Justin Lin

Born in Taiwan, Lin moved with his family to Southern California when he was still a young boy. His family settled in a working class area of Orange County, where he would remain for the remainder of his formative years. Having an early interest in filmmaking, Lin attended UCLA Film School where he went on to earn his MFA. After graduation, Lin and a former classmate, Quentin Lee, co-directed their debut feature, "Shopping for Fangs." Although not an immediate hit, the film, a drama that starred a mostly Asian-American cast, went on to become a cult hit in the Asian-American community. Lin's follow-up, 2002's "Better Luck Tomorrow," also featured an Asian-American cast. That film, about several high school students that become petty criminals, was a hit on the indie film circuit, earning the admiration of noted film critic Roger Ebert while receiving a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. The success of "Better Luck Tomorrow" gave Lin the clout to direct studio projects, including the 2006 sports drama, "Annapolis." 2006 was also the year that he was hand picked to helm the latest in the already widely-successful action franchise, "The Fast and the Furious." "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of the year, while adding further luster to Lin's already growing directing profile. Over the next several years, he would direct three more films in the franchise, including 2013's "Fast & Furious 6," which grossed nearly $750 million at the worldwide box office. In addition to movies, Lin also directed episodes of several TV shows, most notably the ensemble comedy "Community" and the Emmy-winning HBO crime series, "True Detective." In 2014 he also served as director and executive producer on the CBS drama, "Scorpion" (CBS, 2014-). The show followed the life of a computer genius as he attempts to use his knowledge to make the world a better place. Lin's next big screen project was "Star Trek Beyond" (2016), the third film in the rebooted franchise.