Justin Jitae Chon (born May 29, 1981) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has directed three films, ''Gook'' (2017), '' Ms. Purple'' (2019), & ''

Blue Bayou "Blue Bayou" is a song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson. It was originally sung and recorded by Orbison, who had an international hit with his version in 1963. It later became Linda Ronstadt's signature song, with which she scored a Top 5 h ...

'' (2021). He is also known for portraying Eric Yorkie in '' The Twilight Saga'' film series. He is a member of the

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...

parody group

Boys Generally Asian Boys Generally Asian, also known by the acronym BgA, is an American K-pop parody group that was created by YouTube personality Ryan Higa. The group, which describes itself as "guys who can't sing, dance or really speak Korean", debuted in 2016 ...

Early life

Chon was born in

Garden Grove, California Garden Grove is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, located just southwest of Disneyland (located in Anaheim, CA). The population was 171,949 at the 2020 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, ...

, and raised in

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on ...

, where he attended University High School. Chon is of

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

descent. His father, Sang Chon, was an actor in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

and later a shoe wholesales owner in

Paramount, California Paramount is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 54,098, down from 55,266 at the 2000 census. Paramount is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area and is borde ...

. His mother is a pianist. He has a younger sister. Chon attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

(USC), where he majored in business. During college, he studied abroad at

Yonsei University Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the "SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in the ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, South Korea.

Career

Acting

Chon started acting in 2005 in shows such as ''

Jack & Bobby ''Jack & Bobby'' is an American drama television series created by Greg Berlanti, Vanessa Taylor, Steven A. Cohen, and Brad Meltzer. It aired on The WB from September 12, 2004, to May 11, 2005. The series’ title is a reference to real-life pol ...

'' and ''Taki & Luci''. He came to fame in 2006 when he played Peter Wu in the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

film '' Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior''. He also played Tony Lee in the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

sitcom ''

Just Jordan ''Just Jordan'' is an American television sitcom that aired on Nickelodeon as a part of the network's TEENick lineup. The series debuted on January 7, 2007, and was canceled on August 23, 2008, with 29 episodes produced. Since the series' cancel ...

''. In 2008, he played Eric Yorkie in the film ''

Twilight Twilight is light produced by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere, when the Sun is below the horizon, which illuminates the lower atmosphere and the Earth's surface. The word twilight can also refer to the periods of time when this il ...

'', based on the book by

Stephenie Meyer Stephenie Meyer (; née Morgan; born December 24, 1973) is an American novelist and film producer. She is best known for writing the vampire literature, vampire romance series ''Twilight (novel series), Twilight'', which has sold over 100 mill ...

. Chon reprised his role as Eric Yorkie in the ''Twilight'' sequel ''

New Moon In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude. At this phase, the lunar disk is not visible to the naked eye, except when it is silhouetted against the Sun during a solar eclipse. ...

''. He starred as the central character Jeff Chang, in the film '' 21 & Over'' in 2013. He also appeared in the independent film ''Innocent Blood'' that same year. In 2014, Chon appeared as a lead character in crime drama film ''

Revenge of the Green Dragons ''Revenge of the Green Dragons'' is a 2014 crime drama film directed by Andrew Lau and Andrew Loo, written by Michael Di Jiacomo and Andrew Loo, with Martin Scorsese as an executive producer. The film stars Justin Chon, Kevin Wu, Harry Shum Jr., ...

'', which was executive produced by

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

. In 2015, Chon starred as Sid Park, the trouble-making main character influenced by rocker culture in the independent film ''

Seoul Searching ''Seoul Searching'' is a 2016 South Korean comedy-drama film written and directed by Benson Lee and starring Justin Chon, Jessika Van, Cha In-Pyo and Teo Yoo. Premise Seoul, 1986. A raucous gaggle of Korean teenagers spill out of the Gimpo air ...

'', directed by Benson Lee, which made its premiere at the 2015

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

. Chon trained for over two years in the Meisner technique at the Baron Brown Studio in Santa Monica and guest starred in the Studio web series ''Joanne Brown Is Here'' with

Hana Mae Lee Hana Mae Lee (born September 28, 1988) is an American actress, model, comedian, and fashion designer. She is best known for playing the role of Lilly Onakuramara in the musical comedy ''Pitch Perfect'' film series (2012–2017) and the role of S ...

and

Joanne Baron Joanne Baron (born February 3, 1953) is an American actress and Meisner technique acting coach. She was raised in Providence, Rhode Island and attended Classical and Pawtucket High Schools. She received early acceptance to the University of Conn ...

in 2016. Chon also held a role in the Korean American comedy drama ''

Dramaworld ''Dramaworld'' is a comedy-drama set in Los Angeles and Seoul, South Korea with 10 short episodes (each 10–20 minutes long). The series follows the adventures of Claire Duncan, an American college student and huge fan of Korean Dramas, after gett ...

''. In March 2017, he was cast as a series regular in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

crime drama ''

Deception Deception or falsehood is an act or statement that misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda and sleight o ...

''. Chon starred in the 2018 movie ''High Resolution'' with

Ellie Bamber Eleanor Elizabeth Bamber (born 2 February 1997) is an English actress. She won third prize at the Ian Charleson Awards for her 2017 performance in ''The Lady from the Sea'' at the Donmar Warehouse. On television, she is known for her roles in th ...

, directed by Jason Lester. The movie was based on the acclaimed novel ''Taipei'' by author

Tao Lin Tao Lin (; born July 2, 1983) is an American novelist, poet, essayist, short-story writer, and artist. He has published four novels, a novella, two books of poetry, a collection of short stories, and a memoir, as well as an extensive assortment of ...

Directing

Chon also co-wrote (with

Kevin Wu Kevin Wu (born June 12, 1990) is an American former YouTuber best known under the username KevJumba. The ''San Francisco Chronicles Jeff Yang has noted that Wu is not a comedian in the conventional sense but that by "just talking eis, well, ...

), directed, executive produced, and starred in the 2015 feature film ''Man Up''. The film made its premiere at the 2015 CAAMFest. It was also screened at the 2015

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) – formerly known as VC FilmFest – is an annual film festival presented by Visual Communications (VC). It was established in 1983 by Linda Mabalot as a vehicle to promote Asian Pacific Ameri ...

, making its West Coast premiere there. The film is set in Hawaii and also stars

Amy Hill Amy Marie Hill (born May 9, 1953) is an American actress and stand-up comedian. Hill's first major role was as Yung-Hee "Grandma" Kim on '' All-American Girl'' where her character became the breakout character of the short-lived television serie ...

Parvesh Cheena Parvesh Singh Cheena (born July 22, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Gupta in the TV series ''Outsourced'' and as Sunil Odhav on ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend''. He also voices Bodhi in ''T.O.T.S.'' Early life Cheena was ...

Nichole Bloom Nichole Sakura O'Connor (born December 15, 1989), formerly credited as Nichole Bloom, is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Cheyenne in the NBC sitcom '' Superstore.'' Career She had the recurring role of Amanda o ...

Dion Basco Dion may refer to: People Ancient *Dion (mythology), a king in Laconia and husband of Iphitea, the daughter of Prognaus *Dion of Syracuse (408–354 BC), ancient Greek politician *Dio of Alexandria, first century BC, ancient Greek philosoph ...

Samantha Futerman Samantha Futerman (born November 19, 1987) is a South Korean-born American actress, writer, director, and activist. She is known for her supporting role in the drama film '' Memoirs of a Geisha'', set in Japan around World War II. She is also k ...

and more. In March 2015, the film was acquired by "Off the Dock", a digital studio owned by

Lakeshore Entertainment Lakeshore Entertainment Group, LLC is an American independent film production, finance, and former international sales and distribution company founded in 1994 by Tom Rosenberg and Ted Tannebaum (1933–2002). Lakeshore Entertainment is headquart ...

. Chon has also directed several digital short films that are viewable on his YouTube Channel, including ''You're Stoopid'' (2013), ''Full Circle'' (2013) and ''90 Day Visa'' (2015). In 2017, Chon wrote, directed, produced and starred in a film entitled ''

Gook Gook ( or ) is a derogatory term for people of East and Southeast Asian descent. Its origin is unclear, but it may have originated among U.S. Marines during the Philippine–American War (1899–1902) and Korean War. Historically, U.S. military p ...

'', which premiered at the 2017

, where it won the NEXT Audience Award and was picked up by

Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (born Szmuel Gelbfisz; yi, שמואל געלבפֿיש; August 27, 1882 (claimed) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer. He was best known for being the founding contributor a ...

Distribution. The film also won Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature Film, Best Director (Justin Chon), Best Actress (Simone Baker), and an Audience Award at the 2017

. The film further won Golden Space Needle Awards for Best Director (2nd Place or 1st Runner-Up) (Justin Chon) and Best Actress (5th Place) (Simone Baker) at the 2017

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...

Other ventures

Chon co-owns a chain of clothing stores, named the Attic, in California. In January 2015, he began uploading edited vlogs to his YouTube channel on a weekly basis. Since November 2015, he has uploaded edited vlogs to the channel on a daily basis. He also creates short comedy videos on YouTube with his friends, and has appeared in videos on

Ryan Higa Ryan Higa (born June 6, 1990), also known as nigahiga ( ), is an American Internet personality. Best known for his comedy videos on YouTube, Higa began making YouTube videos in 2006 and was one of the most popular creators on the platform in it ...

(nigahiga)'s YouTube channel. Chon is also a member of BgA (Boys Generally Asian), a parody K-Pop group formed by Higa. The five-member group has released two singles and has risen up many South Korean music charts as well as American music charts. In 2016, Chon wrote an editorial for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

about the racism he faced in Hollywood roles and auditions.

Personal life

After dating for over a year, he married Sasha Egorova in October 2014. Their first child was born in December 2017.

Filmography

Film

Directorial work

Television

References

External links

*
Official Twitter

Official YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chon, Justin 1981 births American male actors of Korean descent Male actors from Orange County, California 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Living people People from Garden Grove, California People from Irvine, California Video bloggers Independent Spirit Award winners Male bloggers