| Son Ye-jin | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 11, 1982 Daegu, South Korea |
| Other names | Son Yeon-jin |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 손예진 |
| Hanja | 孫藝珍 |
| Revised Romanization | Son Ye-jin |
| McCune–Reischauer | Son Yejin |
Son Ye-jin (born January 11, 1982) is a South Korean actress.
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Son Ye-jin 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, Sun-hee and Jin-hee, and Daemang: Great Ambition. Her first high-profile role in cinema was in Im Kwon-taek's Chi-hwa-seon, which screened at Cannes and took home a Best Director award in 2002.[1]
The biggest success of her early career was in the subsequent films Lovers' Concerto and The Classic. Both were solid mid-level hits in Korea, and The Classic in particular—being a work of My Sassy Girl director Kwak Jae-yong -- received wide exposure in countries such as Hong Kong and China.[1]
Son further solidified her status as a "hallyu" (Korean wave) star in 2003 by taking the lead in TV drama Summer Scent, a part of the hugely successful series of TV dramas including Autumn Love Story and Winter Sonata (though this drama would not attract the attention of the previous two). Her next two films also proved to be huge hits in Asia: A Moment to Remember, based on a famous Japanese TV series, set box office records in Japan and sold over two million tickets in Korea, while April Snow in which she co-starred with superstar Bae Yong-joon was also a smash hit in Japan and China (though not, incidentally, in Korea).[1]
Son's most recent work sees her cast off her nice girl image.[1] She took on the roles of a con artist in The Art of Seduction, an ambitious reporter in Spotlight, a femme fatale in Open City, and a divorcée in the critically acclaimed 2006 TV drama Alone in Love opposite Gam Woo-sung. In 2008, her portrayal of a polyandrous woman in My Wife Got Married bagged her Best Actress honors from the prestigious Blue Dragon Film Awards[2] and other local award-giving bodies.
After filming the dark mystery White Night, Son wanted to do a more fun project, so she chose the romantic comedy Personal Taste,[3] followed by the supernatural love story Spellbound (Korean title: Chilling Romance).[4][5][6] She next stars in her first blockbuster action flick, Tower, a remake of the 1974 Hollywood film The Towering Inferno.[7]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Secret Tears | |
| 2002 | Chi-hwa-seon | So-woon |
| Lover's Concerto | Shim Soo-in / Gyung-hee | |
| 2003 | The Classic | Ji-hye / Joo-hee |
| Crazy First Love | Il-mae | |
| 2004 | A Moment to Remember | Su-jin |
| 2005 | April Snow | Seo-young |
| The Art of Seduction | Han Ji-won | |
| 2007 | Yobi, the Five Tailed Fox (animated) | Yobi (voice) |
| 2008 | Open City | Baek Jang-mi |
| My Wife Got Married | Joo In-ah | |
| 2009 | White Night | Yoo Mi-ho / Lee Ji-ah |
| 2011 | Spellbound | Yeo-ri |
| 2012 | Tower |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | MBC Delicious Proposal (맛있는 청혼) | Jang Hee-ae |
| MBC Sun-hee and Jin-hee (선희 진희) | Shim Sun-hee | |
| 2002 | SBS Daemang (대망, lit. Great Ambition) | Choi Dong-hee |
| 2003 | KBS Summer Scent (여름 향기) | Shim Hye-won |
| 2006 | SBS Alone in Love (연애시대) | Yoo Eun-ho |
| 2008 | MBC Spotlight (스포트라이트) | Seo Woo-jin |
| 2010 | MBC Personal Taste (개인의 취향) | Park Gae-in |
| 2011 | SBS Secret Garden (시크릿 가든) | Herself (cameo) |