Randall Park Bio
Randall Park (born March 23, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer and filmmaker. He first drew national attention as Louis Huang on the ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat and has since become a familiar presence in major film and streaming franchises, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe. Beyond acting, Park co-wrote and starred in the Netflix romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe (2019) and made his directorial debut with the comedy-drama Shortcomings (2023). In 2025, he starred as FBI Special Agent Edwin Park in the Netflix miniseries The Residence.
Early Life and Background
Randall Park was born on March 23, 1974, in Los Angeles, California, to Korean immigrants Duk Hee and Harry Park. He grew up in the Castle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, where his family experience as Korean Americans shaped much of his later creative work. His mother worked as an accountant at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and his father owned a one-hour photo store, giving the family a stable, working-class footing in the city.
Park graduated from Hamilton High School’s humanities magnet program in Los Angeles. He then enrolled at UCLA in the fall quarter of 1993, where he co-founded “Lapu, the Coyote that Cares,” an on-campus Asian American theater company that is now known as the LCC Theatre Company. He credits his early performances with the group, including his first full-length play Treehouse Bachelor Society, with sparking his decision to pursue acting as a career. Park earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in creative writing and a minor in Asian American studies in 1997, followed by a master’s degree in Asian American studies in 1999.
Path to Acting
After finishing graduate school, Park worked as a graphic and print designer at the Los Angeles weekly newspaper New Times LA. He briefly considered applying to architecture school but decided against further academic study and instead turned his attention to theater and comedy. Together with several LCC alumni, he co-founded the Propergander theater group, staging productions such as The Achievers and beginning to experiment with stand-up comedy in backyard shows.
Park drew early inspiration from comedians Mike Birbiglia and Mitch Hedberg and would later share stages with Ali Wong, a frequent collaborator. He made his screen debut in the 2003 short film Dragon of Love, which won Best Short Film at the 2003 Hawaii International Film Festival. He followed that with the feature film American Fusion (2005), which he co-wrote and starred in and which won the Audience Award at the 2005 Hawaii International Film Festival. With a foundation in independent film, festival work, and improv, Park transitioned into television through network diversity showcases and small roles in the mid-2000s.
Randall Park Career
Early Career (2003–2013)
Park’s first years in the industry were split between short films, festival work, and self-produced online content. He co-wrote and starred in the short film Blueberry, which won Best Actor at the 2010 NBC Shortcuts Film Festival. He also began a long-running creative partnership with Wong Fu Productions, appearing in the comedy skit Too Fast (2010) and the web series Home Is Where the Hans Are (2012), which helped him build a devoted online following.
During this period he created, directed, wrote and starred in several Channel 101 short-form series, including Dr. Miracles, The Food, IKEA Heights, and Dumb Professor. In 2013 he wrote and starred in the Channel 101 series Baby Mentalist, which featured his infant daughter and became one of the platform’s most popular entries. These projects, alongside a recurring role on Supah Ninjas, established Park as a versatile performer comfortable across comedy, drama, and digital storytelling.
Breakthrough (2014–2020)
Park’s mainstream breakthrough began in 2014, when he was cast as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the controversial comedy film The Interview, directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen. The role, which he landed after a single audition, was a major step up in visibility and led to additional film work, including roles in Neighbors and Sex Tape that same year. He also joined HBO’s Veep in a recurring role as Minnesota Governor Danny Chung, further sharpening his profile in television comedy.
From 2015 to 2020, Park starred as Louis Huang, the patriarch of a Taiwanese American family, on the ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat alongside Constance Wu. The show, based on Eddie Huang’s memoir and produced by Nahnatchka Khan, ran for six seasons and earned Park a 2016 Critics’ Choice Television Award nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. While on the series, he also appeared in films such as Trainwreck, Southpaw, and The Night Before.
In 2018, Park entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe as FBI Agent Jimmy Woo in Ant-Man and the Wasp, a role he would later reprise in the Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). That same year he joined the DC Extended Universe as Dr. Stephen Shin in Aquaman. In 2019 he co-wrote, produced, and starred in the Netflix romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe with Ali Wong, a personal project inspired by his own upbringing and creative circle.
Notable Works and Milestones
Beyond the projects already mentioned, Park’s signature works include the web series IKEA Heights, the satirical comedy The Interview, the family sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, the Netflix film Always Be My Maybe, the Marvel series WandaVision, and his directorial debut Shortcomings (2023), which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and was released by Sony Pictures Classics. He has also been active as a producer through the Asian American-focused company Imminent Collision, which signed a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox Television in October 2019.
Randall Park Award Nominations
Randall Park has earned recognition from critics and industry groups across both television and film. His most prominent nomination came in 2016, when he was nominated for the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as Louis Huang on Fresh Off the Boat. He has also received festival honors, including the Audience Award at the 2005 Hawaii International Film Festival for American Fusion and a Best Actor award at the 2010 NBC Shortcuts Film Festival for Blueberry.
Randall Park Awards Won
Park’s verified award wins center on his early independent and short-form work. He won Best Short Film at the 2003 Hawaii International Film Festival for Dragon of Love and the Audience Award at the 2005 Hawaii International Film Festival for American Fusion. He also won Best Actor at the 2010 NBC Shortcuts Film Festival for the short film Blueberry, and his Channel 101 series Baby Mentalist was voted the platform’s most popular entry in 2013.
Randall Park Family
Park was raised in Los Angeles by his Korean immigrant parents, Harry Park, who owned a one-hour photo store, and Duk Hee Park, who worked as an accountant at UCLA. He has an older brother, and the family was initially cautious about his choice to pursue acting, though they continued to support him in practical ways throughout his early career. After he was offered the role of Kim Jong Un in The Interview, his parents actively encouraged him to take the part.
Personal Life
Park married actress Jae Suh Park in 2008; the two had previously worked together on The Mindy Project and the short film Love, NY. They live in the San Fernando Valley with their daughter, Ruby Louise Park, who was born in 2012 and appeared alongside her parents in the web series Baby Mentalist. Park has spoken publicly about Ruby’s autism and serves on the board of directors of the non-profit KultureCity, which focuses on sensory accessibility and acceptance for people with invisible disabilities. In November 2024, he completed the New York City Marathon with a time of 4 hours, 16 minutes, and 18 seconds.