Hyun Bin

Hyun Bin
Hyun Bin's final fan signing before his military leave in 2011
Born	Kim Tae-pyung (1982-09-25) September 25, 1982 Seoul, South Korea
Alma mater	Chung-Ang University[1]
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2003–present
Agent	O& Entertainment Universal D
Korean name
Hangul	현빈
Hanja	炫彬
Revised Romanization	Hyeonbin
McCune–Reischauer	Hyŏnbin
Birth name
Hangul	김태평
Hanja	金泰坪
Revised Romanization	Gim Tae-pyeong
McCune–Reischauer	Kim T'aep'yŏng

Hyun Bin (born Kim Tae-pyung on September 25, 1982) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the TV dramas My Name is Kim Sam-soon in 2005, and Secret Garden in 2010.

Career

Hyun Bin's acting career began when an official at an entertainment agency saw Hyun passing by on a motorcycle in high school and approached him. After his 2002 film Shower could not be released due to lack of funding, Hyun eventually made his debut in 2003 with the television series Bodyguard,^[2] followed by roles in the sitcom Nonstop 4 and quirky drama Ireland.^[3] He shot to stardom in the 2005 romantic comedy My Name is Kim Sam-soon with Kim Sun-ah. Sam-soon was a massive hit with average ratings of over 37% and 50.5% for the finale,^[4] for which Hyun won the Top Excellence Award at the MBC Drama Awards.

Mainstream success eluded Hyun in the next few years. His first film as a lead actor A Millionaire's First Love (written by Internet novelist Guiyeoni) flopped, as did TV melodrama The Snow Queen, a love story between a math genius-turned-boxer and a sheltered, pampered girl (Sung Yu-ri). Despite low ratings, 2008's Worlds Within was well-received for its writing; he and Song Hye-kyo played TV producers struggling to create the perfect drama while still maintaining their relationship. Hyun began choosing more eclectic projects, such as I'm Happy, a romance between a patient and a nurse (Lee Bo-young) in a mental ward, which was the closing film at the 2008 Busan International Film Festival.^[5] He then portrayed a sociopath in the critically acclaimed gangster saga Friend, Our Legend, reportedly watching the original film 20 to 30 times.^{[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]}

In 2010 he saw a surge of fame with Secret Garden, a romantic fantasy about a fussy and arrogant department store owner and a penniless stunt woman (Ha Ji-won) who switch souls every time it rains.^[13][14] The show brought in 30% ratings and garnered much interest regarding its fashion, catchphrases and music, and Hyun was recognized at the SBS Drama Awards and Baeksang Arts Awards for his performance.^[15][16] He also contributed to the soundtrack with "That Man," which peaked at number one in eight Korean music portals.^[17][18][19]

In February 2011 he walked the red carpet at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival where two of his films Come Rain, Come Shine and Late Autumn screened.^[20][21][22] He described the honor as his "happiest achievement."^[23][24]

In Late Autumn, an English-language remake shot in Seattle of the 1966 Lee Man-hee classic, Hyun played a man on the run who falls in love with a woman who is on special leave from prison (Chinese actress Tang Wei).^{[25][26][27][28]} It became the highest grossing Korean film released in China to date, taking in more than US$9.5 million over two weeks, which was unprecedented for a melodrama.^[29] He received a good review from The Hollywood Reporter which stated, "It is Hyun who impresses more for not underplaying the dandy, narcissistic side of his personality."^[30]

On March 7, 2011, Hyun volunteered to serve his 21 months of compulsory military service in the Marine Corps, considered the toughest service branch.^{[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]} He was discharged on December 6, 2012 and received a citation for being an exemplary soldier. In front of media and thousands of fans from various countries, Hyun shed tears and bowed.^{[42][43][44][45][46]}

After the merger of their former agency AM Entertainment with SM Entertainment,^[47] Hyun's reps announced in November 2012 that the actor and Shin Min-ah had decided to go independent and set up their own management agency O& Entertainment.^[48]

For his acting comeback after military service, Hyun chose The King's Wrath, his first ever period film, in which he plays the leading role of King Jeongjo who faced fierce party strife during his reign. It is scheduled to be released in early 2014.^[49] Meanwhile, he spent 2013 shooting commercials as an in-demand product endorser,^{[50][51][52][53]} and holding fan meetings all over Asia.^[54]

Personal life

Hyun was born and raised in Seoul. He has two older brothers. He graduated from Chung-Ang University in 2004 where he majored in Theater Studies. Since 2009 he has been enrolled at the same university to obtain a master's degree.^[1]

He briefly dated actress Hwang Ji-hyun from 2006-2007.^[55]

In August 2009 Hyun confirmed that he was dating Song Hye-kyo, his co-star in Worlds Within.^[56][57][58] In March 2011, hours after Hyun's military enlistment, his and Song's agencies confirmed speculation that the couple had broken up.^[59][60]

Filmography

Television series

Film

Music video

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hyun Bin.

• Hyun Bin official fan club The Space (Korean)
• Hyun Bin fan cafe at Daum (Korean)
• Hyun Bin at DC Inside (Korean)
• Hyun Bin at HanCinema
• Hyun Bin at the Korean Movie Database
• Hyun Bin at the Internet Movie Database