Harry Shum Jr

MauiKane · November 21, 2010

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Harry Shum, Jr., born April 28, 1982, in Limón, Costa Rica, is an American dancer and actor, best known for playing Mike Chang in thee musical-comedy television show, "Glee".

No one wants to go through life known as “the Asian dude.” But for Harry Shum, Jr., it’s a dream come true. He landed his big break in 2009 when he was cast as a football player and show-choir member Mike Chang on the hit show “Glee."

Shum is no stranger to being a token Asian. Growing up in Costa Rica, he was often the only Asian in a crowd of Latin American faces. But that wasn’t the only difficult part of his childhood. He was a really shy, really quiet kid—almost to the point where his parents thought something was wrong with him.

It wasn’t until one day in junior high that he got up the nerve to try out for a school play, which led to multiple performances at school. Then in high school, a good friend dared him to audition for the dance team, which exposed him to different styles of dancing, like hip-hop.

Shum’s experience acting, singing and dancing in high school set him on a path to pursue a career in the performing arts. While his parents originally had their doubts, Shum was able to convince them to let him give performing a real shot.

It goes without saying that the bet has paid off. He went on to dance in “Stomp the Yard”, “Step Up 2”, and eventually his breakthrough role in “Glee”.