John Yohan Cho was born in Seoul, South Korea, but moved to Los Angeles, California as a child, where his father was a Christian minister. Cho was educated at Herbert Hoover High School at Glendale before moving on to the University of California at Berkeley where he studied English Literature. Upon graduation, Cho moved back to Los Angeles, working for a while as a teacher at Pacific Hills School. He also began acting with the famed Asian American theater company East West Players.

A screen acting career began with small roles in projects such as Wag the Dog (1997) and Bowfinger (1999). His breakthrough came when he appeared in the teen romance comedy American Pie (1999) and helped coin the phrase "MILF". Other roles followed, and he scored another hit in the slacker comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004). Cho also starred in the hugely successful franchise reboot Star Trek (2009), in the sought after role of Hikaru Sulu. As well as acting, Cho is also a singer and performs in the band Viva La Union. He is married to actress Kerri Higuchi and they have two children.

Trivia

His father was a Christian Minister.
John was raised in Los Angeles, California.
Received his Bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of California, Berkeley (1996).
Has worked with actor Eddie Kaye Thomas on nine different occasions. They both appeared in the movies American Pie (1999), American Pie 2 (2001), American Wedding (2003), American Reunion (2012), Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004), Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2011). The two also have small cameos in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008). And they also co-starred together in the WB's short-lived sitcom Off Centre (2001).
Along with Alex Kalognomos and Eva Mendes, he attended Herbert Hoover High School.
John immigrated to Los Angeles, California in 1978, when he was just six years old.
Lead singer of the Los Angeles-based band Left of Zed, which has recently been renamed Viva La Union.
John announced that his wife Kerri and he are expecting their first child, a boy. [April 2008]
Has worked on nine projects that have been either directed or produced by Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz.
In April 2009, along with several of the cast and crew, he visited Camp Arijan in Kuwait to show Star Trek (2009) to a group of US service members.
Second child, a girl, was born in 2013.
Friends with Kal Penn.

With music, I get to feel real ownership with what I do. I write it, I perform it and even if it is crap, it is mine. With acting, you are a small part of the creative process, and sometimes it is hard to feel like you are making an impact.
[on being an Asian American actor] It's difficult having to hustle for jobs. Not knowing when the next job is coming in. It's hard. There are not enough roles out there. I try not to get wrapped up in it or I'll get depressed.
I am interested in people who are on top and how they stay on top. In a vague way, it's a bit like athletes and how they stay on top of their game. You know, I always root for the older athlete. I root for the second album. I root for solo careers after the rock star breaks the band apart. I've become more interested in second and third acts, and a lot less interested in that splashy debut. For me, the most interesting thing is longevity and sustaining a career, because that's what's truly difficult.
[observation, 2012] Thankfully, I'm not sweating too much about how to climb the ladder, and I'm not sweating too much about the money. I'm trying to think of making work that I'm proud of. And I think everything falls into place after that.
When I was starting out, it was really hard. I tried to do things like turn down auditions I thought were stereotypical. That sort of thing, small as it was, was difficult. Now it seems like I don't even have to make those decisions anymore. People understand what I do.
[on avoiding Facebook] I have this nightmare that one day I will have to look at every picture I've ever taken with people in an airport or in bars or restaurants, and it will make me very sad. It will be like the Vietnam memorial in Washington - a descending wall of sadness.