Kim Kang-woo
| Kim Kang-woo | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 July 1978 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Spouse(s) | Han Mu-young (m. 2010) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 김강우 |
| Hanja | 金康宇 |
| Revised Romanization | Gim Gang-u |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kim Kang'u |
Kim Kang-woo (born July 11, 1978) is a South Korean actor.
Career
Kim majored in film production at Chung-Ang University,[1] and made his debut in Kim Ki-duk's 2002 film The Coast Guard while still a senior, later commenting that the role of a soldier was the only one he could get without any prior experience. Subsequent roles in the drama series Breathless and Three Leafed Clover earned Kim the nickname "Mr. Right" as he became known for his portrayal of honest and diligent characters.[2] His first leading film role was in Jeong Jae-eun's 2005 sophomore feature The Aggressives, for which he and co-star Chun Jung-myung were the co-recipients of the "Best New Actor" award at the 6th Pusan Film Critics Awards.[3]
In 2007, Kim starred in Park Heung-sik's The Railroad, which told the story of two strangers who reveal their inner pain to each other when they are stranded at the last railway station before the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Kim was upset when the film was only released in ten theatres, and went to screenings by himself in an effort to promote the film, where he greeted and conversed with members of the audience.[4][5] In spite of its poor box office performance, The Railroad found favour with critics, and Kim won the "Best Actor" award at the 25th Torino Film Festival. Although happy to win the award, Kim found it more gratifying to observe Italian audiences responding to the film in the same way as Korean audiences, recognising the power of film to transcend national borders.[4][6] He also admitted to being anxious because of the increased expectations people would have over his future performances.[2]
Kim found commercial success with his next film, Le Grand Chef, which despite opening during a slow season sold more than three million tickets to become the fourth biggest selling South Korean film of 2007.[4][7] Based on a popular manhwa, the film focused on the conflict between two rival chefs, played by Kim and Im Won-hee. To prepare for his role, Kim attended cooking classes for one and a half months, and for one crucial scene in particular he visited a slaughterhouse, receiving a big shock as he knew nothing about the slaughtering process.[8][9] In addition, he was required to film a number of scenes with a cow, and spent some ten days acquainting himself with it—grooming it, feeding it and taking it for walks—remarking that it was "like working with a very sensitive actress".[5]
Personal life
On June 18, 2010, Kim married his longtime girlfriend Han Moo-young (older sister of actress Han Hye-jin).[10][11] Their son was born in 2011.[12]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Coast Guard | |
| 2003 | Breathless (TV) | Shin Moo-cheol |
| Silmido | ||
| 2004 | Springtime | Ju-ho |
| 2005 | Three Leafed Clover (TV) | Yoon Seong-woo |
| The Aggressives | Mogi | |
| The Beast and the Beauty | Tak Jun-ha | |
| 2006 | Bichunmoo (TV) | Shi Jun |
| Tazza: The High Rollers | ||
| 2007 | The Railroad | Man-soo |
| Le Grand Chef | Seong-chan | |
| Rainbow Eyes | Detective Jo Kyeong-woon | |
| 2008 | Hello, Schoolgirl | Gyoo-cheol (cameo) |
| 2009 | Marine Boy | Cheon-soo |
| The Slingshot (TV) | Chae Do-woo | |
| Five Senses of Eros | Kang Hyeon-woo | |
| 2010 | Ha Ha Ha | Tongyeong poet Kang Jung-ho |
| A Better Tomorrow | Kim Chul | |
| 2012 | Doomsday Book | Robot repairman Park Do-won |
| The Taste of Money | Joo Young-jak | |
| Haeundae Lovers | Prosecutor Lee Tae-sung | |
| Black Dawn | Ahn Min-chul | |
| 2013 | The Gifted Hands | Detective Yang Choon-dong |
| In My End Is My Beginning | Jung-ha's younger brother | |
| Mr. Go | Doosan Bears general manager | |
References
- ↑ "Meet Kim Kangwoo, who was the recipient of "Best Actor" at the 25th Torino Film Festival for his performance in "The Railroad."". Arirang News. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kwon Mee-yoo. "Actor Kim Works to Enjoy His Calling". The Korea Times, 25 December 2007.
- ↑ "Film Awards Ceremonies in Korea". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Actor Inspired by Hungry Spirit". The Dong-a Ilbo, 4 December 2007.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jean Oh. "No run-of-the-mill Romeo". The Korea Herald, 9 April 2009.
- ↑ Cathy Rose A. Garcia. "Actor Kim Kang-woo Wins in Turin". The Korea Times, 2 December 2007.
- ↑ "The Best Selling Films of 2007". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
- ↑ "'Le Grand Chef' depicts story of talented cook". Hancinema, 6 November 2006 (originally published by The Korea Herald).
- ↑ Yang Sung-jin. "MOVIE REVIEW: 'Le Grand Chef' offers visual feast with colorful food contest". Hancinema, 22 October 2007 (originally published by The Korea Herald).
- ↑ Han, Sang-hee (25 May 2010). "Actor to tie knot with actress’ sister". The Korea Times.
- ↑ "‘결혼’ 선남선녀 커플 김강우-한무영 ‘7년 열애 결실맺어요~ ’". Newsen (in Korean). 18 June 2010.
- ↑ "김강우 "신비주의 사생활? 아내는 이해심 많은 여자"(인터뷰)". Newsen (in Korean). 29 May 2012.
External links
- Kim Kang-woo at the Internet Movie Database
- Kim Kang-woo at the Korean Movie Database
- Kim Kang-woo at HanCinema