# Stephen Park (actor)

Stephen Park is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for being a cast member of the sketch comedy television series In Living Color during the 1991–1992 season. He is also known for the film roles of Sonny in Do the Right Thing (1989), Detective Brian in Falling Down (1993), Mike Yanagita in Fargo (1996), and Lieutenant Nescaffier in The French Dispatch (2021).
Park's other acting work includes the role of Mike Sorayama in the Adult Swim animated television series The Venture Bros. and the role of Judge Pete in the critically acclaimed independent film Rocket Science (2007). Park has acted in two Coen brothers films, Fargo and A Serious Man (2009).

## Early life and career

Park grew up in Vestal, New York. The son of Korean immigrants, Park began his entertainment career as a stand-up comedian before transitioning into acting.
Park was a cast member on In Living Color. He has appeared in films such as Do the Right Thing (1989), Fargo (1996), A Serious Man (2009), Snowpiercer (2013), The French Dispatch (2021), and Asteroid City (2023).

## Personal life

Park married Kelly Coffield, another former cast member of In Living Color, in 1999. They have a son and a daughter.

## Advocacy

   "[T]he 1st AD (assistant director), in a short tirade, called an Asian-American actor to the set over a walkie-talkie with the words, 'I don't have time for this! Where's Hoshi, Toshi or whatever the f--k his name is. Get the oriental guy!' He did not even have the respect to learn the name of the actor, a veteran of 40 years."
In 1997, Park wrote a mission statement in which he called for Hollywood to portray people of Asian descent in a less disparaging light. He wrote the statement after witnessing a racist incident while appearing in a guest role on the television series Friends. In his statement, Park wrote that "In movies and television, Asian characters, mostly men, are subjected to indignity and violence or are tokenized, while Asian women are exploited as objects of sexual desire. You rarely see Asian characters in leading roles that contain any significant power or influence".
Park published his statement as an open letter and it was shared widely online and in the news. He reported that he faced pushback from people in the film industry for his letter but that he would continue his advocacy regardless of the retaliation he faced.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1989 | Do the Right Thing | Sonny | |
| 1990 | Quick Change | Grocery Cashier | |
| 1990 | Kindergarten Cop | Assistant to Salazar | |
| 1991 | Showdown in Little Tokyo | Asian Cop #1 | |
| 1992 | Kuffs | Officer Favaro | |
| 1992 | Toys | Researcher | |
| 1993 | Falling Down | Detective Brian | |
| 1996 | Fargo | Mike Yanagita | |
| 1996 | Sgt. Bilko | Captain Moon | |
| 1996 | Red Ribbon Blues | Kris Lee | |
| 1997 | Yellow | Alex's Uncle | |
| 1998 | Desperate Measures | Dr. Gosha | |
| 2007 | Rocket Science | Judge Pete | |
| 2008 | The Promotion | David Kim | |
| 2009 | State of Play | Chris Kawai | |
| 2009 | A Serious Man | Clive's Father | |
| 2010 | The Best and the Brightest | George Tanaka-Blumstein | |
| 2010 | Morning Glory | Channel 9 Weatherperson | |
| 2012 | Price Check | Board Member | |
| 2012 | The Brass Teapot | Dr. Li Ling | |
| 2012 | Putzel | Song | |
| 2013 | Snowpiercer | Fuyu | |
| 2013 | Wedding Palace | Kwan | |
| 2014 | The Gambler | Number 2 | |
| 2015 | Don Verdean | Poon-Yen | |
| 2020 | Kajillionaire | Another Father | Uncredited |
| 2021 | The French Dispatch | Lieutenant Nescaffier | |
| 2023 | Ghosted | Utami | |
| 2023 | Asteroid City | Roger Cho | |
| 2023 | The Good Half | Father Dan | |
| 2025 | Mickey 17 | Agent Zeke | |
| 2025 | Death of a Unicorn | Dr. Song | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1989 | The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd | Deliveryman | Episode: "Here's a Shot in the Dark" |
| 1990 | Kojak: Flowers for Matty | Billy | Television film |
| 1990 | WIOU | Dr. Kajita | Episode: "They Shoot Sources, Don't They" |
| 1991–1992 | In Living Color | Various | 28 episodes |
| 1992 | MacGyver | Tan Yee | Episode: "The Stringer" |
| 1994 | Murder, She Wrote | Joe Yoshanaga | Episode: "Death in Hawaii" |
| 1995 | Martin | Mr. Jones | Episode: "Kill Him with Kindness" |
| 1995–1997 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | I Kwan / Dong (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 1996–1997 | Friends | Scott Alexander / Phil | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Boy Meets World | Jump Master | Episode: "Raging Cory" |
| 1998–1999 | Mad About You | Dr. Lee | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Dr. Shimo | Episode: "Want" |
| 2004 | The Venture Bros. | Mike Sorayama (voice) | Episode: "Past Tense" |
| 2005 | Hope & Faith | Mr. Yamagoto | Episode: "Carmen Get It" |
| 2005–2008 | Law & Order | Dr. Park / Dr. Bruce Chang | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | The Unusuals | Councilman Tony Harbor | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2011 | White Collar | Paul Sullivan | Episode: "Deadline" |
| 2012 | Smash | Reporter #1 | Episode: "The Callback" |
| 2012–2013 | Elementary | Oren Watson | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Phil Spector | Focus Group Man | Television film |
| 2014 | Believe | Lim | Episode: "Prodigy" |
| 2014–2015 | The Mindy Project | Ray | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Person of Interest | Mark Lee | Episode: "Search and Destroy" |
| 2015 | 12 Monkeys | Yakuza Soldier | Episode: "Shonin" |
| 2017 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Eugene Lee | Episode: "Real Fake News" |
| 2019–2020 | Warrior | Tu | 7 episodes |
| 2021 | Infinity Train | Min-Gi's Father (voice) | Episode: "The Twin Tapes" |