Phillip Rhee born in September 1960 and raised in San Francisco. Rhee began studying martial arts at the age of four. Rhee decided at an early age to follow in the footsteps of his uncle, who was a prominent film director in Korea. However, because Rhee realized that few opportunities existed for Asian American lead actors in traditional Hollywood films, he began creating, writing, and producing his own films. Rhee's father was Min Hi Rhee.