John Yohan Cho was born in Seoul, South Korea, but moved to Los Angeles as a child, where his father was a Christian Minister. Cho was educated at Herbert Hoover High School in California 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 in 1999 when he appeared in the hit 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. He performs in the band Viva La Union. He is married to actress Kerri Higuchi and they have a son.