Who Is Mickey 17 Star Steven Yeun? Meet the Award-Winning Actor Who Rose to Fame on The Walking Dead!

The Korean-American actor stars in Bong Joon-ho’s sci-fi flick Mickey 17

Steven Yeun has landed a supporting role in Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho’s latest film, Mickey 17, which has made its anticipated arrival in cinemas.

This science-fiction comedy, penned and directed by Bong, follows the journey of Mickey, portrayed by Robert Pattinson, who escapes his financial troubles on Earth by signing up for a mission to colonise Niflheim, an ice-covered planet.

Mickey ends up with a high-risk job as an expendable clone, destined to complete perilous tasks, being cloned over and over again each time he dies, to be sent on increasingly lethal missions. In this outlandish landscape, Yeun plays the mysterious Timo, Mickey’s childhood friend.

As Steven Yeun returns to the limelight with his latest project, fans are becoming increasingly intrigued by his background.

Mickey 17 boasts a star-studded cast including Naomi Ackie, Mark Ruffalo and Steven Yeun (Image: Myung-Gu/WireImage)

Early life

Born in Seoul, South Korea, in December 1983, Yeun’s family emigrated to Canada when he was five, later settling in Troy, Michigan.

Growing up, Yeun admired Will Smith, viewing him as a hero—not due to shared Asian-American representation, as it seldom existed on screen during his youth, but because to him Smith mirrored his feelings of being an ‘outsider’ or ‘other’.

The actor expressed his connection with Smith’s work in an interview with The Hot Corn saying, “When I was young my hero was Will Smith. That’s because he was probably the closest to my own personal journey, of feeling ‘other’ or ‘outsider.’ Fresh Prince [Of Bel Air] was exactly that.

“Then, you try to connect to mainstream stuff, and it’s not to say I can’t connect to a film that has a white protagonist, like of course I can, we’re all human beings, those things spoke to me. But sometimes, having a more nuanced approach to how it can connect to you is really that much more important”, reports the Mirror.

The Walking Dead role

Yeun left The Walking Dead in 2016 (Image: AMC)

Similar to Smith, the 41-year-old celebrity got his big break on a TV show.

The Walking Dead premiered in 2010 and featured Yeun as Glenn Rhee, a core member of main character Rick Grimes’ (Andrew Lincoln) survival group.

He was introduced to viewers in the second episode of the zombie apocalypse drama and quickly became a fan favourite.

Unfortunately, he met his brutal fate in season seven at the hands of villain Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), before the birth of his first child.

Glenn’s death sent shockwaves across the show’s fanbase, who had watched the characters tempt fate for six years. However, Yeun has admitted he was ‘ready’ to let the character’s story end.

He previously told The Independent: “I actually was [ready to go].

The actor was ‘ready’ to end Glenn’s story (Image: AMC)

“That show is one of the greater experiences of my life. I got to work with such incredible people and I got to experience life in its ups and downs in every facet, so it’s very integral to my being.

“But at that moment, it felt very, very appropriate to leave – not because I wanted to go, not because they wanted me to – just that’s when my character’s story was done. There’s nothing greater in my opinion than someone telling you that there’s an end to something.”

Is Steven Yeun married?

Yeun married photographer Joana Pak in 2016 (Image: 2024 Penske Media)

Yeun is happily wedded to professional photographer Joana Pak. The couple exchanged vows in 2016 and are proud parents to two children: a 7-year-old son named Jude and a 5-year-old daughter, Ruth.

Despite maintaining a relatively low-key relationship, Yeun recently paid a touching tribute to his wife and children during his Golden Globes Award acceptance speech.

He bagged the award for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, for his stellar performance in Netflix’s popular drama Beef.

“I’m just so thankful,” he expressed.

He went on to say: “I’m just the recipient of a long line of compassion and love and protection and goodwill, so I appreciate this. Joana, I love you. You are my strength. Thank you to Judie and Ruthie.”

Mickey 17 is out in cinemas now.