Actors and Actresses of Korean Cinema
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Lee Young-ae (b. January 31, 1971) first appeared on television in 1993, but it wasn't until 1995 that she began acting in many TV dramas and gathering a large fan following. She won various television awards in the mid-1990s, and in 1996 she made her film debut in the poorly-received Inch'Allah. The negative reputation this film garnered may have pushed back her film career several years, but when she did return it was with a bang, in the record-breaking Joint Security Area by Park Chan-wook. At the time it became the best-selling Korean film ever, and it launched Lee Young-ae into undisputed stardom. |
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After beginning his career as a model, Song Seung-hun (b. October 5, 1976) first became known to viewers in the popular sitcom Three Men, Three Women in 1996. The following year he started his extremely successful career in TV dramas, which made him well-known throughout Korea. His feature film debut came in 1999 in the film Calla together with star Kim Hee-sun. |
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Kim Hee-sun (b. February 25, 1977) debuted on TV in 1993, and has since become famous both at home and abroad as one of Korea's best-looking actresses. Having acted in many TV dramas, Kim has also gradually built up a career in film, beginning in 1997 with Repechage opposite Jang Dong-gun. |
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Shin Ha-kyun (b. May 30, 1974) first trained as a stage actor at the Seoul National University of Arts before going on to act in a large number of plays by Jang Jin. When in 1998 Jang Jin directed his first movie, Shin Ha-kyun was cast and he has since appeared in almost all of Jang's feature films. Impressed by his acting abilities, comedy director Kim Jee-woon has also cast him in minor roles in The Foul King and his 30-min internet film Coming Out. |
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Jang Jin-young (b. June 14, 1974) made her film debut in the poorly-received Ghost in Love, but her second feature The Foul King proved to be both a smash hit and a success abroad, landing at #1 on the charts in Hong Kong and receiving an invitation to the Berlin International Film Festival. Her tough image in this film drew interest for its novelty and humor. |
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Cha Tae-hyun (b. March 25, 1976) started his career as a silver medalist in a 1995 KBS Talent Contest. Over the next several years he would star in a large number of TV dramas such as Sunflower and Happy Together, while also working as a model and appearing in a huge number of TV commercials. He also made a minor film debut in the comedy Halleluja. |
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Lee Mi-sook (b. Apr. 2, 1960) first debuted in film at the age of twenty in Thoughtless Momo in 1979. By the mid-1980s she had became one of the best-known actresses of her era, together with Lee Bo-hee and Won Mi-kyung. Her most famous films from this era include Bae Chang-ho's Whale Hunting and That Winter Was Warm, Lee Doo-yong's Bbong and Eunuch, and Kwak Ji-kyun's Wanderer in Winter. Her early career lasted until the film Love Triangle in 1987, and then she retired from the cinema. |
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Jang Hyuk (b. Dec. 20, 1976) began his career in modeling, TV dramas such as "Model" and "School", music videos, and a minor role in the little-seen film Zzang. His career first began to take off in 2001 when he was cast in the lead role of the special-effects extravaganza Volcano High together with actress Shin Min-ah. His acting in the eccentric role drew praise from fans and critics. |
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Song Yun-ah (b. June 7, 1973) graduated in humanities from Hanyang University and first entered the film industry by winning the Gold Award at the KBS supertalent contest in 1995. Over the next few years she became well-known for her roles in TV dramas such as Tears of the Dragon (1997), Love (1998), Hotelier (2001) and The Present (2002). Although her first few films did not make a significant impression at the box-office, in recent years she has become more active in filmmaking. |
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Cha Seung-won (b. June 7, 1970) received an engineering degree from Mokwon University before embarking on a career as a model in 1988. After finding success in modeling, he was cast in the TV sitcom "New York Story", which would eventually pave the way for his debut in film. |
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Moon So-ri (b. July 2, 1974) first appeared in plays and short films such as Black Cut and To the Spring Mountain before finding fame as a leading actress. Her first film role was in Lee Chang-dong's acclaimed Peppermint Candy, however her acting skills were not really showcased until she appeared in her second film Oasis, also by Lee Chang-dong. Her powerful portrayal of a woman with cerebral palsy earned her strong praise as well as the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Actor or Actress at the 2002 Venice International Film Festival. Best Actress honors at many domestic awards ceremonies followed. |
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Park Sang-myun (b. Jan. 27, 1968) first broke into the film industry with minor roles such as "Ashtray" in hit comedy No. 3, but his strong acting talent soon captured the attention of audiences and filmmakers, and he grew into a well-known star. His first major success came in the wresting comedy The Foul King, after which he became a common sight on TV programs and advertisements as well as on film. He also took on a memorable role in Yang Yoon-ho's firefighting drama Libera Me. His part in a hit TV sitcom called Three Friends helped to further spread his popularity. |
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Lee Mi-yeon (b. September 23, 1971) debuted in 1989 in a production by Cinema Service founder Kang Woo-suk titled Happiness Has Nothing To Do With School Records. Over the course of the 1990s she became quite famous, and after a short pause from filmmaking in 1995 she returned with a vengeance, taking on a role in the cult hit No. 3 and, in the following year, playing a schoolteacher in the second-biggest Korean film of 1998, horror film Whispering Corridors. |
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Joo Jin-mo (b. August 11, 1975) began his acting career in TV dramas and some minor roles in film. He was first cast as a lead in Dance Dance (1999), Korea's only dance film, for which he underwent extensive dance training. Although the film itself did not perform well, it leant Joo some publicity before he broke through with the box-office and critical hit Happy End. His role as a spurned lover in this psycho-drama attracted considerable notice in Korea, and the film itself also traveled to Hong Kong. |
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Ha Ji-won (b. June 28, 1979) made her television debut in 1997 on KBS TV. She won a Grand Bell award as the Best New Actress of 2000 with her debut film Truth or Dare, and a Blue Dragon award for Best Supporting Actress with her second film, the popular melodrama Ditto (2000). After achieving wider public recognition as a "horror queen" for her roles in Ahn Sung-ki's films A Nightmare and Phone, she has branched out into a variety of roles such as that of a cheerleader in Sex is Zero, which was one of most successful comedies of the year 2002. |
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Kwon Sang-woo (b. August 5, 1976), the most visible example of the so-called "mom-zzang" (slang for "great body") movement, started his career as a fashion model in the late 1990s. His first acting experience was in the TV drama Delicious Proposal, and for the first few years of his entertainment career he received only minor roles on television, before debuting in Volcano High (2001). The following year he played his first lead role in the comedy Make It Big together with Song Seung-heon. |
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Moon Geun-young (b. May 6, 1987), through a combination of excellent acting skills and a sweet, innocent-looking manner, became a superstar in Korea long before she turned twenty. Moon first started modeling at the age of 12, and then in 2000 appeared in the docu-drama On the Road by artist Choi Jae-eun. That same year she appeared as the younger Song Hye-gyo in the hugely successful TV drama Autumn Fairy Tale, which was exported throughout Asia. She then played the younger version of Lee Mi-yeon's character in the KBS drama The Last Empress. |
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Jung Jae-young (b. November 21, 1970) started his career taking minor roles in films ranging from his debut The Adventures of Mrs. Park to Green Fish, The Quiet Family, and Die Bad. However throughout this period he was primarily occupied with works by director/playright Jang Jin, both on the stage and in minor roles for the films The Happenings and The Spy. |
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Gang Hye-jung (b. January 4, 1982) began working as a model in her first year of high school, and throughout the late 1990s she appeared in small roles in TV dramas and sitcoms such as Jump and Non-Stop III. Her first film role was in Moon Seung-wook's arthouse/sci-fi film Nabi, for which she won a Best Actress award at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival. Following this she appeared in a short film by Song Il-gon titled Flash as well as an internet film Naebang-nebang. |
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Park Hae-il (b. January 26, 1977) began appearing in theatre productions ever since childhood, and he first established himself on stage rather than on the screen. In 2000 he was awarded the Best New Actor award in the theatre category of the Baeksang Art Awards for his role in the play "Cheongchun-yechan". His film debut was in a minor role of Yim Soon-rye's Waikiki Brothers, however he left a major impression in his second film Jealousy Is My Middle Name, in which he played a conflicted young man who develops a fascination/hatred for his boss, who has stolen two women from him. The film won the top prize at the Pusan festival in 2002, and was released commercially the following spring. |
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Son Ye-jin (b. January 11, 1982) has taken on a variety of roles in her career to date, propelling her to fame both in Korea and in other Asian countries. She first appeared in a supporting role in Park Ki-hyung's film Secret Tears in 2000, and then went on to take the lead in TV dramas such as Delicious Proposal, Sunhee Jinhee, and Daemang: Great Ambition. Her first high-profile role in cinema was in Im Kwon-taek's Chihwaseon, which screened at Cannes and took home a Best Director award in 2002. |
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Bae Yong-joon (b. August 29, 1972) spent the first nine years of his show biz career in TV dramas, gradually building up a tremendous fan base across Asia, and particularly in Japan, that has made him one of Korea's most famous stars. His debut came in the 1994 TV drama Love Greeting, and from 1995 to 2002 he went on to appear in nine more TV dramas. Have We Really Loved? (1999), Hotelier (2001) and especially Winter Sonata (2002) gave him tremendous exposure throughout Asia. In Japan in particular, Winter Sonata enjoyed unprecedented popular success, particularly among middle-aged women. Bae was subsequently dubbed with the honorific nickname "Yonsama", and became the most famous Korean star in Japan. Japanese prime minister Koizumi even joked, perhaps not untruthfully, that Bae's popularity had outstripped his own. |
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Kim Suna (b. October 1, 1975) was born in Daegu and then spent much of her school years in Tokyo. After first appearing in a music video by Kim Hyun-cheol, she started appearing often on TV but did not emerge as a star. She would first become well known as a film actress, debuting in the big-budget box office failure Yesterday but going on to play a lead role as a student teacher in the unexpected hit Wet Dreams. |
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Cho Seung-woo (b. March 28, 1980) grew up in a musical family: his father Cho Kyung-soo is a singer, and his older sister Cho Seo-yeon acts in musicals. Cho himself also dreamed of becoming a musical actor from an early age, however in 1999 while a student at Dankook University he was persuaded to join auditions for Im Kwon-taek's film Chunhyang, and he ended up winning the part from among a field of 1000 actors. Chunhyang would screen as the first Korean film in competition at Cannes, although domestically it failed to attract much of an audience. |
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The public persona of Lee Na-young (b. February 22, 1979) is interesting for its contradictions. She is most famous, perhaps, as Korea's quintessential cosmetics model. Only top-ranked models are able to get anywhere near cosmetics ads, and she is considered to have one of the most beautiful and idealized faces in Korea. |
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Baek Yoon-shik (b. March 16, 1947) made his debut in 1970 on KBS TV. In the coming years he would appear in four films, taking lead roles in his debut Excellent Guys and in romantic comedy Only With You with Seo Mi-kyung, a young star of the time. He also studied in the film and theater department at Chung-Ang University's graduate school. |
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