James Kyson[2] is an American actor best known for his television work. Best known for his role as Ando Masahashi on the NBC television series Heroes, his guest appearances on television series include Hawaii Five-0, NCIS: Los Angeles, Sleepy Hollow, Elementary, and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. Earlier in his career, Kyson was credited as James Kyson Lee or James Kyson-Lee.
Early life and education
Kyson was born Lee Ji-hoon (although his given name was later changed to Jae-hyeok)[1] in Seoul, South Korea. His father was an electrical engineer. He moved with his family to New York City at age 10, where he later attended The Bronx High School of Science.[3] His English name, James, is derived from James Bond.[1] He studied communications at Boston University with the intent of being a sports broadcaster before later transferring to the New England Institute of Art.[2][1]
In summer of 2001, Kyson sold his car and bought a one-way ticket to Los Angeles with the intent of entering the acting industry. He enrolled in performing arts classes at a community college while auditioning for roles and working as a SAT tutor to pay the bills.[4]
Acting career
After three years in Los Angeles, Kyson landed his first acting role on the military legal television drama JAG in 2003.[4][5]
He landed guest roles in hit network television series The West Wing and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation amongst others before being cast as one of his more widely known roles, Ando Masahashi in the sci-fi series Heroes. The role required him to speak Japanese.[4][6] He later stated that he had taken a semester of Japanese in college and did not find learning the language difficult as it was grammatically similar to Korean, in which he is fluent.[7][6]
Since Heroes ended, he also guest-starred on Hawaii Five-0, Justified, Animals., Sleepy Hollow, Elementary, and more recently Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.
His feature films work includes the romantic comedy Another Time, the thriller The Livingston Gardener – and as a mixed martial arts fighter in the action feature Banana Season.
Kyson was a celebrity judge at the Miss Universe 2007 beauty pageant.[8]
Personal life
Kyson has been married to singer and neuroscientist Jamee Kyson (née Berg) since 2015.[9]
He is fluent in Korean and learned Japanese to play Ando Masahashi in Heroes.[2]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Asian Stories | Jim Lee | |
| Big Dreams Little Tokyo | Murakami | ||
| 2007 | Doberman | Johnny the Bartender | Direct-to-video |
| 2008 | Shutter | Ritsuo | |
| Akira's Hip Hop Shop | Akira | ||
| 2009 | White on Rice | Tim Kim | |
| Hard Breakers | Evan | ||
| Necrosis | Jerry | ||
| How to Make Love to a Woman | Aaron | ||
| Star Runners | Lei Chen | ||
| WWII in HD | Jimmie Kanaya | Voice | |
| Why Am I Doing This? | Eric | ||
| 2010 | Despicable Me | Additional Voices | Voice |
| 2013 | Plush | Coat, Tie Fan | |
| 2014 | Ragamuffin | Matt Gast | |
| 2015 | Fourth World | Legion | |
| The Livingston Gardener | Pierce Lawrence | ||
| 2016 | Convenience Store Diet | Jacked Bro | Voice |
| 2017 | Boone: the Bounty Hunter | Cameo | |
| No Trace | Detective Phil Chung | ||
| The High Life | Chevy Lee | ||
| 2018 | Another Time | Kal | |
| Breaking & Exiting | Peter | ||
| Banana Season | Sun | ||
| 2019 | Walk to Vegas | Wing | |
| 2023 | Godzilla Minus One | Yōji Akitsu | 2024 Netflix English dub |
| TBA | Werewolves | Miles Chen | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | JAG | Lieutenant Pak | Episode: "Close Quarters" |
| All About the Andersons | Josh | Episode: "Joe's Big Break" | |
| 2004 | Threat Matrix | Vargas Killer | Episode: "PPX" |
| Unsolved History | Mysterious Man | Episode: "Flight KAL-007" | |
| The West Wing | Chinese Translator Zheng | Episode: "Impact Winter" | |
| 2005 | Xtreme Fakeovers | James Parker | Episode: "Xtreme Fakeover" |
| 2005–2006 | Untold Stories of the E.R. | X-Ray Doctor, Reenactments, Resident Park | 3 episodes |
| 2006 | Stranger Adventures | Mysterious Man | Episode: "Helen Beaumont" |
| Heist | Universal Studio Guide | Episode: "Ladies and Gentlemen... Sweaty Dynamite" | |
| 2006–2010 | Heroes | Ando Masahashi | 61 episodes |
| 2007 | Las Vegas | Joon Ho Park | Episode: "Wagers of Sin" |
| 2008 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Officer Kwan | Episode: "Say Uncle" |
| 2011 | Hawaii Five-0 | Sean Leung | Episode: "Ma Ke Kahakai (Shore)" |
| 2012 | Chasing the Hill | Curt Barboa | Episode: "Send in the Dancing Chihuahuas" |
| Daybreak | Gregg Harding | Episode: "Chapter 1" | |
| Have You Met Miss Jones? | Jacob | 3 episodes | |
| 2012; 2016 | Adventure Time | Trami, Big Destiny (voices) | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Very Smart Brothers | Marcus | Television film |
| Armed Response | Charlie Scortino | ||
| Non-Stop | Kevin | Television | |
| Between Bullets | Johnny Parker | 3 episodes | |
| 2014 | Justified | Yoon | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | The Startup | Mikio | Episode: "Welcome to LA" |
| 2016 | Animals | Floor Manager (voice) | Episode: "Rats" |
| NCIS: Los Angeles | James Kang | Episode: "Seoul Man" | |
| School of Rock | David Kwon | Episode: "We're Not Gonna Take It" | |
| 2017 | Blade of Honor | John 'Hoss' O'Tekjac | Episode: "Frying Pan" |
| Sleepy Hollow | Mark Wong | Episode: "Columbia" | |
| Elementary | Joey Ng | Episode: "Rekt in Real Life" | |
| Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders | Detective Joon-Ho Kim | Episode: "Pretty Like Me" | |
| Preacher | The Technician | Episode: "Sokoasha" | |
| 2017; 2019 | We Bare Bears | Additional Voices (voices) | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Glimpse | Scientist Schulze | Episode: "Sebastian Moller" |
| 2018–2019 | Star vs. the Forces of Evil | Bam Ui Pati Actor, Additional Voices (voices) | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Film Lab Presents | Theodore | 2 episodes |
| Lovecraft Country | Byung-Ho | Episode: "Meet Me in Daegu" | |
| Next | Bill Zhai | Episode: "FILE #7" | |
| 2023 | Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake | Big Destiny, Handbag Helmet (voices) | Episode: "Destiny" |
| Scavengers Reign | John | Episode: "The Mountain" | |
| 2024 | BMF | Officer Kang | 5 episodes |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Shellshock: Nam '67 | Monty, Vietnamese Soldiers, Prisoners and Civilians #4 | |
| 2006 | Family Guy Video Game! | Train Conductor | |
| 2007 | The Darkness | Cop, Peter Chen | |
| 2008 | Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe | Shang Tsung | |
| 2013 | Grand Theft Auto V | The Local Population | |
| 2014 | Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare | Additional Voices | |
| 2015 | Battlefield Hardline | Additional Voices | |
| 2019 | Anthem | Dr. Harken |
Other activities
Kyson plays basketball for charity celebrity team The Hollywood Knights [10] and participated in Robbie Williams' Soccer Aid for UNICEF at Manchester United's Old Trafford in England.[citation needed] He is also an Ambassador for the International Organization Good Neighbors and their Water for Life campaign.[citation needed]
Kyson represented the Rest of the World team in 2010 Soccer Aid, a British charity soccer match in aid of UNICEF.[11]
See also
- Masi Oka — Kyson's co-actor on Heroes
References
External links
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