Steven Yeun Wiki: 5 Facts To Know About The 'Okja' Actor

“The Walking Dead” returned to TV recently, and we still can’t get enough of it. In many movies and TV shows, we get used to some characters and love them. Even though everything is scripted, we fall in love with them and want to see them in every episode or the entire movie. But there are some that are killed somewhere along the episodes or the movie, and we are left with so many emotions. Well, one character who many love was the pizza guy in “The Walking Dead,” Glen. The role was played by Steven Yeun. His character was killed during the premiere of season 7. Most of Yeun’s fans were heartbroken when they realized that they wouldn’t be seeing their favorite actor again in the comic series. For the loyal fans’ they would catch up with Steven Yeun on his Instagram and Facebook as well as catch up with his movies. But the Korean-American will remain famous for his Glenn Rhee role (even if he stars in a blockbuster film). 34-year-old Steven Yeun was born in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. His parents are South Korean, Je and Jun Yeun. Yeun’s father used to work as an architect in South Korea and even designed some of the government offices in the country. He later moved with his family to Regina, Saskatchewan before they moved to Michigan and settled there. Steven Yeun was raised in Troy, Michigan, and his family identified as Christian. The reason Yeun’s parents named him Steven was because they met a doctor in the U.S. with that name, and he became a great friend to the family. His parents owned some beauty supply stores in Detroit. Yeun joined the Kalamazoo College and received a bachelor’s degree where he graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. It’s while in college that Yeun met Jordan Klepper through his sister and they went to Chicago and joined Second City.

Yeun’s interest in acting came when he was a freshman at Kalamazoo, and he watched the college’s improv group, Monkapult, go around doing their business. He auditioned to join the group, but he was turned down. Yeun applied again in his sophomore years, and he was successful. The actor faced his parents and told them that he was interested in pursuing an improved career in Chicago rather than joining a law or medical school like his parents intended him to. They were unhappy with him after he decided that, but they were supportive. They allowed Yeun to pursue acting for two years which they would support. He moved to Chicago in 2005 and lived in Lincoln Square with his brother. After he graduated, he joined and became a member of Stir Friday Night, a sketch comedy group made of Asian-American members. Another member of the group was Danny Pudi from Community. The actor joined The Second City in Chicago before he moved to Los Angeles in late 2009. The next year, 2010, he landed a role in “The Walking Dead” where he starred as Glenn Rhee. The actor has built his net worth from appearing on movies and TV shows such as “The Walking Dead,” “Voltron: Legendary Defender,” “Mayhem,” “Okja,” and “Trollhunters.”

The actor might have left “The Walking Dead” which he had been part of since 2010, but when you lose some things, new and better ones come. For Yeun, that was replaced by a new cry in his home, a baby. Steven Yeun and his gorgeous wife Joana Pak welcomed their first baby on March 17 last year. The baby, who was born in St. Patrick’s Day was named Jude Malcolm Yeun, and he is a boy. The couple married in December 2016 after dating for seven years, and they were showing off Pak’s baby bump on Pak’s Instagram and Facebook as well as Yeun’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The most recent one that they shared before having the baby last year was of them cuddling and was shared on Yeun’s Instagram and Facebook. Yeun’s wife, Pak is a photographer, and in February last year, he posted a photo of her bump and shared on her Instagram and Facebook where she told her followers and friends that she was nesting between samples of blue and pink fabric. Many were left wondering if she was about to reveal her baby’s sex. The wedding of the Steven Yeun and his wife was a romantic affair, and the two were surrounded by ethereal flowers and was set on a hilltop at Los Angeles’ Paramour estate. The ceremony was attended by 220 guests, and some of them were his “Walking Dead” costars Norman Reedus, Andrew Lincoln, Mellisa McBridge, Chandler Riggs and Sarah Wayne Callies. The couple made sure to mix the elements of the heritage with their tastes. “The Walking Dead,” “Voltron: Legendary Defender,” “Mayhem,” “Okja,” and “Trollhunters” actor told Martha Stewart Weddings that they didn’t put much focus on religion to keep the ceremony relaxed. Just after the news came out that Steven Yeun and Joana Pak had a son together, fans waited to see the baby boy and have a share of the excitement the family had. Pak took to her Instagram and Facebook to share the picture of him sleeping on her lap with his mouth wide open, and the actor revealed in an interview that he was very excited to have a child. Steven Yeun speaking about “Walking Dead” which made him a net worth Steven Yeun appeared on a packed panel at Walker Stalker Con last year after he left “Walking Dead” around a year before. The event was happening at Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee where the actor played the host in the convention’s main event. Taking the stage, he was welcomed by an enormous reaction from fans after he was introduced by Walker Stalker’s founder, James Frazier. When he was asked how he felt after “The Walking Dead,” and the “Voltron: Legendary Defender,” “Mayhem,” “Okja,” and “Trollhunters” actor said that it was hard to leave the "Walking Dead" family after being together for seven years but also felt complete. Yeun stated that something was required to happen to propel the next season. Steven Yeun said it'd been almost a year since he left the show, and the other cast were sad about the death, but it was awesome that it happened. The coolest part for the actor though was that the character before his death was the way he talked and walked. He stated that he had not seen such a character before and after he died, he left such a lasting impact. Yeun thought that if Glenn would continue, he could at some point faded into the darkness and so there was a great explanation point for his death. Michael Cudlitz who starred in “The Walking Dead” as Abraham stepped on the stage and hugged Yeun. Yeun said jokingly that Michael died too.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Yeun stated that he wasn’t objective, but he felt, in a way, that people had no idea of what to do with Glenn. They liked him, had no problems with him, and enjoyed him, but they didn’t think about the connection they had with him until he was long gone. Yeun said that there was nothing gory in the TV series that had not been seen before and people felt nothing from that, but the moment they took off his character, he realized that they had made a connection with the character. After the premiere, many critics asked if the gory reveal in season 7 was worth all the build-up that preceded the character’s death. The following weeks, the ratings of the TV show dropped, and the questions became starker. Yeun said that being in the show was incredible on the internal side and externally, it was tough because he felt that he didn’t get his fair due. He didn’t felt like he got his fair due, especially from an outside perception. Yeun added that the always had to be part of something to legitimize his presence, and he was rarely alone. Whenever he got time alone though, it would take several years to convince fans to be on his own.

After waiting for months, the fans of “Walking Dead” now knew who faced the wrath of Negan’s barbed-wire baseball bat during the season finale of season six. Negan smashed the square-jawed tough guy known as Abraham, a role played by Michael Cudlitz, but it didn’t end there. When Darryl chose to strike back at Negan, the villain thought it would be good to make an impression and decided to take another victim, Glenn Rhee, which was played by Steven Yeun. Yeun was one of the longest-tenured cast members of the TV show and was seen from the first season when he rescued Rick Grimes. Glenn’s onscreen death was a shocking and gruesome moment from the original comics. The impact was horrifying as seen on TV and the character was smashed into a pile of blood and guts by Negan as the other characters watched. Now, that the biggest secret was out and the suspense that the viewers had come to an end, many asked about how the victim felt about his sendoff. Yeun spoke to GQ about how he felt and his experience as he performed for the very last time in the TV show. Yeun said that he felt relieved, and he knew for a while that his role would end there. He said, in this day and age, sites like Facebook and Instagram allow people to get information quickly, and it was hard for him to keep the character's death a secret, and it was eating him the whole time. Once the episode aired, he could finally get it off his chest. The actor revealed that he realized that he would be Negan’s victim in season six and when he was aware that it was coming eventually, he was very excited.

Yeun said that he wasn’t willing to live the show because of the wonderful people that he always worked with but it was an iconic moment and a death he didn’t want to miss. If it was decided for Glenn, he wanted to experience it. People were asking him if he read the issue 100 of “The Walking Dead” which showed that “The Walking Dead,” “Voltron: Legendary Defender,” “Mayhem”, “Okja,” and “Trollhunters” actor would lose his life on screen. He told them that he did, but he never thought it would happen. He said that he was confident that there would be more of Glenn’s show, and it was as the encapsulation of the precious story, but since Glenn had dome so many things, it felt appropriate to end his story there. Steven Yeun said that he played Glenn since 2010, and it wasn’t hard to let the character go, but recapping everything he had been through was what remained a challenge. He was bothered more by the experience he had playing for the character instead of losing him. He acknowledged that he felt col while living the character but he wasn’t sure if he would cry in future over the memories of playing him.

The actor has a great relationship with his former co-star Cohan, and they often hang out whenever they aren’t working. It’s common for co-stars to get extra close especially when they are playing love interests for a very long period, for instance, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone who usually are fooling around off-screen and their fans think they are dating. Whenever Yeun is Cohan are together, the make mini videos of them doing some hilarious stuff. They have videos of them with their friends celebrating their engagement where they scream with excitement. They have also made videos of them making fun of other people who doubt their friendship and think they have an affair. Yeun and Cohan look great together, and they always insist that there is nothing between them except some great friendship.

They might not be the most overlapping areas, but Yeun revealed that boxing and Christianity had been two great aids for Yeun to get into the mood for a fight. The Walking Dead”, “Voltron: Legendary Defender,” “Mayhem”, “Okja,” and “Trollhunters” actor revealed that the two had been his to get moody for another tough day of fighting the zombies. Yeun was raised a Christian, and he used to hear much praise and worship music, and that helped him get into an emotional place. His favorite songs are from an Australian church known as Hillsong that specializes in the praise music, and he listens to their stuff. Whenever he was to get pumped for a scene, he usually listens to hip-hop music. Yeun revealed that he chose boxing because he wanted to get in shape for filming and also since it involves a lot of running, yelling, grueling and crying, just the same thing they do when acting.

When Jon Bernthal turned into a zombie in “The Walking Dead,” Yeun was extremely sad especially after he watched him being killed by his friend Rick. Yeun said that Jon’s character was not liked by everyone because he wanted to come between Lori and Rick, but he was a strong character. The two actors were very close when shooting the first two seasons and they would get together after shooting and play basketball. It was Jon who introduced Yeun to boxing, and he was the actor who he hanged with mostly. Yeun loved to go boxing with Joni because it was a great exercise and kept him strong without going for weights.

You probably thought that any actor who stars on a popular horror TV series would be into blood and gore, but that’s not the case. Steven Yeun did it because it was a job, but in the real world, he noted that people take jobs that don’t please them just to get paid and sort their bills. The thing about the actor is that he doesn’t like horror movies and doesn’t watch them. Perhaps he didn’t even watch himself.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Yeun has a net worth of $4 million. He has built his net worth entirely from playing roles in “The Walking Dead,” “Voltron: Legendary Defender,” “Mayhem”, “Okja,” and “Trollhunters.”

The actor might have left “The Walking Dead” but he had built his reputation, and that helped him get more roles in some top grossing movies and TV shows. He might return though.