Elizabeth Yu, an American-born actress, was born to parents of diverse ethnic backgrounds. She is the daughter of a Korean-born father who came to the United States in his teens and later found love with Yu’s American mother.
Her parents raised her in the USA, where she started her career as an actress. As reported, Elizabeth’s dad and mom are divorced, and from her respective parents, she has a younger half-siblings.
Despite her parents’ separation, they made a joint effort to ensure that their daughter got love from both and got to pursue her career. Yu is now an up-and-coming actress in Hollywood, having made her breakthrough as Azula in the live-action series Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024).
Her other acting credits include Somewhere in Queens (2022) and May December (2024). Her prolific acting approach also her roles in upcoming projects like Black Spines, and Murder by the Book.
Key Takeaways:
- Elizabeth Yu comes from a biracial ethnicity, with her mom being white and her dad being Korean.
- Elizabeth’s parents met in New Jersey when her father was pursuing his career as a doctor.
- Yu has three siblings, with an elder sister named Liann Yu.
- Yu’s parents are divorced as of 2024.
Elizabeth’s Father Is A Korean, And His Parents Are From Different Ethnicity
Elizabeth Yu was born on October 6, 2002, in New Jersey, United States, to Korean and European Parents. Her father, Byung Yu, is Korean, and her mother, Wendy, is Irish-German.
So, the 21-year-old actress is half white and half Korean. Her mother is a mixture of German, Irish, and Polish ancestry. When her father was in his early teens, he traveled from Korea to Jersey in the United States.
During that time, her dad was pursuing a career in Medical science and was a doctor. Likewise, her mom was a secretary during their first meeting and marriage. Her parents are divorced now and have been on their separate paths. Her mother has remarried again, but not much is known about her dad’s current relationship.
Elizabeth refers to herself as Wasian. She loved reclaiming the word ‘hapa,’ but connects the most with “mixed” and “biracial.”
The actress recalls that when they were little, her grandma used to make a lot of food for them. To spice up the main Thanksgiving meal, they would eat duck along with small dishes of kimchi, rice, bean sprouts, and pickled radish.
Her first encounter with Asian culture was through food. She recalls making a lot of cabbage with her mom and her granny, especially sauerkraut and summer sausage.
Also Read: Melanie Liburd Has Mixed Heritage- A Courtesy Of Her Diverse Ethnic Parents
Yu’s Father, Byung Yu, Is Working As a Doctor In New Jersey
Elizabeth’s father, Byung, is an internist in Manahawkin, NJ, affiliated with Optum Medical Care of New Jersey, P.C. He took his medical education from the University of Health Sciences Chicago Medical School.
Furthermore, he worked at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital as a Residency in Internal Medicine in 1996.
He has been practicing medicine for more than 20 years, having graduated from Chicago Medical School/Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine Science. See all areas of specialty for a list of diseases that Dr. Byung H.
Yu is skilled in treating bronchitis, arthritis, and persistently high blood pressure. Medicare, Aetna, Cigna, Blue Cross, and United Healthcare are among the insurance plans that Dr. Byung H. Yu accepts. Patients strongly suggest Dr. Byung H. Yu.
Elizabeth Yu’s Mother, Wendy Yu-Reinbold, Is Remarried
Yu’s mother, Wendy Yu-Reinbold, married again after her divorce from Byung. She is currently the Owner/Manager/CEO of Allegany Log Homes in New York.
Yu is currently married to Gregg Reinbold, and she has a son named Andrew with her new partner.
Based on her Facebook profile, she Studied at Ocean County College after she went to Pinelands Regional High School. She currently lives in Fillmore, New York, but calls herself originally Tuckerton, New Jersey
Her husband, Gregg Reinbold, is a former MSG at the US Army. He studied at Saint Joseph’s University and the University of Southern California for a Master of Business for Veterans. Gregg attended Fillmore Central School before he attended Houghton College.
The couple seems to share a great relationship as they are often seen together on holidays and vacations.
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Elizabeth Proudly Speaks About Her Ethnicity In Interviews And Social Posts
Elizabeth Yu is proud to be a Wasin (White + Asian), as her social media bio states. She has been very vocal about her ethnicity and background.
She was raised in a very conservative, white town. Yu says in her entire school district, there were just three Asian individuals, including her sibling. Being mixed-race and growing up in that setting was difficult for her because, although she sort of blended in with everyone else, she never could feel the same as others.
It has been a complete 180° since she signed for Avatar: The Last Airbender and started working in May and December.
She says she has never been in a room with over ten Asian people before, so these projects are awesome for her as she now knows so much more about what it’s like to be Asian than she did in the first twenty years of her life.
Her biracial background has aided her in a variety of positions. She gets a lot of auditions, but it’s really uncommon to find one where the actress connects as truly her, someone who is half-white. However, there aren’t quite as many Asian stories as there are Korean stories, and there aren’t nearly as many stories about half-Korean and half-White people.
She feels so much more a part of the role when she gets to share those stories.
Elizabeth Has Four Siblings In Her Family
Elizabeth Yu has four siblings; among them, three are half-siblings. Her parents divorced, and they also assisted with the custody of the children. She has two younger half-siblings on her dad’s side and a younger half-sibling on her mother’s side. She also has an older sister, Liann Yu.
Her elder sister is Liann Yu, an artist. She has a partner named Anthony Scarpone and has a daughter. Liann has opened up as a non-binary and uses the pronouns she/they, they/them.
Liann is available on Instagram under the social media handle @liannyu and has a decent number of followers. There is not much information on the siblings on her dad’s side.
Liann and Elizabeth have spent most of their childhood together. The 21-year-old actress reveals that her sister motivated her to learn Korean.
Liann has also had a decent career as an actress. She is quite popular for her roles in Likewise, Olive and Prêt-á-Poppy. According to her LinkedIn profile, she has experience as a Banquet Server at Julia Valler Event Staffing, where she worked for over two years.
Likewise, she attended Marymount Manhattan College for her Bachelor of Fine Arts—BFA, Acting—between 2018 and 2022.
Here are some extra facts about her: She was a member of the Pinelands Thespians, a group that performed on stage. Her group won the Montclair State University theatre competition with their astonishing performance.
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Bidhya Sagar Shrestha is an experienced content writer with a solid content creation and digital marketing background. His majors in entrepreneurship and marketing give him a deep understanding of business environments and marketing strategies.
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