Justin Chon

A Korean-American actor, Justin Chon is best known for his supporting role in the "Twilight" film franchise. His father appeared in South Korean films as a youth and inspired Justin to follow a career in acting. After winning his earliest minor screen roles while in his early 20s, Chon quickly ascended to more significant parts, notably playing the brother of the title character in the hit Disney Channel movie "Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior" (2006). Soon thereafter, he scored a recurring role on the sitcom "Just Jordan" (Nickelodeon, 2007-08) and found a much wider fan base when he was cast in the part of high school student Eric Yorkie in the blockbuster supernatural drama "Twilight" (2008), based on Stephenie Meyer's young-adult book of the same name. After appearing in subsequent installments of the hugely popular series, Chon finally landed a lead role in the raucous coming-of-age comedy "21 & Over" (2013). With his likable, laidback charm, Chon was able to alternate easily between dramas and comedies and win parts that weren't contingent on his Asian-American background.

Born and raised in affluent Orange County, California, Chon was influenced by his businessman father's distant past as screen star in South Korea. With a youthful appearance that made his look significantly younger than his age, he began appearing in bit TV and film parts as a teenager, even though he was already in his mid-20s. Following his turn as Peter, the sibling of the high-kicking heroine on the Disney Channel special "Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior," he found greater exposure as a regular on the Nick sitcom "Just Jordan," playing Tony Lee, the best friend of the teen title character (Lil' JJ). After the show ended its short run, Chon was cast in "Twilight," portraying Eric, one of a tight-knit group of friends in Forks, Washington, who take in new arrival Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), Along with Anna Kendrick, Christian Serratos and Michael Welch, Chon proved to be increasingly overshadowed by the fantastical elements of the movie series, turning up briefly in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" (2009) and "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (2010), and only appearing minimally in the first half of the two-part finale "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn" (2011-12). Outside of the franchise, he guest-starred on 2011 episodes of Nick family show "Gigantic" (2010-11) and the long-running medical drama "House" (2004-2012). He also had a supporting part in the little-seen immigration drama "Crossing Over" (2009), with Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd and a large ensemble cast. After featured roles in various low-budget films, including the humorous horror outing "Detention of the Dead" (2012), Chon regained his career momentum when he co-starred with Miles Teller and Skylar Astin in the well-received reckless-youth comedy "21 & Over," which proved to be a surprise hit. Although Chon was supposed to be turning 21 in the movie, he was actually 31 by the time it hit theaters. He later worked on penning and helming short films, leading to "Man-Up!" (2013), his collaborative slacker comedy with fellow actor, screenwriter and director, Kevin Wu.