| Jun Ji-hyun | |
|---|---|
At a promotional event in 2009 |
|
| Born | Wang Ji-hyun October 30, 1981 Seoul, South Korea |
| Other names | Gianna Jun Jeon Ji-hyun |
| Occupation | Actress, model |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 전지현 |
| Hanja | 全智賢 |
| Revised Romanization | Jeon Ji Hyeon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Chŏn Chihyŏn |
| Birth name | |
| Hangul | 왕지현 |
| Hanja | 王智賢 |
| Revised Romanization | Wang Ji-hyeon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Wang Chihyŏn |
Jun Ji-hyun[1] (born October 30, 1981) also known as Gianna Jun, is a South Korean actress and model. She gained international fame in 2001 starring in the romantic comedy My Sassy Girl which became the highest grossing Korean comedy of all time. Other notable films include Il Mare (2000) and Windstruck (2004).
Contents |
Jun was born in Seoul, South Korea, and studied in the Department of Theater and Film at Dongguk University. Jun's childhood dream was to be an airhostess, but at the age of 16, a neighbour introduced her to modelling.[2] She began her career as a fashion model for Echo Magazine in 1997.
After appearing in a number of TV sitcoms, her movie debut came in White Valentine (1999). This was followed by a role in Il Mare (2000), which proved to be a success. An American remake of Il Mare, The Lake House, was released 14 June 2006. However, her biggest breakthrough was in My Sassy Girl (2001), a romantic comedy that bought her international recognition, and won her a Best Actress award at the Grand Bell Awards in 2002. It was the highest grossing Korean comedy film at the time. In 2004, she starred in the film Windstruck, a South Korean fantasy-romantic comedy which was directed by Kwak Jae-yong. The film was also another major success and was the 8th-highest grossing Korean film of 2004. In 2006, she was also in the movie Daisy. In 2008, she was also in the film A Man Who Was Superman.
Ji Hyun worked closely with CJ Entertainment, particularly with the distribution of Windstruck, The Uninvited, and A Man Who Was Superman.
In 2009, she made her English-language film debut when she starred as Saya in Blood: The Last Vampire alongside Masiela Lusha. The movie was filmed in China and Argentina in March 2007. It was during filming and before the March 2009 release that she adopted the Westernised name Gianna Jun. The film was Jun's first official action film and was a "drastic" change in her image from previous films.
As of February 2010, she began filming Snow Flower and the Secret Fan in China.[3]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | White Valentine | Jung-min |
| 2000 | Il Mare | Eun-joo |
| 2001 | My Sassy Girl | The Girl |
| 2003 | The Uninvited | Yeon |
| 2004 | Windstruck | Yeo Kyung-jin |
| 2006 | Daisy | Hye Young |
| 2008 | A Man Who Was Superman | Song Soo-jung |
| 2009 | Blood: The Last Vampire | Saya Otonashi |
| 2011 | Snow Flower and the Secret Fan | Sophia/Snow Flower |
| 2012 | The Thieves | Anycall |
| 2012 | The Berlin File | Yeon Jung-hee |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Season of Puberty | |
| 1998 | Fascinate My Heart | |
| 1999 | Happy Together | Suh Yoon-joo |