Biography

Derek Mio earned a Bachelor of Arts from USC's School of Cinematic Arts. He is the lead actor in the second season of the critically acclaimed AMC anthology series, The Terror: Infamy, co-starring George Takei, created by Max Borenstein (Winning Time, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters) and Alex Woo (3 Body Problem, True Blood) and executive produced by Ridley Scott. As a descendant of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War 2, Derek has been quoted as saying filming The Terror was the single most profound experience of his life.

Derek believes his knack for performance was influenced his vibrant mother who often did impressions while he was growing up (and still does to this day) which was most likely derived from his mother's father who served in the U.S. Military Intelligence Service (MIS) in post-war Japan after World War 2. Derek's grandfather, Stanley Kaizawa, was tasked with translating kabuki scripts to make sure they did not contain any anti-American sentiments. In the process, he became friends with some of Japan's most famous and skilled kabuki artists. It has been said that Kaizawa and his colleagues saved this traditional art form from being dismantled by the military.

Derek attributes this legacy to him earning his USC film degree, landing several commercial, tv and film roles, as well as voiceover credits including The Emoji Movie, GOAT, and the BBC-produced 2026 Ambie Award Nominee for Best Fiction Podcast--Purple Heart Warriors. His voice and character work can also be seen in his stand-up comedy which has been featured at The Comedy Store, Laugh Factory, Improv, Tokyo Comedy Bar, The Stand NYC, Sunset Strip Comedy Club in Austin and several other venues. He is the creator and host of 'The BudoComedy Show'--held at the Terasaki Budokan non-profit rec center in Little Tokyo, downtown Los Angeles--featuring comedians such as Atsuko Okatsuka, Al Madrigal, Sheng Wang, Zainab Johnson, Ian Bagg and more. The show has raised over $15,000 for the facility.

Derek completed the Meisner program at the Baron Brown Studio, has studied with Larry Moss, Michael Woolson, Deborah Aquila, Margie Haber, and Kennedy Brown. He is obsessed with surfing, loves fishing (another family past time), fell into birding during the pandemic, and can't get enough of his 4 year old son and newborn daughter.
- IMDb mini biography by: Derek Mio