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Austin Ku

Austin KuAustin KuAustin Ku

2021 Grammy Nominee SAG-AFTRA, AEA

2021 Grammy Nominee SAG-AFTRA, AEA2021 Grammy Nominee SAG-AFTRA, AEA2021 Grammy Nominee SAG-AFTRA, AEA
Reels

News & About

News

Upcoming:

  • Series Regular role in a new short form series for a digital/cable network channel - stay tuned for more details!
  • Narrator of an upcoming audiobook for Harper Collins
  • March 7-14: Supporting role in readings of new musical Medusa the Musical  - NYC - press release HERE
  • March 13-17: Playing the villain in a workshop of new musical Best Time to Be Alive - NYC
  • March 27: Playing the villain in a new short play reading for PlayGround-NY 's Monday Night Playground - virtual
  • April 10-23: Playing the villain in a new musical lab - NYC - details coming soon
  • May-June 2023: Supporting role in a world premiere new musical production - more details coming soon!
  • September-October 2023: Supporting role in another world premiere new musical production - more details coming soon!


Current Appearances: 

  • Recurring role ("Michael Xufu Huang") in Shonda Rhimes' Netflix series "Inventing Anna" (episodes 103 & 104) 
  • Supporting role ("Executive Chairman Li") in Judd Apatow's Netflix film The Bubble 
  • Audiobook co-narrator of Grace D. Li's new heist novel Portrait of a Thief - NY Times Bestseller, now optioned for a TV series!
  • Audiobook narrator of Belinda Huijuan Tang's new novel A Map for the Missing - longlisted for the Center for Fiction 2022 First Novel Prize!
  • Inaugural acting company member of the 2022 -2023 PlayGround-NY Company - NYC


Recent Highlights:   

  • Summer 2021: Performed from the new musical Soft Power in the star-studded Kennedy Center 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert - live and also filmed for PBS (subscription required, check us out at 1:15:00-1:30:00)
  • Spring 2020: Performed in the star-studded virtual concert Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration - Our "Someone in a Tree" quartet (1:40:55-1:48:28) was named one of the New York Times "Best Performances of 2020"! 
  • Fall 2019: A supporting role in the new musical Soft Power at The Public Theater Off-Broadway - watch the MUSIC VIDEO and get the ORIGINAL CAST ALBUM (for which I was nominated for a Grammy Award as a principal soloist, Best Musical Theater Album!) 

Notable Mentions

  • "It is Austin Ku who steals the show" - Jan Nargi, BROADWAYWORLD.COM 
  • "He's the funniest thing onstage" - Louise Kennedy, BOSTON GLOBE 
  • "A find" - David C. Nichols, LOS ANGELES TIMES
  • "It's refreshing to hear Austin Ku's natural voice" - Steven Winn, SF CHRONICLE 
  • "An expert storyteller" - Madeleine Marshall, DC METRO THEATER ARTS
  • "A standout" - Deb Miller, DC METRO THEATER ARTS

Awards

  • Nominee, 2021 Grammy Award - Principal Soloist, Best Musical Theater Album  
  • Nominee, Barrymore Award (Philadelphia area) - Supporting Actor in a Musical 
  • Nominee, IRNE Award (New England area) - Supporting Actor in a Musical (Large Theater) 
  • Nominee, BroadwayWorld Boston Award - Lead Actor in a Musical (Medium Theater) 
  • Recipient, Dean Goodman Choice Award (S.F. Bay Area) - Supporting Actor in a Musical 

About Me

I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where I played a lot of violin as a kid and then got more into choir and drama as a teen.

I went to Rice University, where I majored in Asian Studies (Chinese History, Culture and Language, magna cum laude), with additional major studies in Vocal/Opera Performance at the University's prestigious Shepherd School of Music.

Seeking a "practical" career in the arts, I went to the UC Berkeley School of Law and became an entertainment lawyer in S.F.--briefly.

I did a lot of theater in the Bay Area, started doing on-camera and print work too, and joined AEA & SAG-AFTRA (professional actors' unions).

I decided to finally go for it, and left law to attend The Boston Conservatory (at Berklee), where I obtained a Master's Degree in Musical Theater.

Now I live in NYC, and am having the time of my life doing musicals and plays, film and TV, commercials, modeling, hand modeling and voice acting!

I still play the violin every now and then. 

...

I also love cooking and all things food-related. 


Copyright © 2023 Austin Ku - All Rights Reserved.