Multi-talented, versatile, and smart actress and model, Grace Park has risen to a place of prominence in the entertainment industry through hard work and diligence. Grace Park’s an American-born Canadian actress who has Korean ancestry. Born on the 14th of March 1974, in Los Angeles, California, the former model was raised in Kerrisdale, Vancouver after her parents moved to Canada when Grace was only one year and ten months old.
Since she was only an infant at the time, it was easy for her parents to secure a Canadian citizenship status for her making Grace Park have dual citizenship status. Though the names of her parents are not given, she comes from a moderate family and she attended high school at Magee Secondary School and graduated in 1992. After high school, Grace would go on to enroll for her college education at the University of British Columbia and finished with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
Grace Park’s Career
Grace Park did not start off in showbiz as the actress she is widely known to be today, rather, she kicked off as a model. Her elegant and robust looks made her mother suggest that she give it a trial as a means of paying the bills. She did try it out and it was a successful attempt. Even though she never made it to Milan or Paris or New York as a supermodel, Park made it to Hong Kong and worked there as a model while studying to become an actress.
The Canadian teenage TV show Edgemont which was aired by CBC (2001-2005) has often been regarded as a preliminary ground for burgeoning actors and actresses and that became the case for Park. She landed a role in the show which focused on the trending issues in the daily lives of Canadian teens. She interpreted the character of Shannon Ng, a high school student, and appeared in 69 of the 70 episodes in the teenage drama series.
She also played a small role in the 2000 film Romeo Must Die, which starred legendary martial artist Jet Li and late pop singer Aaliyah. Park played the part of an Asian lady-loving stripper in the film which was her first movie role and would not look back from then on. But even though she has made over 30 on-screen appearances (both in film and television), she is most popular for her performances as the lead character, Sharon “Boomer” Valerii and Sharon “Athena” Agathon in Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009) and as Officer Kono Kalakaua (another lead role) in Hawaii Five-0 (2010-2017).
Her smooth interpretation of her role in the science fiction series Battlestar Galactica was amazing as upcoming talents would naturally avoid such roles but instead of turning away from the opportunity, Park grabbed it and made a star out of herself with the movie.
Grace Park’s Net Worth?
According to sources, Grace Park has an estimated net worth of $8 million. Her acting career may not have fully taken off yet, but her roles in the sci-fi movies she has been a part of having brought her this far. And her worth is very much likely to keep growing as she grows in the industry.
Is Grace Park Married? Husband
Yes, Grace Park is married. The former model and Hawaii Five-0 star have had her relationship status changed since 2004. Her partner turned husband, Phil Kim is into real estate development and he says he finds Grace Park “very intriguing.” Their relationship timeline prior to their wedding is not known. However, the lovebirds are now parents as they have been blessed with a son who was born in October 2013.
Although she has not said anything in this regard, Park has been rumored to be a divorcee. It is said that she was married before her current marriage to Phil Kim.
Other Facts
Grace Park left the cast of Hawaii Five-0 in 2017 as a result of payment imbalances among herself and her co-stars. She claimed she was paid 10-15% less than her co-stars and she was not alone because it was for the same reason that fellow Asian star, Daniel Dae Kim left the show too. Their pulling out of the series ended the show in 2017.
Her roles in Hawaii Five-0 as Kono Kalakaua and in Battlestar Galactica as Sharon Valerii and Sharon Agathon were played by men in the original adaptations.
Grace Park was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame in 2014.
Park has dual citizenship. She is an American and Canadian citizen.
She is also multi-lingual as she speaks English, Korean, French, and Cantonese. She is however not fluent in the latter two.
She originally wanted to study Architecture in college but really can’t explain how she ended up with a University of British Columbia degree in Psychology.
