Hispanopedia WikiJae-Beom Takata (高田 ジェボム, Takada Jebomu; born March 15, 1977)[a], known professionally as Brian Tee, is a Japanese-born American actor.[2] Born in Okinawa, Tee immigrated with his family to California when he was 2 years old. He attended the University of California and began pursuing his television career. His first appearance on the small screen came in 2000 when he had a small role on the television series The Pretender. He went on to appear in the television series Entourage, Grey's Anatomy, and had a recurring role on Zoey 101. From 2015 to 2022, Tee starred in the first eight seasons of NBC medical drama Chicago Med as Dr. Ethan Choi.
In 2006, Tee was cast as the antagonist D.K. (Drift King) in the action film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. He has since appeared in The Wolverine (2013) and Jurassic World (2015). His other films include No Tears for the Dead (2014), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016), where he portrayed Shredder. In 2013, he portrayed Liu Kang in the web seriesMortal Kombat: Legacy. He portrayed Xavier Quinn/Julius McCabe in season 3 of the Amazon original Reacher.
Early life and education
Jae-Beom Takata was born on March 15, 1977 in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, to a Japanese-American father from Los Angeles and a Korean mother from Seoul.[3][4][5] His father was born in a Japanese concentration camp during World War II, while his mother was living in Japan working as a reporter. At the age of two, he moved to California, and was raised in Hacienda Heights. He attended Glen A. Wilson High School where he was an Associated Student Body president and captain of the football team.
Tee graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a degree in theater and performing arts.[6] 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.[7][4]
Career
Tee played Kazu, the owner of Sushi Rox, on Nickelodeon's Zoey 101. He played Eddie Choi in Crash.[8] 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 has a short part in Austin Powers in Goldmember as a pedestrian who has a brief comic exchange with another man (played by Masi Oka) over the legality of calling a giant monster "Godzilla". Tee 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).[9]
Tee took on the role of Liu Kang in the YouTube series Mortal Kombat Legacy.[10]
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 filmThe 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).[11]
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.[12][13]
On July 20, 2015, Tee signed on to co-star in the NBC medical drama Chicago Med as Dr. Ethan Choi.[14] 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 eight seasons.[15]
On March 6, 2024, Tee was cast as a series regular for the third season of Reacher, which premiered in February 2025.[16]
Personal life
Besides English, Tee speaks fluent Japanese and proficient Korean.[4][17] He is married to actress Mirelly Taylor, with whom he has a daughter born in 2015.[18]
Filmography
Film
Television
Web
Video games
Music videos
Notes
References
- ^Han, Brian (January 15, 2015). "'Jurassic World' actor Brian Tee feels 'career starting to hit stride'". The Korea Times. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
- ^"CHICAGO MED and TMNT: Brian Tee Interview | fanisma".
- ^Sanders, David Lee (September 29, 2009). "Interview with Brian Tee". HalfKorean.com. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
- ^ abcWeik, Taylor (August 1, 2017). "From 'The Fast And The Furious' To 'Chicago Med,' Actor Brian Tee Is Paving His Own Path". NBC.
- ^Hosoki, Nobuhiro (May 27, 2024). "Expats : Exclusive Interview with Actor Brian Tee". Cinema Daily US. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
- ^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 December 6, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- ^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.
- ^Cordero, Rosy (March 6, 2024). "'Expats' Star Brian Tee Among Four Joining Prime Video's 'Reacher' For Season 3". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 7, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
- ^"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 February 16, 2018.
- ^"Stunning New Star Wars: Visions Trailer Debuts". StarWars.com. August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
- ^"Titus Welliver Joins Voice Cast Of 'Get Jiro' As Anthony Bourdain Graphic Novel Adaptation Promises "Food, Mayhem And Violence"". Deadline Hollywood. June 10, 2026. Archived from the original on June 11, 2026. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
External links
- 1977 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male actors of Japanese descent
- American male actors of Korean descent
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- Japanese emigrants to the United States
- Japanese male film actors
- Japanese male actors of Korean descent
- Male actors from Los Angeles County, California
- Male actors from Okinawa Prefecture
- People from Hacienda Heights, California
- University of California, Berkeley alumni