Kenneth Choi

Kenneth Choi was born on October 20, 1971, in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Growing up as the child of a Korean immigrant family, Choi began accounting studies at Purdue University under his father's guidance during his youth.
However, unable to resist his passion for acting, he left school midway despite his family's strong objections and moved out to pursue his dreams, first relocating to Portland and then to Los Angeles.
In the early years of his career, the actor struggled to make ends meet by performing in local theaters in Los Angeles and taking on various temporary jobs before launching his screen career with guest roles in popular shows of the time such as *Halloweentown* (1998), a television film; single-episode appearances in *The West Wing*, *Roswell*, and *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation*.
At the beginning of the 2000s, he gained industry experience by appearing in small roles in films such as *The Terminal* (2004), starring Tom Hanks, and *Harsh Times* (2005), featuring Christian Bale.

The production that introduced Choi to a wide audience and marked his first major career breakthrough was FX's cult crime drama "Sons of Anarchy" (2008–2014). His charismatic and powerful portrayal of the ruthless Chinese union leader Henry Lin in the series established him as one of the most sought-after character actors in television. Following this breakout role, he stepped into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), bringing Jim Morita to life as a member of Howling Commandos in "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011). Years later, within the same universe, he once again appeared in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017) as Principal Morita, the grandson of Jim Morita, earning recognition as one of the rare actors to portray two distinct characters in MCU history. One of his most memorable performances in cinema was Chester Ming in the acclaimed film "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013), directed by master filmmaker Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

One of his most prestigious and critically successful works in the television world was portraying Judge Lance Ito in the miniseries "The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story" (2016). This performance, which successfully captured the spirit of the era and the weight of the character, received full marks from critics. He also proved his success in comedy with his role as Lewis in the series "The Last Man on Earth" (2016). Today, he is best known globally for playing Howie "Chimney" Han in Ryan Murphy's popular action-drama series "9-1-1", which has been running since 2018. This experienced actor, who brings life to the beloved health worker and firefighter of the cast, is currently enjoying one of the most stable phases of his career. He continues to demonstrate his strength in Hollywood's ambitious cinema projects with the high-budget dystopian sci-fi action film "Mercy", set for release in 2026, which features an ensemble cast including stars such as Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, and Kali Reis.