Inspired by his uncle who was the first in his family to attend a prestigious college and become a doctor, Yune went to the University of Pennsylvania. "I went to undergrad at Wharton, and did an internship at Merrill Lynch in New York. At Wharton, everyone wants to be a trader; nobody wants to be a banker. So I went and got a Wall Street Internship where you meet all the firms."

Paying for his own way through college, Yune started up his own trading firm. Also considering law school as an option, Yune went to a law office to try and find work. On his way to the interview he was spotted by a modeling agent while in the elevator. The meeting ended up in work and money to pay off his educational fees. The job was also an honor as he became the first Asian male to model for Versace and Polo.

Never really interested in a modeling career, Yune returned to school. But the exposure to media did give him a taste of a more 'spur-of-the-moment' lifestyle, and after doing work on a number of commercials, he took professional acting classes and auditioned for small roles in Another World as well as work on stage. Eventually he tried out for the part of Kazuo Miyamoto in the feature film Snow Falling on Cedars. After five callbacks he got the part.

He followed up the success of Snow with two more films, The Fast and the Furious and The Fence.

Filmography:

Bond 20 (2002)
The Fence (2001)
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
Snow Falling on Cedars (2000)