Harry Shum Jr.
Harry Shum Jr. is an American actor and dancer. He was born on April 28, 1982, in Limón, Costa Rica, to Chinese immigrant parents. When he was six, his family moved to San Francisco, California. He grew up speaking Spanish first, then learned Cantonese and English. He finished high school at Arroyo Grande High School in 2000 and found his love of dance after a dare. He studied at San Francisco State University for a year before leaving to pursue dancing.
Shum began his career as a dancer in Los Angeles. He joined a UK tour with the singer Kaci, appeared on BET’s ComicView, and danced for big artists like Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, and Missy Elliott. He also worked as a dance instructor and appeared in music videos. He moved into acting with films such as Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) and Step Up 3D (2010).
From 2009 to 2015, Shum played Mike Chang on the TV show Glee, starting as a guest and later becoming a regular. He then starred as Magnus Bane on Shadowhunters (2016–2019), which earned him awards for representation and a fan following. He won the E! People’s Choice Award for Male TV Star in 2018.
Shum’s film work includes Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). He has also done voice acting and produced projects like Broadcast Signal Intrusion (2021). In 2022, he joined Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Benson “Blue” Kwan.
On the personal side, Shum married Shelby Rabara in 2015, and they have a daughter. He often visits Costa Rica, where his father lives, and he says he feels connected to both Chinese and Latino cultures.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 21:44 (CET).