Arden Cho
Cho in 2019
Born (1985-08-16) August 16, 1985 (age 38)
Amarillo, Texas, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (BA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • model
Years active2006–present
AgentInnovative Artists

Arden Lim Cho[1] (born August 16, 1985)[2] is an American actress, singer, model and beauty pageant titleholder who competed at Miss Korea 2004. known for portraying Kira Yukimura in the 2011 MTV television series Teen Wolf[3][4] and Ingrid Yun in the 2022 Netflix television series Partner Track.

Early life and education

Cho was born in Amarillo, Texas to Korean-American parents and was raised in San Antonio and Plano, Texas.[5][6][7] Growing up in areas with few ethnic minorities, she often felt like an outsider. As a child, she was bullied and was hospitalized twice for injuries after being physically attacked.[3] She later attended high school in Apple Valley, Minnesota.[6]

Cho attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with the intentions of becoming a lawyer.[8] It was there that she took her first drama classes and developed an interest in the profession.[9] There, she also became more exposed to the Asian American culture at large;[9] she also participated in the Asian American Association's Fashion Show.[citation needed] She graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and subsequently spent the following summer on a medical missionary trip in Kenya.[7][10]

Career

Acting

Upon her return from Kenya, she moved to Los Angeles, where she worked odd jobs while trying to pursue a career in acting. Although she did not have any screen credits at the time, her first agent took her on due to her resume of musical and physical talents, which included ballet, cello, and piano.[8] Cho has appeared in films, television series, and commercials in the United States and Asia.[11]

In 2008, Cho played the grown-up lead of Hyori (the younger version being played by Megan Lee) in the short film My First Crush, directed by Rocky Jo.[12]

In 2011, she appeared in the role of Pru, a friend of Paige McCullers (Lindsey Shaw) in Season 1, Episode 20 ("Someone to Watch Over Me"), of the ABC Family show Pretty Little Liars.[13][14] She also appeared in the role of Gia in the monster film Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, directed by Mary Lambert.

In 2014, Cho joined the TV series Teen Wolf as Kira, starting as a recurring character in season 3 but was promoted to a main cast role in season 4. In April 2016, ahead of her talk at University of Illinois at Chicago for Asian American Awareness Month, Cho posted a YouTube video on her personal channel revealing that she would not return for season 6 of Teen Wolf.[15][16]

In 2017, Cho was cast as a recurring character on season 3 of Chicago Med as Dr. Ethan Choi's sister.[17]

In 2022, Cho starred as the lead character Ingrid Yun in the Netflix series Partner Track. Additionally, she was cast as June in the 2024 Netflix adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

YouTube

Cho was previously a part of the "Artichoke and Peachies" joint YouTube blogging channel with Grace Su. The account has since been shut down.[18] She has also appeared in the web series KTown Cowboys.[19]

She has her own YouTube channel, ardenBcho, with over 300 videos, predominantly featuring vlogging, song covers, and original music videos. She had over 500,000 subscribers as of February 2020.[20]

Modeling

Cho won the 2004 Miss Korea Chicago competition, giving her the opportunity to take part in the Miss Korea Pageant in Seoul.[9] At one point, she was in talks for a television show in Korea but walked away from the opportunity due to weight loss and plastic surgery requirements.[8]

In 2010, the cosmetic brand Clinique announced Cho as the model for their newest advertisement campaign in Asia. The campaign was launched in mid-November 2010.[21] Cho modeled for Reebok Korea in 2010 and for Nike Japan in 2008. She has also modeled for Apple and Alexander McQueen and appeared in Vogue, Purple Fashion and Nylon Magazine.[22]

Music

In 2010, Cho and Ktown Cowboys actor Shane Yoon were the MCs for the Korean music group JYJ's tour in the United States.[23]

In 2011, Cho released her first single, "I'm Just a Girl".[9] Cho was the co-writer, composer and singer; Ed Huang was co-writer and music producer. On February 25, 2011, Cho released a self-produced music video for the single on YouTube featuring Tim Lacatena.[24] Cho had plans to tour her debut EP My True Happy in 2013 before landing a recurring role on Teen Wolf.[3][4] Cho premiered her single "Simply" in September 2019.[4]

Other ventures

Cho is an avid poker player and has been playing since 2002. She competed in the 2018 World Series of Poker, placing 662nd with $21,750.[25] Her biggest live cash was in January 2023 at the PGT Championship $1,000,000 freeroll: she came in second, winning $200,000.[26]

On February 6, 2019, it was announced that Cho had become CEO of Leonard & Church, a New York City-based watch company.[27]

Personal life

Cho is a Christian.[6] Cho has a black belt in taekwondo and grew up training with her father, who is a grandmaster.[5]

In April 2021, in the midst of an uptick in anti-Asian racism regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Cho said she was walking her dog when a man called her slurs and threatened her life. She picked up her dog and ran when he approached her. She said the increase in hate crimes "has triggered a lot of these [childhood] memories".[28]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2008 Hoodrats 2: Hoodrat Warriors Miriam
2010 Agents of Secret Stuff Taylor Short film
2011 Mega Python vs. Gatoroid Gia
2012 Picture Perfect[29] Leukemia awareness short film for the Jubilee Project on YouTube
2013 The Baytown Outlaws Angel
2016 Stuck Alicia Also associate producer
2018 The Honor List Honor Liang

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2008 Mad TV Supporting role Season 13, episode 11
2009 CSI: NY Gahee Paik Episode: "Communication Breakdown"
2011 Pretty Little Liars Pru Episode: "Someone to Watch Over Me"
Rizzoli & Isles Lee Episode: "My Own Worst Enemy"
2012 Walking the Halls Kylie Television film
2014–2016 Teen Wolf Kira Yukimura Recurring role (season 3); main role (seasons 4–5)
2014 Castle Kiara Episode: "The Way of the Ninja"
2015 Hawaii Five-0 Mia Price Episode: "Kuka'awale (Stakeout)"
2016 Tween Fest Lexii C. Main role
2017 Freakish Tonya Guest role; 2 episodes
2017–2018 Miss 2059 Arden Young Main role (season 2)
2018–2019 Chicago Med Emily Choi Recurring role
2022 Partner Track Ingrid Yun[30] Main role
2024 Avatar: The Last Airbender June[31] 2 episodes

Video games

Year Title Voice role Notes
2013 Tomb Raider Samantha Nishimura / Stephanie / Sun Queen [32]

Web series

Year Title Role Notes
2010 KTown Cowboys Sarah Recurring role
2012 Video Game High School Korean TV hostess Episode: "Shot Heard Round the World"

References

  1. ^ "Arden Cho". Amazon Prime Video. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  2. ^ Cho, Arden (August 16, 2017). "Thanks for all the birthday wishes!!! Feeling like I'm 12 today, thank you babiespic.twitter.com/1Kwvj9SPW4". @arden_cho. Archived from the original on March 20, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Low, Elaine (March 21, 2014). "Actress Arden Cho on Teen Wolf, Being Bullied, and the Friend Zone". Mochi Magazine. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c BJ Panda Bear (September 27, 2019). "Flaunt Premiere | Arden Cho "SIMPLY"". Flaunt Magazine. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  5. ^ a b CAAM (October 15, 2014). "Arden Cho Grows up, and Kicks Butt, on "Teen Wolf"". CAAM Home. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Yu, Phil (April 11, 2014). "Angry Reader of the Week: Arden Cho". Angry Asian Man. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Ng, Natalie (July 27, 2016). "Interview: Actress Arden Cho talks Teen Wolf, being Asian in Hollywood and proper representation on screen". Meld Magazine. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Tseng, Ada (February 23, 2014). "Arden Cho has fans howling". iamkoream.com. KoreAm Magazine. Archived from the original on July 9, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d Zhan, Julie (July 21, 2011). "Arden Cho Interview: "Don't be afraid to fail. Unless you fail, you will never really succeed."". The Other Asians. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015.
  10. ^ "FASHION INFLUENCER—Arden Cho". College Fashionista. April 6, 2015. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  11. ^ "News". ardencho.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
  12. ^ Kamel, Marina (March 27, 2011). "Adren Cho and Megan Lee Cover "Forget You" by Cee Lo Green (Glee Version)". Audrey Magazine. Archived from the original on April 23, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  13. ^ Surname Undisclosed, Melody (March 9, 2011). "Arden Cho: A Pretty Little Liar". Audrey Magazine. Archived from the original on April 6, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  14. ^ Anatole, Emily (January 2010). "New Character to Guest Star on PLL". Wetpaint. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  15. ^ ardenBcho (April 11, 2016), Goodbye Teenwolf, YouTube, archived from the original on March 27, 2017, retrieved April 12, 2016
  16. ^ Petski, Denise (April 11, 2016). "Arden Cho Says Goodbye To Teen Wolf". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  17. ^ Gelman, Vlada (November 22, 2017). "Chicago Med Casts Teen Wolf Vet as Ethan's Troublemaker Sister". TVLine. Archived from the original on November 22, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  18. ^ Eun, Elizabeth (November 3, 2010). "In Blog We Trust: Part I of III | iamkoream". iamkoream.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  19. ^ "The Cast". KTown Cowboys. Archived from the original on October 7, 2010. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  20. ^ "ArdenBcho – YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  21. ^ Surname Undisclosed, Michelle (October 6, 2010). "The New Face of Clinique". iamkoream.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  22. ^ Kim, Samuel (July 20, 2009). "Arden Cho". Korean American Christian Media. Archived from the original on April 5, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
  23. ^ Nguyen, Mai (November 30, 2010). "Asia Pacific Arts: Behind the Scenes of JYJ's The Beginning tour: an interview with Shane Yoon". Asia Pacific Arts Magazine. USC. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  24. ^ "I'm Just a Girl by Arden Cho". channelapa.com. February 26, 2011. Archived from the original on March 1, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  25. ^ Chaffin, Sean (March 1, 2020). "The Big Stage: Actress Arden Cho Moonlights as a Poker Player at LAPC | World Poker Tour". World Poker Tour. Archived from the original on March 20, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  26. ^ "Daniel Smiljkovic Rallies to Defeat Arden Cho Heads-Up for PGT Championship Title ($500,000)". January 10, 2024.
  27. ^ Leonard & Church [@leonardnchurch] (February 6, 2019). "Have you heard? @leonardandchurch has a new CEO — our very own @girlboss : @arden_cho" (Tweet). Retrieved April 8, 2019 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ Brisco, Elise (April 2, 2021). "'I'm still shaking': 'Teen Wolf' star Arden Cho details how racist attack sparked childhood trauma". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  29. ^ Jubilee (June 6, 2012). "Picture Perfect – Jubilee Project Short Film". Archived from the original on July 5, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2015 – via YouTube.
  30. ^ Iannucci, Rebecca (September 14, 2021). "Partner Track Adaptation, Starring Teen Wolf's Arden Cho, Ordered at Netflix". TVLine. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  31. ^ Williams, Caleb (April 9, 2022). "'Arden Cho Has Joined Netflix's 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' TV Series (EXCLUSIVE)". Knight Edge Media. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  32. ^ "Arden Cho (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.

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