From Korea To LA: A Look At The Success Story Of John Cho
If you were born in the generational group of a millennial, then it's highly unlikely that you haven't heard or or seen at least one of the Harold and Kumar films starring comedian and actor Kal Penn and his white-collar partner-in-crime, actor John Cho. While Cho appeared in many other films and television series early on his career, he is most recognized for his role in the Harold and Kumar film series, which grossed a combined figure of $102 million dollars at the box office. But John Cho, who was actually named Cho Yo-Han, was born in Seoul, South Korea, on June 16th, 1972. In 1978, his entire family moved to the United States where his father served as a minister for the Church of Christ. Cho and his family bounced around quite a bit, living in Seattle, Washington, Houston, Texas and various parts of California before settling down in Los Angeles, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Here's the story of how he went from being unknown being one of the highest-paid South Korean actors with a net worth of $14 million!
As we mentioned, Cho was still a youngster when he moved from South Korea to America with his family. After graduating from high school in Glendale, California in 1990, he then attended the University of California, Berkeley, which he graduated from in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. Upon graduation, he taught English at West Hollywood's Pacific Hills School while also acting in plays at the East West Players theater company in downtown Los Angeles.
However, he made his film and television debut in 1997 in Quentin Lee's black comedy Shopping for Fangs and Wag the Dog starring veteran actors Dustin Hoffman and the fan-favorite Robert De Niro. He also guest-starred in the Boston Common television sitcom in the same year before appearing in Felicity with Keri Russell and the supernatural fantasy drama Charmed. Then, in 1999, he appeared in Bowfinger alongside stand up comedians Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy, as well as a small role in American Pie opposite Jason Biggs, both films grossing $98.6 million and $235 million respectively.
Despite his relatively small role in American Pie being, he gained massive attention and was even credited for popularizing the slang phrase "MILF." Cho's role was so iconic in the first film that he reprised the role in the other three film franchises: American Pie 2 (2001), American Wedding (2003), and American Reunion (2012), all of which grossed between $230-$290 million at the box office.
Cho's foot was now in the door of Hollywood, and he had no intention of halting his acting career. He went on to reprise a role in the WB Network sitcom, Off Centre from 2001 to 2002. During the same time, he appeared in the comic science fiction Evolution starring Californication's David Duchovny and Julianne Moore. The following year in 2002, Cho held a fairly significant role in Big Fat Liar starring child actor Frankie Muniz and Paul Giamatti, which raked in $53 million. With all this success, his best days in acting were yet to come.
Cho's fame continues to spread as he climbed the ladder in the film industry, enchanting the audience with his unique style of "lazy magnetism" that would lead him to the film series in 2004 that set him on the map for good - Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, where he starred beside Kal Penn and Grammy Award winning actor Neil Patrick Harris. The comedy nearly tripled its $9 million budget by grossing $23.9 million at the global box office.
The movie's success then led to a sequel in 2008 titled Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay, which exceeded its predecessor by grossing $43.5 million at the box office. The final version of the movie installment came in 2011 with the A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas which was noted for containing parodies of various movie style and genres and produced mixed reviews by critics. Still, it was regarded as a box office success, grossing a cool $32.6 million worldwide.
Cho continued to make waves in film and television during the making of those three films. The seemingly quirky man was chosen as one of the sexiest men alive by People magazine in 2006 and again in 2009. During that time, he was also added as a recurring cast member to the comedy-drama TV series, Ugly Betty, starring America Ferrera and former Miss America title holder Vanessa Williams. He was also popular among secular rap artist such as Nas and appeared in one of his music videos in addition to making guest appearances in sitcoms like How I Met Your Mother, starring his acting buddy Neil Patrick Harris.
The winning streak of Cho only seemed to continue both in television and film as the years went on. In 2012, he became a part of the cast of the TV sitcom Go On, starring Tyler James Williams and actor and producer Matthew Perry. In 2016, he became a regular in the second season of the supernatural horror series, The Exorcist, which lasted until December 2017. The same year, he took the lead role in the movie Columbus, starring alongside Parker Posey and Rory Culkin.
The same year, he took the lead role in the movie Columbus, starring alongside Parker Posey and Rory Culkin. By 2018, he appeared in the 2018 spy thriller film, Searching, together with Debra Messing, which grossed $75.6 million at the box office. Cho's role in this movie was also significant because it made him the first Asian-American to headline a mainstream Hollywood action thriller.
In 2022, his latest appearance came in the Apple TV+'s comedy series, The Afterparty, starring stand-up comedian and actress, Tiffany Haddish, actor Dave Franco, and Sam Richardson. At just fifty-one years old, we'll have to wait and see what else this actor has up his sleeve to add to his already successful resume!
Sources: Celebrity Net Worth, Roger Ebert, The Guardian
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