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Austin Ku

Austin KuAustin KuAustin Ku

Grammy-Nominated Actor SAG-AFTRA, AEA

Grammy-Nominated Actor SAG-AFTRA, AEAGrammy-Nominated Actor SAG-AFTRA, AEAGrammy-Nominated Actor SAG-AFTRA, AEA
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News & About

News

Now/Upcoming:

  • November 2023: Playing a lead role in a SAG-AFTRA approved short film - NYC
  • December 2023-March 2024: Directing Apprentice for the 2023-2024 PlayGround-NY Monday Night PlayGround series! - NYC
  • Series Regular role in a new series for a digital/cable network channel - stay tuned for more details!


Recent Highlights: 

  • Fall 2023: Played the principal supporting role of Zhao in the world premiere of Tiananmen: A New Musical at Phoenix Theatre Company - Phoenix, Arizona
  • Summer 2023: Played Francis Crick (of Watson & Crick) in the world premiere new musical Double Helix at Bay Street Theater - Sag Harbor (Hamptons), NY
  • 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


Also Available:   

  • 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 principal 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, 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 school 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), and Vocal Performance (Opera Performance) at Rice University's prestigious Shepherd School of Music, while also beginning to perform in the local arts scene.

Seeking a "practical" career in the arts, I went to the UC Berkeley School of Law and became an entertainment lawyer in S.F. That didn't last long.

I did a lot of performing in the Bay Area, joined AEA & SAG-AFTRA (professional arts unions), and soon left law to pursue performing full-time.

I went back to school for a Master's Degree in Musical Theater from The Boston Conservatory (at Berklee), and continued performed locally.

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.