Sung Kang is an American actor. He is best known for appearing in five films of the Fast & Furious franchise as Han Lue, a character he first portrayed in Better Luck Tomorrow.
Early life
Kang was born in Clarkston, Georgia to South Korean immigrant parents before moving to Gainesville, Georgia. He was raised by his Korean mother and African American stepfather. He moved to Barstow, California while in high school. Kang attended the University of California, Riverside. While in college he chose acting over law school, a decision which was met with disappointment from his parents due to their concerns over the lack of Asians on American television and lack of job prospects.
Career
His first major role was in Better Luck Tomorrow, in which he played Han Lue, an aloof gang member. He was one of the stars in The Motel, in which he played Sam Kim. He portrayed Han Seoul-Oh in The Fast and the Furiousfilm franchise, appearing in , Fast & Furious, Fast Five, and Fast & Furious 6, as well as the short filmLos Bandoleros. He also had a role in Jet Li's film War, playing an FBI agent, and was featured in the movie Forbidden Warrior as Doran, a son of Genghis Khan. He had a small role in the action movieLive Free or Die Hard, and he appeared in Walter Hill's movie Bullet to the Head as Detective Taylor Kwon, opposite Sylvester Stallone. Kang has had several notable television roles, including the recurring role of the narcissistic President Gin Kew Yun Chun Yew Nee in the Korean drama parody "Tae Do " alongside Bobby Lee on MADtv. He portrayed FBI Agent Tae Kim in the short-lived crime proceduralGang Related on FOX. Both roles required him to speak Korean, which he is conversant in. The character Tae Kim was written specifically for him by creator Chris Morgan, who had worked on the Fast & Furious film franchise. Kang started the YouTube channel "Sung's Garage" in January 2020, which hosts the videos for the podcast of the same name. Kang credits reporter Jen Yamato of the Los Angeles Times and her #JusticeForHan social media campaign for rallying public interest and bringing the character of Han Lue back to the Fast and the Furious franchise. Kang reprised his role as Han in F9.
Kang has said that, prior to his casting as Han in , he had been unaware of the drifting culture that existed in Japan. It was not until he began researching the part that he perfected his skills in this popular sport, which is a global craze. He stated that filming the Fast & Furious film franchise rekindled a long-dormant interest in cars; he had grown up watching an elderly neighbor restore vintage cars.
