Biography
Austin Ku is an Asian American actor (film/tv, commercials, stage plays), musical theater performer (actor/singer who dances), model (commercial/product print) and violinist (who can accompany himself while singing) based in New York City, New York, USA.
Austin was born in Saint Louis, Missouri, and began his artistic studies
at the age of 6 with the violin (which he studied privately through
college and still plays today). As a teenager, he also dabbled in
piano, viola, and various visual fine arts before becoming most active
in high school choir and drama. In his junior and senior years of high
school, Austin was in Honors Acting Studio
and was selected to both All-State Choir and All-State Orchestra; he
was also a National Merit Scholar, and graduated fourth in his class.
Austin went to college on early-decision scholarship at Rice University in Houston, Texas, a first-tier school in both academics and music (Rice's music conservatory is also known as the Shepherd School of Music).
Austin started as a biochemistry/pre-med student, but soon found
himself drawn into the University musicals and operas (as well as
playing violin in the
school's Campanile Orchestra). Sophomore
year, Austin transferred into the music school as a Vocal (Opera)
Performance major (with a double major in East Asian Studies, focused on
traditional Chinese culture). During his time at Rice, Austin received a nomination (as Berger in Hair) and later a win (as the Emcee in Cabaret) in the "Actor in a Musical" category of the Rice University Thresher; he also began acting professionally in Houston area theatre, on-camera/commercials with Pastorini-Bosby Talent, and modeling with Neal Hamil Agency.
By senior year, Austin had decided not to stay the fifth year he would
need to finish the double major in music, and ended up graduating cum laude with a single major in Asian Studies instead.
After Rice, Austin attended UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall),
in Berkeley, California, with the thought of possibly channeling his
love of the arts into becoming an entertainment attorney. However, even
while in law school, Austin was soon drawn into performing again--first
in on-campus shows, and then professional Bay Area theaters, and area
commercial and print work with San Francisco's Tonry Talent. Austin
did graduate law school and passed the California Bar (becoming a
licensed attorney), but soon was also booking professional acting jobs
all over the Bay area; before long he parted ways with his
post-graduation law job to finally pursue a career as an actor.
Austin then took the plunge and went back to school again, attending the master's of musical theater program at the prestigious Boston Conservatory of Music (one
of the top musical theatre training schools in the country); he
graduated in 2009 and moved to New York City shortly thereafter to
continue his professional performing career--and hasn’t looked back
since!
Austin is very proud to have attained membership in all three of the principal actors' unions in the United States: Actors' Equity Association (the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States), AFTRA (the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and SAG (the Screen Actors' Guild).
This page last updated: 01/2012
