Steven Yuen (Yeon Sang-yeop) is a voice actor who portrays Speckle in Tuca & Bertie.
He is a Korean-American actor.
He is known for playing Glenn Rhee in AMC's horror television series The Walking Dead from 2010 to 2016 and for his role in the South Korean mystery film Burning (2018).
For the latter, he won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor, among other awards. Yeun has also played supporting roles in the films Okja (2016) and Sorry to Bother You (2018).1
Personal Life
Yeun was born in Seoul, South Korea, to South Korean parents Je and Jun Yeun.
His father was an architect in South Korea before moving his family in 1988 to Regina, Saskatchewan, and later to Michigan.
Yeun was raised in Troy, Michigan in a Christian household. Yeun's parents began calling him "Steven" after meeting a doctor by that name.
His parents owned beauty-supply stores in Detroit.
Yeun received a bachelor's degree in psychology with a concentration in neuroscience from Kalamazoo College in 2005.
At Kalamazoo, he met Jordan Klepper through Klepper's sister and later followed him to Chicago to join Second City.
Yeun's interest in acting and improv came during his freshman year at Kalamazoo, when he watched the college's improv group, Monkapult. He auditioned for Monkapult, but was initially rejected before successfully joining the group during his sophomore year.[7] Yeun revealed to his parents that he planned to pursue an improv career in Chicago instead of enrolling in law school or medical school. His parents, while unhappy with the decision, were supportive, according to Yeun, and gave him two years to pursue acting.
Yeun moved to Chicago in 2005, living in the city's Lincoln Square with his brother.
Shortly after graduation, he joined Stir Friday Night, a sketch comedy group composed of Asian-American members. Other alumni of the group include Danny Pudi from Community. He joined The Second City in Chicago before moving to Los Angeles in October 2009.1
Projects
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Kari Files | Chip | |
| My Name is Jerry | Chaz | ||
| 2010 | Carpe Millennium | Kevin | Short film |
| Blowout Sale | Customer | ||
| 2014 | I Origins | Kenny | |
| 2015 | Like a French Film | Steve | |
| 2017 | Okja | K | |
| Mayhem | Derek Cho | ||
| The Star | Bo (voice) | ||
| 2018 | Sorry to Bother You | Squeeze | |
| Burning | Ben | ||
| 2022 | Nope | Ricky "Jupe" Park |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Big Bang Theory | Sebastian | Episode: "The Staircase Implementation" |
| 2010–2016 | The Walking Dead | Glenn Rhee | Main role Satellite Award for Best Cast – Television Series (2012) |
| 2011 | Law & Order: LA | Ken Hasui | Episode: "Hayden Tract" |
| Warehouse 13 | Gibson Rice | Episode: "Don't Hate the Player" | |
| 2012 | NTSF:SD:SUV:: | Ricky Meeker | Episode: "16 Hop Street" |
| Harder Than it Looks | Steven | Episode: "Lockdown" | |
| 2013 | The Legend of Korra | Avatar Wan (voice) | 3 episodes |
| Filthy Preppy Teen$ | Martin | Pilot | |
| 2014 | Drunk History | Daniel Inouye | Episode: "Hawaii" |
| American Dad! | Charles (voice) | Episode: "Blagsnarst, a Love Story" | |
| Comedy Bang! Bang! | Himself | Episode: "Steven Yeun Wears Rolled Up Black Jeans & No Socks" | |
| 2016 | Conan | Himself | Episode: "Conan Does Korea" |
| 2016–2018 | Voltron: Legendary Defender | Keith (voice) | Main role; 64 episodes |
| Trollhunters | Steve Palchuk (voice) | Recurring role; 28 episodes | |
| 2017–present | Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters | Nathan Park / Wingspan (voice) | Main role; 24 episodes |
| 2017 | Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ | Eric | Episode: "Disaster Drills" |
| Robot Chicken | Glenn Rhee / Glenn and Maggie's baby (voices) | Episode: "The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who's Walking" | |
| 2018–present | Final Space | Little Cato (voice) | Recurring role; 9 episodes |
| 3Below | Steve Palchuk (voice) | Recurring role; 8 episodes | |
| 2019 | Weird City | Barsley | Episode: "Chonathan & Mulia & Barsley & Phephanie" |
| Ride with Norman Reedus | Himself | Episode: "Bay Area With Steven Yeun" | |
| The Twilight Zone | A. Traveler | Episode: "A Traveler"[40] | |
| I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson | Jacob | Episode: "Has This Ever Happened To You?"[41] | |
| Tuca & Bertie | Speckle (voice) | Recurring role; 10 episodes | |
| Wizards | Steve Palchuk (voice) | ||
| 2020 | Invincible | Mark Grayson/Invincible (voice) |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist | 2016 | "Fire" | Park Jin-young (feat. Conan O'Brien & Jimin Park) |
|---|
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Crysis | North Korean soldier 2 |
| 2008 | Crysis Warhead | Voice |
| 2017 | DreamWorks Voltron VR Chronicles | Keith |