Arden Cho Biography

Arden Cho (born August 16, 1985) is an American actress, singer and model, best known for her role as Kira Yukimura on Teen Wolf. She starred in the 2011 feature Mega Python vs. Gatoroid. As a model she worked mostly in Asia while she released an EP My True Happy in 2013.

Early life

Born in Amarillo, Texas to Korean-American parents, Cho spent most of her childhood years in Dallas and her late teenage years in Minnesota together with her younger brother. She attended Apple Valley High School, saying that her "parents put me in dance classes, martial arts, sports, spelling bees, painting, music, cello; all sorts of things." Growing up in an area with very few ethnic minorities led to sentiments of being an outsider. It wasn't until she moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she majored in psychology that she connected with her Asian American background. It was here that she attended her first drama classes and developed an interest in the profession, noting "theater was the first time I felt like I could open up and be someone I could only imagine to be".

In 2004, Cho entered and won the Miss Korea Chicago competition, giving her the opportunity to take part in the Miss Korea Pageant in Seoul, South Korea. The latter proved to be a disappointing experience as she was urged to lose weight and make other adjustments to her appearance. After graduating in 2007 she spent the summer of that year in Kenya on a two-month humanitarian trip. Upon her return, she decided to move to Los Angeles where she worked odd jobs while trying to pursue a career in acting.

Modeling

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. Clinique was reported to have stated that they "selected Cho not because she was Korean, but because she had the beauty to represent Asia." 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.

Film and television

Cho has appeared in films, television series and commercials in the United States and Asia.

Cho is best known for her lead role as Kira Yukimura, a kitsune, on the MTV series Teen Wolf.

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. The episode originally aired on March 7, 2011. In 2011 she also appeared in the role of Gia in the monster film Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, directed by Mary Lambert. In 2009 Cho appeared in Season 5, Episode 19 ("Communication Breakdown"), of the CBS show CSI: NY, in the supporting role of Gahee Paik, the daughter of a Korean father suspected of murder. The episode originally aired on March 25, 2009. 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. She has also appeared in the webseries KTown Cowboys. Cho also starred in the 2010, 35-minute YouTube feature Agents of Secret Stuff presented by Nigahiga and Wong Fu Productions. In 2014, she also appeared as Kira in the TV series Teen Wolf, starting as a recurring character but ending up landing a lead role.

Music

On February 22, 2011, Cho released the single "I"?m Just a Girl" on iTunes. Cho was the co-writer, composer and singer on the single; Ed Huang was co-writer and music producer. On February 25, 2011, Cho published a self-produced music video for the single on YouTube featuring Tim Lacatena. Musical videos featuring her collaborations with other YouTube figures including Gerald Ko, Jason Chen, Ken Salomon and Megan Lee appear on her other, more informal ardenBcho YouTube account. Another musical collaboration to which Cho has lent her voice is the non-commercial Mark Allen song "I Once Knew."

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	The Break-Up	VIP Party Guest
2008	My First Crush	Grown Up Hyori	Short Film
2008	Hoodrats 2: Hoodrat Warriors	Miriam
2008	Spy Games	Tanya	Short Film
2009	Layover, on the Shore	Laura	Short Film
2009	Forgotten	Jane Doe	Short Film
2009	When Lara Met Charlie'	Arden	Short Documentary
2010	The Grey Coat	Jae Hee	Short Film
2010	Agents of Secret Stuff	Taylor	Thirty Five Minute YouTube Film
2011	Mega Python vs. Gatoroid	Gia
2012	Mandevilla	Min Young Kim	Short Film
2012	Picture Perfect		Leukemia awareness Short Film for The Jubilee Project on YouTube
2013	Olympus Has Fallen	Korean sniper shot in the head by Mike Banning	Uncredited, silent role
2013	The Baytown Outlaws	Angel
2014	Flexx	R.O.S.A. Agent Ogawa	Post-Production
2015	Stuck	Alicia	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	Mad TV	Supporting Role	Season 13, Episode 11
2009	CSI: NY	Gahee Paik	1 episode: "Communication Breakdown"
2011	Pretty Little Liars	Pru	1 episode: "Someone to Watch Over Me"
2011	Rizzoli & Isles	Lee	1 episode: "My Own Worst Enemy"
2012	Walking the Halls	Kylie	TV Movie
2014- present	Teen Wolf	Kira Yukimura	Recurring (season 3); Main cast (season 4- present)
2014		Noshiko Yukimura	Season 3, Episode 21: "The Fox and the Wolf"
2014	Castle	Kiara	1 episode: "The Way of the Ninja"
2015	Hawaii Five-0	Mia Price	1 episode: "Kuka'awale (Stakeout)"

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2013	Tomb Raider	Samantha Nishimura/Stephanie/Sun Queen	Voice only

Web series

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	KTown Cowboys	Sarah	"How to Go K-Clubbin", "A Friend Is a Friend Is a Friend", "How to Be Awesome at Karaoke", "Finale"
2012	Video Game High School	Korean TV Hostess	Episode 1