Steven Yeun’s 10 Best Movies & TV Shows, Ranked

Steven Yeun, the star of the Golden Globe-winning Netflix series Beef, has starred in several great movies and TV shows. The actor began his career in the late 2000s, then rose to prominence playing Glenn in AMC’s The Walking Dead. Not every TV star can break away from a famous role, but Yeun has launched himself into a career of prestigious, Oscar-nominated films and enormously successful streaming TV shows. In 2021, Yeun made history as the first Asian American to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Minari, and in 2024, he won his first Golden Globe for his role in Beef.

Coming off a Golden Globe win, 2024 should be a year of surging popularity for the actor, who’s set to appear in Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17 and a postapocalyptic romance film called Love Me, where he’ll co-star alongside Kristen Stewart. Before The Walking Dead, Yeun was part of a sketch comedy troupe along with Danny Pudi. While Yeun hasn’t made a career out of his comedic roots, he’s utilized them in films like Sorry to Bother You and TV roles like the sketch comedy series I Think You Should Leave.

10 The Humans

Directed by Stephen Karam (2021)

Like many popular newcomers in the film industry, Steven Yeun has collaborated multiple times with A24, including the 2021 movie The Humans. A directorial debut for Stephen Karam, the film sees a family gathering for Thanksgiving, though pent-up tension between characters is revealed shortly. Yeun plays Richard, a man in a relationship with one of the family’s daughters, who co-hosts the event in their apartment, which the father disapproves of. Like many of A24’s releases, The Humans mixes horror elements with comedy and offers a unique visual aesthetic.

9 I Origins

Directed by Mike Cahill (2014)

Early in Steven Yeun’s career, he appeared in a unique independent film called I Origins, which crosses sci-fi and romance. Starring Michael Pitt, Steven Yeun, and Brit Marling, the film is centered around Ph.D. students who make a shocking discovery about human eye evolution. I Origins is a strange, off-beat film and one of the more thematically challenging movies in Yeun’s filmography. The film explores complex scientific and spiritual concepts and mixes romance and sci-fi/thriller genres.

8 Okja

Directed by Bong Joon-ho (2017)

Since Parasite won Best Picture, Bong Joon-ho has become one of the most popular international filmmakers, and his previous works are worth exploring. The Netflix film Okja has a sci-fi/fantasy premise and stars Hollywood actors Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Jake Gyllenhaal, Giancarlo Esposito, and Steven Yeun. Yeun’s role is small, but he’s memorable as a radical environmentalist who tries to kidnap the film’s main creature. As one of his first roles after The Walking Dead, the film was a massive step in his career.

7 Sorry To Bother You

Directed by Boots Riley (2018)

Starring the always-fantastic Lakeith Stanfield, Sorry to Bother You is a surrealist comedy where a telemarketer learns to utilize his “white voice” to find success. The film is hilarious and thought-provoking, with Stanfield’s performance being the highlight. Yeun plays a minor supporting part as Squeeze, a union leader on strike. Sorry to Bother You bears some resemblance to Black Mirror and similarly gets the best out of its star cast.

6 Invincible

Created by Robert Kirkman (2021-)

Amazon Prime Video has become home to edgy superhero shows that break the mold between The Boys universe and the animated series Invincible. Steven Yeun plays the lead, teenager Mark Grayson, a boy growing up with the world’s most powerful superhero, Omni-Man, as his father. But there’s more to Omni-Man, who’s expertly voiced by J.K. Simmons, than what meets the eye. Under the guise of his superhero persona, Invincible, Mark Grayson is forced to face his father. Invincible has gritty, thrilling superhero action, and Yeun is fantastic in the leading voice role.

5 Nope

Directed by Jordan Peele (2022)

The most exciting thing for a rising star actor is to work with a rising star director, and Steven Yeun kills it working with Jordan Peele on Nope. In a supporting role behind stars Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer, Yeun plays the mysterious, complex theme park host Ricky “Jupe” Park. Nope was one of the best horror movies of 2022, subverting genre norms in the typical Jordan Peele fashion while also offering some laugh-out-loud humor. Yeun’s performance is outstanding, playing a character dealing with the long-term effects of childhood trauma.

4 The Walking Dead

Created by Frank Darabont (2010-2022)

The Walking Dead is one of the most famous and commercially successful TV shows of the 21st century, and Yeun played fan-favorite Glenn in 81 episodes. Yeun’s performance was widely praised, and his absence in the show’s later seasons has been noted as a particular cause of its decline. The character begins as someone viewers wouldn’t anticipate surviving an apocalypse but still manages to contribute with hope and levity. Glenn is considered one of the best The Walking Dead characters, standing out in a vast ensemble.

3 Burning

Directed by Lee Chang-dong (2018)

Steven Yeun partnered with South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong for the 2018 film Burning. The mystery/thriller is known for its beautiful, vibrant imagery, complimenting its complex narrative. Yeun plays a mysterious character named Ben, who admits to burning down a greenhouse as a bizarre hobby. The film establishes an intriguing love triangle, with one of Yeun’s most challenging and nuanced characters in the mix. Burning is a fantastic character study and a must-watch for its Steven Yeun performance.

2 Minari

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung (2020)

Steven Yeun made history with his beautiful performance in Lee Isaac Chung’s film Minari. The A24 movie revolves around a Korean-American family who look to establish themselves as farmers in Arkansas, pursuing the American Dream. The picturesque film explores the immigration experience, with Yeun’s Jacob Yi desperately trying to hold his family together as he begins anew. Minari is heart-wrenching, earning Yeun a well-deserved Academy Award nomination.

1 Beef

Created by Lee Sung Jin (2023)

One of the best drama TV shows of 2023 and the recipient of three Golden Globe awards, Beef is Steven Yeun’s best project to date. The miniseries format allows Yeun to explore a character with extensive depth, as his and Ali Wong’s characters are involved in a road rage incident. Things don’t stop there, as the two embark on a prolonged, petty feud that becomes immensely destructive for both parties. Both stars are phenomenal in Beef, playing complex and relatably human characters in the chaotic, absurd Netflix series.