Rick Yune
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Rick Yune
Biography
With picture-perfect good looks and a genuinely warm and personable smile, it's little wonder that actor Rick Yune began his career in front of the camera as a model. And though the former stock trader may not have anticipated an entertainment career while studying at Philadelphia's Wharton School of Business, his subsequent training at the Actor's Studio found him developing his acting skills and embarking on a successful Hollywood run. Born in Washington, DC, in August 1971, Yune's early love of tae kwon do found the future actor qualifying for the Olympics at the age of 19. Following his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994, he pursued a career in business by attending Wharton. It was there that he was discovered by an agent while on his way to a job interview, which led to him becoming the first Asian model to work for Versace and Polo Sports. With Yune's comfort level and confidence in front of the camera steadily increasing, it wasn't long before the successful model was considering an acting career. Following years at the Actor's Studio, he began landing small television roles before making a transition to feature films with Snow Falling on Cedars (1999). Although his role was a fairly substantial one, it was his next film, The Fast and the Furious (2001), that found the late-blooming actor gaining widespread recognition in Hollywood, which later worked to Yune's advantage when he went toe-to-toe with James Bond in Die Another Day. ~ Jason Buchanan, RoviFilmography:
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Rick Yune
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Rick Yune
| Rick Yune | |
|---|---|
 Rick Yune in 2007 |
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| Born | Richard Yun August 22, 1971 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, screenwriter, producer |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 윤성식 |
| Hanja | 尹成式 |
| Revised Romanization | Yun Seong-sik |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yun Sŏngsik |
Rick Yune (Korean: 윤성식, born August 22, 1971) is an actor, screenwriter, producer, and martial artist.[1]
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Contents
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Early life
Rick Yune was born Richard Yun in Washington D.C. His younger brother is actor Karl Yune. Yune was educated at Good Council Catholic High School, Silver Spring, Maryland, and St John's Military School. In 1994, he received his MBA degree from Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To raise cash for his studies, he tried several jobs, including as a hedge fund trader for SAC capital, and was persuaded to become a photographic model in his spare time.
Yune practices many forms of martial arts, having reached Olympic standard in Taekwondo and being a serious contender for the US team when he was 19.[2] He changed the spelling of his last name from "Yun" to "Yune" for Screen Actors Guild (SAG) purposes.
Career
Modeling
While studying at Wharton School of Business, Rick Yune worked as an intern on Wall Street trading stocks during summer 1992. During that time, he was "discovered" by a modeling agent and soon became the first Asian-American featured in advertisements for Versace and Ralph Lauren's Polo.
Music videos
Yune appeared in the video Call U Sexy (2004), by the band VS, as well as in Someone (1997) by SWV, featuring Sean "Puffy" Combs.
Television
Yune could also be seen in two 2005 episodes of ABC's spy-fi series Alias, playing a modern-day samurai named Kazu Tamazaki who was hunted down by Jennifer Garner's Sydney. He also appeared as a guest in an episode of ABC's legal dramedy series Boston Legal and the popular, Emmy award-winning CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Films
The newcomer made his film debut in 1999, playing Kazuo Miyamoto, a Japanese-American war hero accused of killing a respected fisherman (played by Daniel von Bargen) in the close-knit community, in director Scott Hicks' film adaptation of David Guterson's post-WWII novel, Snow Falling on Cedars. The film that also starred Ethan Hawke received Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography.
Yune co-starred as Johnny Tran, the ruthless leader of a Vietnamese gang and the rival of Vin Diesel's character, in the 2001 Rob Cohen-directed car-racing film The Fast and the Furious, which also starred Paul Walker. Although met with mixed reviews, the film was an unexpected summer hit and became one of the most well-known movies around the turn of the millennium, and introduced modified Japanese compacts into American popular culture.
In the next year, Yune was launched to the spotlight after portraying James Bond villain Zao, opposite Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry, in the 20th 007 feature Die Another Day, helmed by Lee Tamahori. Chosen for the part at age 31, Yune became the youngest Bond villain ever in the franchise. While he admitted he was intimidated the first time he stepped onto the set, he realized the best thing to do was just bear down and try his hardest. He said, "History will tell where I stand in the ranks of Bond villains, I have no control over that. I was worried about being the nut that ruined forty years of history."
About the film itself, Yune commented, "This is the Bond of the new millennium. Everything is updated, from the action sequences to the interaction between the characters. All the elements reflect changes that have occurred in the world in recent years. It's still within the spirit of Bond. It's just a little smarter than some of the things that have been done before. Since I was a kid I've wanted to be in a Bond movie. It's a rare thing when a father and son can share the same experience. My father and I have seen all nineteen films together, two or three times. They've meant so many things to me at so many different times."
In 2008, Yune wrote, produced, and starred (as a Bangkok assassin) in the action/adventure movie The Fifth Commandment, directed by Jesse V. Johnson and also stars Keith David and Bokeem Woodbine.
Yune is set to star along with Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu in the upcoming 2012 martial arts film, The Man with the Iron Fist, directed by RZA and written by Eli Roth.[3]
Other
Yune was voted one of People magazine's Sexiest Men in 2002.[4]
Additionally, he provided his voice for the video game "Scarface: The World Is Yours" (2006), based on and is a quasi-sequel to the 1983 motion picture "Scarface" starring Al Pacino.
Yune is a Board member of the Center for Global Dialogue and Cooperation. (WWW.CGDC.EU)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Man with the Iron Fists | Zen Yi | |
| 2011 | China-Town | Man | |
| 2011 | Remigration | Jonathan Park | |
| 2009 | Ninja Assassin | Takeshi | |
| 2009 | Beyond Remedy | Dr. Lee | |
| 2008 | Alone in the Dark II | Edward Carnby | |
| 2008 | The Fifth Commandment | Chance Templeton | |
| 2002 | Die Another Day | Zao | |
| 2001 | The Fast and the Furious | Johnny Tran | |
| 2001 | The Fence | Lucky Chang | |
| 1999 | Snow Falling on Cedars | Kazuo Miyamoto | |
| 1998 | Nathan Grimm | Unknown role | Extra |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | CSI | Hong Hsing | 1 episode |
| 2005 | Boston Legal | Troi Ran | 1 episode |
| 2005 | Alias | Kazu Tamazaki | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | The Division | unknown role | 1 episode |
| 2000 | Any Day Now |
References
- ^ "The New York Times". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/person/531437/Rick-Yune. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
- ^ Lesley Jackson. "Rick Yune Interview". Martialedge.net. http://www.martialedge.net/articles/interviews-question-and-answers/rick-yune/. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
- ^ "Rick Yune Stars With Russell Crowe in Eli Roth's 'Man With an Iron Fist". thewrap.com. 2011-03-22. http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/rick-yune-starring-russell-crowe-and-lucy-liu-just-wrapped-movie-25721. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
- ^ "Sexiest Pop Sensation - Sexiest Man Alive, Enrique Iglesias". People.com. 2002-12-02. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20138634,00.html. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
External links
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Mentioned in
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
(2009 Action Film)
The Fast and the Furious
(2001 Action Film)
Snow Falling on Cedars
(1999 Drama Film)
Die Another Day
(2002 Action Film)
Ninja Assassin
(2009 Action Film)
» More