The model and actress Ursula Mayes, a fixture on the hit American game show “Deal or No Deal”, will come to Korea with her mother on Sunday to celebrate the Lunar New Year here. Mayes, whose mother is Korean, is attracting attention as a Korean-American celebrity.
Mayes has appeared in television shows like “Lost”, “CIS” and “24” and is currently on the NBC game show supporting host Howie Mandel. She was selected as one of People Magazine’s “100 Most Beautiful People” last year.
Mayes and her mother Lee Mi-hee will be here for five days. She is booked to appear on TV shows and participate in volunteer activities such as delivering donations to the needy. Another important part of the trip is a planned visit to a care center for mixed-race children. Mayes promised to donate her earnings from the trip to a charity that supports such children.
“I still remember the taste of tteok-kuk, the Korean rice pasta soup that my mother used to cook for me on New Years Day when I was young," Mayes said ahead of the trip. "I want to share these warm memories with children while eating home-made tteok-kuk with them and meeting with the elderly.” She said she is looking forward to helping mixed-race children in Korea, a project she shares with the football player Hines Ward and the actress Moon Bloodgood, both of mixed Korean parentage.
Mayes' German-American father was a U.S. soldier stationed in Korea, and she grew up in Korea until the age of six. She made her debut in entertainment after coming in third in a cover model competition for men's magazine MAXIM.
