Paul was born in Hollywood, California to parents Paul Sr. and Nancy, who immigrated from South Korea to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s and operated a convenient store for over 40 years before retiring in 2009.
At the age of 11, Paul took an Intro to Drama Class, where he discovered his passion for acting through playing with sock puppets and creating various voices and characters.
He booked his first audition for the acclaimed television series Life Goes On, but unfortunately, the part was written off just days before filming. Undeterred, Paul applied to and auditioned for the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where he won an Arts High Image Award and received a Scholarship from The Dorothy Chandler Foundation.
It was at the High School for the Arts that Paul met Oscar-nominated actor and writer Chazz Palminteri, who became a mentor and encouraged Paul to pursue his dreams.
Paul enrolled at UCLA and was accepted into the Specialized Acting Track, where he honed his craft under the guidance of renowned faculty.
After graduating, Paul auditioned for the Cirque du Soleil show "O" but was cut due to his inability to swim. However, he soon landed a role in Mark Romanek's feature film One Hour Photo, starring Robin Williams, as Yoshi Araki.
Director Mark Romanek praised Paul's performance, saying he was the only one perfect for the role. Paul's work in the film earned him recognition from Sheila Benson in an April 2003 article of Interview Magazine, who singled him out as one of the "mini gems" for excellence in performance.
Since then, Paul has continued to work on various films and television shows, including The Hulk, ER, Dorm Daze, The Pretender, and more. His recent credits include the upcoming Ryan Murphy series American Crime Story, Message From the King, and Jane the Virgin.
