| Song Kang-ho | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 17, 1967 Gimhae, South Korea |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 송강호 |
| Hanja | 宋康昊 |
| Revised Romanization | Song Gang-ho |
| McCune–Reischauer | Song Kangho |
Song Kang-ho (Korean: 송강호; born January 17, 1967, in Gimhae) is a leading South Korean film actor.
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Song Kang-ho never professionally trained as an actor, beginning his career in social theater groups after graduating from Kimhae High School. After getting a degree from Busan Kyungsang College,[1] he later joined Kee Kuk-seo's influential theatre company with its emphasis on instinctive acting and improvisation which proved Song's training ground. He made his stage premiere in 1991, in the play Dongseung. Although regularly approached to act in films, he always turned down the opportunity until taking a role as an extra in Hong Sang-soo's The Day a Pig Fell into the Well (1996).[2]
In the following year, after portraying one of the homeless in Jang Sun-woo's docu-style Bad Movie, he gained cult notoriety for his show-stealing performance in Song Neung-han's No. 3 as a gangster training a group of young recruits, winning his first Best Actor award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards. Since that time he's been cast in several supporting roles before his high-profile appearance as Han Suk-kyu's secret agent partner in Kang Je-gyu's blockbuster thriller Shiri.[2]
In early 2000, Song became a star with his first leading role in the box office smash The Foul King, for which he reputedly did most of his own stunts. But it is with his award-winning role as a North Korean sergeant in Joint Security Area/JSA that Song came to the forefront as one of Korea's leading actors. Song also starred in Park Chan-wook's acclaimed followup, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, which centers around a father's pursuit of his daughter's kidnappers.[2]
In 2002 Song starred in another major production by Myung Films, YMCA Baseball Team, about Korea's first baseball team which formed in the early 20th century. The following year he played a leading role as an incompetent rural detective in yet another critically acclaimed smash hit, Memories of Murder from young director Bong Joon-ho.[2]
In 2004 Song starred in a film by debut director Im Charn-sang that imagines the life of South Korean president Park Chung-hee's personal barber. The following year he also took the lead in Antarctic Journal, a big-budget project by debut director Yim Pil-sung, about an expedition in Antarctica that performed weakly at the box-office.[2]
In 2006 Song was thrust back in the spotlight, however, with a leading role in Bong Joon-ho's record-breaking creature movie The Host. The film helped to broaden international awareness of Song's talent, and indeed he beat out several of Asia's best known stars to be named Best Actor at the inaugural Asian Film Awards held in Hong Kong in March 2007.[2]
More high-profile projects followed: The Show Must Go On about an aging gangster, Lee Chang-dong's Secret Sunshine, Kim Ji-woon's western set in Manchuria The Good, the Bad, the Weird, Park Chan-wook's vampire film Thirst, the North-South spy thriller Secret Reunion, and the upcoming Blue Salt.
| Year | English Title | Korean Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Day a Pig Fell into the Well | 돼지가 우물에 빠진 날 | ||
| 1997 | Green Fish | 초록 물고기 | Pan-su | |
| No. 3 | 넘버3 | Jo-pil | Best New Actor at the 35th Grand Bell Awards
Best Supporting Actor at the 18th Blue Dragon Film Awards |
|
| 1998 | The Quiet Family | 조용한 가족 | Kang Yeong-min (Son) | |
| Bad Movie | 나쁜 영화 | |||
| 1999 | Shiri | 쉬리 | Lee Jang-gil | |
| 2000 | The Foul King | 반칙왕 | Dae-ho | |
| Joint Security Area | 공동경비구역JSA | Sgt. Oh Kyeong-pil | Best Actor at the 38th Grand Bell Awards
Best Actor at Deauville Asian Film Festival Best Actor at the 3rd Director's CUT Awards Best Actor at the 1st Pusan Film Critics Awards |
|
| 2002 | Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance | 복수는 나의 것 | Park Dong-jin | |
| YMCA Baseball Team | YMCA 야구단 | Lee Ho-chang | ||
| 2003 | Memories of Murder | 살인의 추억 | Detective Park Doo-man | Best Actor at the 6th Director's CUT Awards
Best Actor at the 40th Grand Bell Awards Best Actor at the 2nd Korean Film Awards Best Actor at the 11th Chunsa Film Art Awards Best Actor at the 23rd Korean Critics' Choice Awards |
| 2004 | The President's Barber | 효자동 이발사 | Seong Han-mo/Barber | |
| 2005 | Antarctic Journal | 남극일기 | Choi Do-hyung | |
| Sympathy for Lady Vengeance | 친절한 금자씨 | Hired Assassin #1 (cameo) | ||
| 2006 | The Host | 괴물 | Park Gang-du | Best Actor at the 1st Asian Film Awards
Best Actor at the 9th Director's CUT Awards |
| 2007 | The Show Must Go On | 우아한 세계 | Kang In-goo | Best Actor at the 27th Korean Critics' Choice Awards
Best Actor at the 28th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Actor at the 8th Pusan Film Critics Awards |
| Secret Sunshine | 밀양 | Jong-chan | Best Actor at the 6th Korean Film Awards
FIPRESCI Best Actor Award at 19th Palm Springs International Film Festival Best Actor at the 10th Director's CUT Awards |
|
| 2008 | The Good, the Bad, the Weird | 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈 | Yun Tae-goo/The Weird | |
| 2009 | Thirst | 박쥐 | Sang-hyeon | Best Actor at the 12th Director's CUT Awards
Best Actor at the 17th Chunsa Film Art Awards |
| 2010 | Secret Reunion | 의형제 | Agent Lee Han-gyu | |
| 2011 | Blue Salt | 푸른소금 | Doo-hun |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Asian Film Awards | ||
| Preceded by None |
Best Actor 2007 for The Host |
Succeeded by Tony Leung Chiu-Wai for Lust, Caution |
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