Rick Yune

RICK YUNE, the dashingly handsome leading man who was named one of People magazine's Sexiest Men, has filmed a lead role in the action thriller Olympus Has Fallen, with Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart. Yune plays Kang, a central member of a South Korean delegation sent to the White House, where the president of the United States (Eckhart) and key members of his administration are taken hostage.

Born in Korea and raised in Washington, D.C., Yune grew up practicing martial arts and qualified for the tae kwon do Olympic trials at age 19. After graduating with honors from the Wharton School of Business, he moved to New York to become a bond trader for the then newly formed SAC Capital Advisors and became an investor in numerous ventures. He transitioned into the entertainment business after bumping into a modeling agent in an elevator on his way to a job interview. He became the first Asian American to be featured in campaigns for such high-profile fashion brands as Versace and Ralph Lauren's Polo Sport, shot by esteemed fashion photographer Bruce Weber. An alum of The Actors Studio, Yune landed a starring role in 1999's Snow Falling on Cedars, a film based on the Faulkner Award-winning New York Times best seller, alongside Ethan Hawke and James Cromwell. Under the direction of Academy Award® nominee Scott Hicks (Shine), Yune played Kazuo Miyamoto, a World War II hero who goes back to his hometown in Washington only to be accused of and put on trial for the murder of a childhood friend.

Yune also starred as Johnny Tran, the ruthless leader of a Vietnamese gang and Vin Diesel's rival, in 2001's The Fast and the Furious. The next year, he starred as the villain Zao in Die Another Day, alongside Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry.

Moving from the front of the screen to behind the camera, Yune wrote, produced and starred in The Fifth Commandment as Chase Templeton, an assassin who turns down a job that hits too close to home and finds himself targeted by the elite members of his profession.

Yune's real passion lies in the development and advancement of social welfare programs across Third World populations and economies. An active promoter and fundraiser in regions across Africa and Southeast Asia, he is an active board member of the Center for Global Dialogue and Cooperation, an international NGO that encourages communication between business and politics on a global and regional level and supports emerging countries to assist them in becoming more efficient, capable and stable.

When not working or saving the world, Yune can be found lifting weights, doing martial arts, boxing, running or training for his current acting role, and catching up on the latest in fitness and nutrition.

© 2012 Univeral Pictures