# Joe Son (송형민)
**Joe Son**, born Joseph Hyungmin Son, is a South Korean-born American former actor and mixed martial artist best known for playing Random Task in *Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery* (1997), and for later criminal convictions in California: a 2011 torture conviction in connection with a 1990 gang rape and a 2017 voluntary manslaughter conviction for killing his prison cellmate.[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/austin-powers-actor-joe-son-convicted-of-torture-in-rape-case/) • [2](https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2020/f076252.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Screen career | Credits include *Bad Blood*, *Shootfighter*, *Shootfighter II*, and *Austin Powers*.[3](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2011/08/30/Actor-Joe-Son-to-be-sentenced-for-torture/89641314751514/) |
| Fighting record | Four professional MMA losses, including one UFC appearance against Keith Hackney in December 1994.[4](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Joe-Son-50) |
| 2011 conviction | One felony count of torture in connection with the 1990 Christmas Eve gang rape in Huntington Beach; sentenced to 7 years to life in September 2011[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0814176/bio/) • [6](https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-strange-saga-of-joe-son-bond-villain-parody-gang-rapist-and-possible-murderer/) |
| 2017 conviction | Voluntary manslaughter in the 2011 death of his prison cellmate; a consecutive 27-year sentence.[2](https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2020/f076252.html) |
## Identity and names
English-language film databases record him under three name forms: Joe Son, Joseph Hyungmin Son, and the alias "Mighty" Joe Son.[7](https://www.allmovie.com/artist/joe-son-an354679) Korean-language press coverage of his 2008 arrest renders the [Korean name](https://www.edgepedia.org/korean-name) as 손형민 (Son Hyung-min), identifying him as a Korean-American actor with the American name Joseph Hyungmin Son.[8](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/hot-issues/4977289)
## Martial arts and public persona
Son competed in the early [Ultimate Fighting Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultimate-fighting-championship). At [UFC 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-4) on December 16, 1994, he lost to Keith Hackney. Sherdog records four professional defeats: that UFC bout and three fights in other promotions in 2002.[4](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Joe-Son-50) [The Daily Beast](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-daily-beast) describes him as a 5-foot-4, 230-pound fighter who carried a cross into the octagon and served as onscreen manager of fellow fighter Kimo Leopoldo.[6](https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-strange-saga-of-joe-son-bond-villain-parody-gang-rapist-and-possible-murderer/)
He presented himself as the inventor of his own martial art, called Joe Son Do.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0814176/bio/) • [6](https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-strange-saga-of-joe-son-bond-villain-parody-gang-rapist-and-possible-murderer/) The Korean report describes it as a hybrid combining taekwondo and judo, created in the United States, and states that he retired from martial arts activity in 2002.[8](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/hot-issues/4977289)
## Acting career
AllMovie places his active period at 1993–1997.[7](https://www.allmovie.com/artist/joe-son-an354679) UPI's summary of his filmography lists *Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery*, *Bad Blood*, *Shootfighter*, and *Shootfighter II*.[3](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2011/08/30/Actor-Joe-Son-to-be-sentenced-for-torture/89641314751514/)
**Random Task.** In the 1997 [Mike Myers](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-myers) film *Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery*, Son was cast as Random Task, a shoe-throwing henchman.[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/austin-powers-actor-joe-son-convicted-of-torture-in-rape-case/) The role parodies [Oddjob](https://www.edgepedia.org/oddjob), a [James Bond](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-bond) nemesis, and it is the part for which he is remembered.[9](https://www.eonline.com/news/260728/austin-powers-actor-convicted-of-torture-in-horrific-christmas-eve-rape-21-years-after-heinous-crime) • [3](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2011/08/30/Actor-Joe-Son-to-be-sentenced-for-torture/89641314751514/)
## Legal cases and conviction
The 1990 case remained unsolved for 18 years. On [Christmas Eve](https://www.edgepedia.org/christmas-eve) 1990, a 19-year-old woman was abducted off the street in [Huntington Beach, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/huntington-beach-california), by two men and raped at gunpoint.[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/austin-powers-actor-joe-son-convicted-of-torture-in-rape-case/) • [8](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/hot-issues/4977289)
**The 2008 DNA match.** On May 16, 2008, Son pleaded guilty to felony vandalism and was sentenced to 60 days in jail, plus 90 days for a probation violation.[9](https://www.eonline.com/news/260728/austin-powers-actor-convicted-of-torture-in-horrific-christmas-eve-rape-21-years-after-heinous-crime) The conviction required a DNA sample, which was entered into a state database under California's Proposition 69 and matched evidence from the 1990 rape.[9](https://www.eonline.com/news/260728/austin-powers-actor-convicted-of-torture-in-horrific-christmas-eve-rape-21-years-after-heinous-crime) • [6](https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-strange-saga-of-joe-son-bond-villain-parody-gang-rapist-and-possible-murderer/) He was arrested on October 7, 2008.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0814176/bio/) • [9](https://www.eonline.com/news/260728/austin-powers-actor-convicted-of-torture-in-horrific-christmas-eve-rape-21-years-after-heinous-crime)
**Charges and the torture conviction.** Prosecutors initially charged him with 17 felony sexual offenses carrying up to 275 years to life, but determined that the statute of limitations had run on all but two counts.[6](https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-strange-saga-of-joe-son-bond-villain-parody-gang-rapist-and-possible-murderer/) • [8](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/hot-issues/4977289) A Santa Ana jury found him guilty on August 25, 2011, of one felony count of torture.[9](https://www.eonline.com/news/260728/austin-powers-actor-convicted-of-torture-in-horrific-christmas-eve-rape-21-years-after-heinous-crime) • [10](https://www.corrections1.com/arrests-and-sentencing/articles/austin-powers-actor-gets-life-in-prison-ZXBUcRj6bOtjuvcA/) In September 2011 he was sentenced to 7 years to life; his accomplice, Gaitan, who pleaded guilty to five felony counts, received 17 years and 4 months.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0814176/bio/) • [6](https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-strange-saga-of-joe-son-bond-villain-parody-gang-rapist-and-possible-murderer/)
**The cellmate killing.** Son was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for the death of Michael Graham, his cellmate at Wasco State Prison, on October 10, 2011. He received a consecutive 27-year sentence, comprising a doubled 11-year term and a five-year enhancement. The California Court of Appeal upheld the conviction in 2020, while remanding a question about his ability to pay court assessments.[2](https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2020/f076252.html)
## References
1. ["Austin Powers" actor Joe Son convicted of torture in rape case - CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/austin-powers-actor-joe-son-convicted-of-torture-in-rape-case/)
2. [People v. Son, California Court of Appeal, May 27, 2020](https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2020/f076252.html)
3. [Actor Joe Son to be sentenced for torture - UPI.com](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2011/08/30/Actor-Joe-Son-to-be-sentenced-for-torture/89641314751514/)
4. [Joe Son MMA record, Sherdog](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Joe-Son-50)
5. [Joe Son - Biography - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0814176/bio/)
6. [The Strange Saga of Joe Son: Bond Villain Parody, Gang Rapist, and Possible Murderer](https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-strange-saga-of-joe-son-bond-villain-parody-gang-rapist-and-possible-murderer/)
7. [Joe Son | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos | AllMovie](https://www.allmovie.com/artist/joe-son-an354679)
8. ['오스틴파워' 한인배우 손형민, 성폭행 혐의로 종신형 '위기' - 스타투데이](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/hot-issues/4977289)
9. [Austin Powers Actor Convicted of Torture in Horrific Christmas Eve Rape—21 Years After Heinous Crime](https://www.eonline.com/news/260728/austin-powers-actor-convicted-of-torture-in-horrific-christmas-eve-rape-21-years-after-heinous-crime)
10. ['Austin Powers' actor gets life in prison](https://www.corrections1.com/arrests-and-sentencing/articles/austin-powers-actor-gets-life-in-prison-ZXBUcRj6bOtjuvcA/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of East and Southeast Asia › South Korean actors, 1970s to 1990s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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