Brian Tee
Jae-Beom Takata (高田 ジェボム, Takata Jebomu, born March 15, 1977), known professionally as Brian Tee, is a Japanese-born American film and television actor. He is known for playing Dr. Ethan Choi on the NBC medical drama Chicago Med and its spin-offs from 2015 to 2022, and has starred in such films as The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), The Wolverine (2013), Jurassic World (2015), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016).
Brian Tee | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Tee in April 2011 | |
| Born | Jae-Beom Takata[1] 高田 ジェボム March 15, 1977 Okinawa, Japan |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Spouse | Mirelly Taylor |
| Children | 1 |
Early life and education
Tee was born Jae-Beom Takata (Japanese: 高田 ジェボム, Korean: 다카타 재범) in Okinawa Prefecture. His father was Japanese-American and his mother was from South Korea.[2][3] His father was born in an internment camp during World War II. His mother was living in Japan working as a reporter.
At the age of two, he moved to Hacienda Heights, California, and was raised in Southern California. He attended Glen A. Wilson High School where he was an Associated Student Body president and captain of the football team. While in high school, he worked at Blackjack Pizza in Hacienda Heights.
Tee graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a degree in theater and performing arts.[4] Not long after graduating, he adopted his "culturally ambiguous" stage name Brian Tee after being rejected by a Korean director at an audition for having a Japanese last name.[5][3]
Career
Tee played Kazu, the owner of Sushi Rox, on Nickelodeon's Zoey 101. He played Eddie Choi in Crash.[6] He starred as Akira Kimura on Grimm and Takeda on Burn Notice. He appeared in the season 4 episode "The Girl in the Mask" as Ken Nakamura on the series Bones. He played Dwayne Archimedes in the indie Feature film Roswell FM. Tee appeared in an episode in the first season of the television series Dark Blue as a Korean criminal. He had a short part in Austin Powers in Goldmember as a pedestrian ("Run! It's Godzilla!"; "Still we should run like it is Godzilla!"). Brian can also be seen as a contestant on an episode of Hollywood Squares hosted by Tom Bergeron. He played in 1999 against a woman named Heidi.
Tee was also in the music video "Dance Like Michael Jackson" by Far East Movement.
In James Mangold's The Wolverine (2013), starring Hugh Jackman, Tee played Noburo Mori, a sadistic minister of justice arranged to marry the daughter of Yakuza Boss Shingen Yashida (Hiroyuki Sanada).[7]
Tee took on the role of Liu Kang in the YouTube series Mortal Kombat Legacy.[8]
One of Tee's most famous roles was as "D.K." Takashi "Drift King" in the 3rd installment of the Fast & Furious series The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006).
Tee appeared in the Television film The Gabby Douglas Story on October 18, 2013, where he played her coach Liang Chow, which aired in 2014 on Lifetime.
Tee co-starred in the 2015 film Jurassic World where he played Hamada, a high-ranking commander who works for the Asset Containment Unit (ACU).[9]
Tee played Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, the 2016 sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles where the role was previously portrayed by Tohoru Masamune.[10][11]
On July 20, 2015, Tee signed on to co-star in the NBC medical drama Chicago Med as Dr. Ethan Choi.[12] He had previously appeared on its sister show Chicago P.D. as a Chinese gangster in season 2. In October 2022, it was confirmed that Tee would be exiting Chicago Med after 8 seasons.[13]
Personal life
Besides English, Tee speaks fluent Japanese and proficient Korean.[3][14] He is married to actress Mirelly Taylor and has a daughter named Madelyn Skyler Takata, born in 2015.[15]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | What Planet Are You From? | Alien | Uncredited |
| 2002 | We Were Soldiers | PFC. Jimmy Nakayama | |
| Austin Powers in Goldmember | Japanese Pedestrian | ||
| 2004 | Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation | Cpl. Thom Kobe | |
| 2005 | Fun with Dick and Jane | Sushi Chef | |
| 2006 | All In | Rosenbloom Player 2 | |
| The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift | Takashi "D.K." | ||
| 2007 | Finishing the Game | Mac Chang | |
| 2008 | The Trade | Mr. Cho | |
| 2009 | Deadland | Jax | |
| Chain Letter | Brian Yee | ||
| Wedding Palace | Jason | ||
| 2013 | The Wolverine | Noburo Mori | |
| 2014 | The Gabby Douglas Story | Liang Chow | |
| No Tears for the Dead | Chaoz | ||
| 2015 | Jurassic World | Hamada | |
| 2016 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | Oroku Saki/The Shredder | |
| 2017 | The Beautiful Ones | Casper |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Pretender | Male Agent | Episode: "The Agent of Year Zero" |
| The Invisible Man | Mallon | Episode: "The Value of Secrets" | |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Intern | Episode: "Family" | |
| 2001 | Family Law | DEA Agent | Episode: "Liar's Club: Part 1" |
| 18 Wheels of Justice | Host | Episode: "The Game" | |
| The Chronicle | Neo | Episode: "Here There Be Dragons" | |
| 2002 | Flipside | Lance | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2003 | JAG | North Korean Soldier | Episode: "Close Quarters" |
| 2004 | Passions | Young Asian Man | 1 episode |
| Cracking Up | Frat Guy #1 | Episode: "Daddy's Home" | |
| Monk | James Lu | Episode: "Mr. Monk Meets the Godfather" | |
| Tiger Cruise | MA2 Chan | Television film | |
| 2005–08 | Zoey 101 | Kazu | 6 episodes |
| 2005 | Without a Trace | Kirk | Episode: "Transitions" |
| Wanted | Jin-Lee Park | Episode: "Rubbing One Out" | |
| 2006 | The Unit | Rebel Leader | Episode: "200th Hour" |
| Entourage | Fukijama's Bodyguard | Episode: "What About Bob?" | |
| 2007 | Grey's Anatomy | Andy Meltzer | 2 episodes |
| Pandemic | Danny | Miniseries | |
| 2008 | Jericho | Cheung | Episode: "Patriots and Tyrants" |
| 2008–09 | Crash | Eddie Choi | 13 episodes |
| 2009 | Lie to Me | Han Yong-Dae | Episode: "Love Always" |
| Bones | Ken Nakamura | Episode: "The Girl in the Mask" | |
| Dark Blue | Kang | Episode: "K-Town" | |
| 2010 | Sym-Bionic Titan | Mike Chan (voice) | Episode: "Roar of the White Dragon" |
| 2011 | Burn Notice | Takeda | Episode: "Bloodlines" |
| 2012–13 | Grimm | Akira Kimura | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Shake It Up | Mr. Itou | "Made in Japan" |
| 2013 | Hawaii Five-0 | Ryu Nabushi/Hideaki Kuroda | Episode: "Kupouli 'la" |
| 2014 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Toshiro Mori | Episode: "A Fractured House" |
| One Christmas Eve | Dr. Chen | Television film | |
| 2015 | Chicago P.D. | Jesse Kong | Episode: "The Three Gs" |
| Baby Daddy | Tommy Kwan | Episode: "It Takes a Village Idiot" | |
| 2015–2022,
2023 |
Chicago Med | Dr. Ethan Choi | Series regular,
Director: 1 episode |
| 2016–2022 | Chicago Fire | Recurring character | |
| Chicago P.D. | Recurring character | ||
| 2018 | Lucifer | Ben Rogers | Episode: "Once Upon a Time" |
| 2021 | Star Wars: Visions | Ronin (voice) | Short film: The Duel: English language dub[16] |
| 2024 | Expats | Clarke | Miniseries, Main Cast |
| TBA | The Scapegoat | — | Anthology series, producer |
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Mortal Kombat: Legacy | Liu Kang | 4 episodes |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Saints Row 2 | Jyunichi |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Conteo" | Don Omar | |
| 2008 | "Dance Like Michael Jackson" | Far East Movement |
References
- Han, Brian (15 January 2015). "'Jurassic World' actor Brian Tee feels 'career starting to hit stride'". The Korea Times. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
- Sanders, David Lee (29 September 2009). "Interview with Brian Tee". HalfKorean.com. HalfKorean.com. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- Weik, Taylor (August 1, 2017). "From 'The Fast And The Furious' To 'Chicago Med,' Actor Brian Tee Is Paving His Own Path". NBC.
- Half-Korean.com Interview with Brian Tee
- "'Jurassic World' actor Brian Tee feels 'career starting to hit stride'". The Korea Times. January 15, 2015.
- interviews Brian Tee of Crash, 13/12/2008
- indieWire, Brian Tee Joins The Wolverine,, 10/07/2012
- "Web Series 'Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2′ Hitting February 17th". Latino Review. Archived from the original on 2012-12-06. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
- Reera Yoo, "Brian Tee Cast as 'Hamada' in Jurassic World" Archived 2014-11-30 at the Wayback Machine
- Prudom, Laura (April 27, 2015). "'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2' Casts Brian Tee as Shredder". Variety.
- Gomez, Luis (November 11, 2015). "Interview: Brian Tee says his Shredder in 'Ninja Turtles' sequel is 'more grounded in reality'". Chicago Tribune.
- Stanhope, Kate (July 20, 2015). "'Chicago Med' Adds 'Jurassic World' Actor as Series Regular'". The Hollywood Reporter.
- Cordero, Rosy (October 12, 2022). "'Chicago Med' Star Brian Tee To Exit After 8 Seasons; Will Return To Direct". Deadline.
- "Chicago Med's Brian Tee: Balance Is the Key to Life". Parade. November 9, 2016.
- "Brian Tee Welcomes Daughter Madelyn Skyler". People. August 13, 2015. Archived from the original on 2018-02-16.
- "Stunning New Star Wars: Visions Trailer Debuts". StarWars.com. August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.