Jung Woo-sung

This is a Korean name; the family name is Jung.
Jung Woo-sung
Born 20 March 1973
Seoul, South Korea
Occupation Actor
Years active 1994–present
Agent Red Brick House
Korean name
Hangul 정우성
Hanja 鄭雨盛
Revised Romanization Jeong U-seong
McCune–Reischauer Chǒng U-sǒng

Jung Woo-sung (born March 20, 1973) is a South Korean actor.

Career

After first finding work as a model, Jung Woo-sung made his film debut in the 1994 movie The Fox with Nine Tails, together with Ko So-young. He and Ko would go on to act in two more films together.[1]

Jung found widespread fame in Kim Sung-su's 1997 film Beat, in which he played a high school student who becomes caught up in gang life against his will. Since this film, he became known as one of Korea's top commercial stars. In the subsequent years he portrayed a young boxer in City of the Rising Sun, a naval lieutenant in Phantom: The Submarine, and a marathoner in Love.[1]

In 2001, Jung took on one of his most high-profile roles in Kim Sung-su's epic blockbuster Musa. Playing a long-haired slave, he acted opposite Chinese superstar Zhang Ziyi and received wide exposure abroad as well as in Korea. After spending time in 2002 directing a series of music videos and appearing in a large number of commercials, Jung took on the eccentric lead role in Mutt Boy, the fifth film by director Kwak Kyung-taek.[1]

Jung's next roles would be in highly romantic roles that played off his established screen image. In the box office hit A Moment to Remember he plays an architect whose wife (played by Son Ye-jin) is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease and in the Netherlands-set Daisy, he plays a hired assassin who falls in love with a street artist played by Jun Ji-hyun.[1] He portrays a happily committed fireman in Sad Movie, and rekindles a romance with an old friend in A Good Rain Knows.[2][3][4] His big-budget martial arts films The Restless and Reign of Assassins would also have romantic elements.[5]

Kim Jee-woon's "kimchi western" The Good, the Bad, the Weird would give Jung one of his most iconic roles, using his physicality to great effect as the Clint Eastwood counterpart in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Shortly after he would work again with the director in a short film for W Korea.[6]

Given the hype regarding his return to the small screen after 15 years, Jung's spy genre drama Athena: Goddess of War (spin-off to 2009's IRIS)[7] was a disappointment, failing to duplicate its predecessor's ratings. He made his Japanese drama debut with a guest appearance in episodes 6 and 7 of Good Life ~Arigatou, Papa. Sayonara~.[8]

He followed that with another TV series Padam Padam... The Sound of His and Her Heartbeats which marked the establishment of new cable broadcasting station jTBC. Jung said he "decided on this drama because (he) was drawn to the way Noh Hee-kyung writes 'family drama.' Whether mother-son or father-son, the love and pain experienced by families is something (he)’d like to try portraying in a realistic way."[9] He played a man who has recently been released from jail after serving a 16-year sentence for a crime he didn’t commit.[10][11]

Jung was cast in the English-language 3D remake of John Woo's The Killer.[12] The film will be shot in Los Angeles, and reunites him with A Moment to Remember director John H. Lee and Reign of Assassins director John Woo who will be producing.[13]

In 2012, he directed and starred in the commercial for cable channel XTM.[14][15][16] And a year later, Jung was among four celebrities who directed a short film using smartphone Samsung Galaxy S4 with the theme "Meet a Life Companion." His short Love explored the feelings of first love, and recorded 1.8 million views on YouTube.[17]

Jung drew praise in his first villain role in Cold Eyes, an action thriller that became a box office hit in 2013.[18][19][20][21][22]

He then directed another short film for Samsung Galaxy S4, this time for the project "Story of Me and S4." In Jung's short Beginning of a Dream, Choi Jin-hyuk starred as an ordinary office worker who dreams of leaving his mundane existence and entering a world of fantasy; he is approached by a blue fish, rides a sports car at supersonic speed, sees a boy floating past holding a balloon, hangs out with a hippie band in their van, and meets himself as a young boy at a bus stop.[23]

In 2014, Jung along with Chinese actors Francis Ng and Chang Chen, directed three short films for Three Charmed Lives, an omnibus commissioned by the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Critics praised Jung's short The Killer Behind the Old Man as the strongest and most stylish entry; in it, an ultra-methodical hitman (played by Andy Choi) is hired to assassinate an elderly man, but finds himself transfixed by the man's slow-moving and ordered life, and thus hesitates to carry through with his mission.[24][25]

Jung next played a baduk player out for revenge in The Divine Move,[26][27][28] followed by an adulterous university professor gradually losing his eyesight in Scarlet Innocence.[29][30] He is set to star in and produce the Memento-esque indie feature Don't Forget Me.

Personal life

Jung grew up in Sadang-dong, then one of the poorest towns in Seoul.[31]

He gave up studying to pursue his dream of becoming an actor, dropping out of high school after one year. It was controversial at the time that he did not conceal this fact but rather claimed that he did not regret his decision.[32]

Jung is best friends with fellow actor Lee Jung-jae, whom he met while filming City of the Rising Sun. They are co-owners and co-investors of several businesses.[15][16]

After they were photographed on a date in Paris,[33] Jung confirmed in March 2011 that he was dating Athena co-star Lee Ji-ah.[34][35] But after Lee's married and divorced past with top Korean singer-songwriter Seo Taiji became exposed to the public the following month, the Korean press reported in June that Jung and Lee had broken up.[36][37][38]

Filmography

Jung Woo-sung on set in 2008

Film

Year Title Role
1994 The Fox with Nine Tails Hyuk
1996 Born to Kill Kil
Shanghai Grand Ryu So-hwang
1997 Beat Min
Motel Cactus Lee Mi-ku
1998 City of the Rising Sun Do-chul
1999 Phantom: The Submarine Number 431
Love Myung-soo
2001 Musa Yeo-sol
2003 Mutt Boy Cha Cheol-min
2004 A Moment to Remember Cheol-su
2005 Sad Movie Jin-woo
2006 Daisy Park Yi
The Restless Yi-gwak
2007 Close to You (short film) cameo
2008 The Good, the Bad, the Weird Park Do-won, the Good
2009 Present (W Korea short film) Min-woo
A Good Rain Knows Park Dong-ha
2010 Reign of Assassins Jiang Ah-sheng/Zhang Renfang
2011 Friends & Love (Giordano short film)
2013 Cold Eyes James
2014 The Divine Move Tae-seok
Scarlet Innocence Shim Hak-kyu
2015 Don't Forget Me Seok-won
TBA The Killer

Television series

Year Title Role Network
1995 Asphalt Man Kang Dong-suk SBS
1996 Oxtail Soup SBS
1.5 Lee Jang-wook MBC
2010 Athena: Goddess of War Lee Jung-woo SBS
2011 Good Life ~Arigatou, Papa. Sayonara~ Dr. Lee (episodes 6-7) Fuji TV
Padam Padam... The Sound of His and Her Heartbeats Yang Kang-chil jTBC

As Director

Year Title Notes Starring
2000 "After You Left Me" g.o.d music video Shin Min-ah, Kim Kwang-il
2002 "You Just Don't Know" Shin Min-ah, Jo In-sung
"Sad Love"
"A Fool"
2012 EGO편 XTM station ID himself
2013 Love (4랑) short film Seo Ye-ji, Jo Seung-hyun
Beginning of a Dream short film Choi Jin-hyuk
2014 The Killer Behind the Old Man short film from Three Charmed Lives Andy Choi, Woo Sang-jeon

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
1995 SBS Drama Awards Best New Actor Asphalt Man Won
1996 32nd Baeksang Arts Awards Best New Actor (TV) Won
1997 17th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Best New Actor Beat Won
35th Grand Bell Awards Best Actor Nominated
18th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Actor Nominated
1999 20th Blue Dragon Film Awards Popular Star Award Phantom: The Submarine Won
2001 22nd Blue Dragon Film Awards Popular Star Award Musa Won
2002 39th Grand Bell Awards Best Actor Nominated
2003 24th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Actor Mutt BoyNominated
2008 Hawaii International Film Festival Outstanding Achievement in Acting N/A Won
29th Blue Dragon Film Awards Popular Star Award The Good, the Bad, the WeirdWon
Korea Fashion & Design Awards Best Dressed of the Year N/A Won
2009 3rd Asian Film Awards Best Supporting Actor The Good, the Bad, the Weird Won
2nd Style Icon Awards Style Icon Actor N/A Won
2011 Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Distinguished Korean Wave Entertainer Award for Film N/A Won
SBS Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Planning Drama Athena: Goddess of War Nominated
2013 6th Style Icon Awards Top 10 Style Icon N/A Won
34th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Supporting Actor Cold Eyes Nominated
2014 8th Asian Film Awards Best Supporting Actor Nominated
50th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actor (Film) Nominated
51st Grand Bell Awards Best Actor The Divine Move Nominated
35th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Actor Nominated

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Actors and Actresses of Korean Cinema: Jung Woo-sung". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
  2. ↑ Wee, Geun-woo (October 23, 2009). "INTERVIEW: Actor Jung Woo-sung - 1". 10Asia.
  3. ↑ Wee, Geun-woo (October 23, 2009). "INTERVIEW: Actor Jung Woo-sung - 2". 10Asia.
  4. ↑ "All That Star: Jung Woo-sung". Arirang News. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
  5. ↑ Lee, Ji-hye (October 25, 2010). "Actor Jung Woo-sung's Movie Picks". 10Asia.
  6. ↑ Yi, Chang-ho (February 6, 2009). "JUNG Woo-sung and KIM A-jung join KIM Jee-woon". Korean Film Biz Zone.
  7. ↑ Kang, Hye-ran (January 4, 2011). "Jung Woo-sung is one cool character, at work and in life". Korea JoongAng Daily.
  8. ↑ Kim, Jessica (April 5, 2011). "Jung Woo-sung to appear in Japanese drama". 10Asia.
  9. ↑ Hong, Lucia (August 9, 2011). "Jung Woo-sung to play male lead in new mini-series". 10Asia.
  10. ↑ Oh, Jean (December 1, 2011). "Jung Woo-sung opens up about first Korean drama after scandal". The Korea Herald.
  11. ↑ Kim, Hyo-eun (December 14, 2011). "Actor Jung trades dashing for dirty". Korea JoongAng Daily.
  12. ↑ McNary, Dave (January 31, 2011). "John Woo to remake his own Killer". Variety.
  13. ↑ Yoon, Hee-seong (July 11, 2011). "Jung Woo-sung nails Hong Kong pic The Killer remake". 10Asia.
  14. ↑ Lee, In-kyung (September 17, 2012). "Jung Woo Sung Directs New Commercial for Channel XTM". enewsWorld.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Jung Woo Sung hope to star in a romantic comedy". Korea Star Daily via Yahoo!. October 8, 2012.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lesia, Algie (November 4, 2012). "Jung Woo Sung Gets Personal For 1st Look". 24-7 Kpop.
  17. ↑ Jang, Sung-ran (May 9, 2013). "4 Celebrities Make Smartphone Shorts". Korean Film Biz Zone.
  18. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (October 12, 2012). "Jung Woo-sung preps for bad guy role". Korea JoongAng Daily.
  19. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (June 6, 2013). "Cold Eyes is a story of firsts for the cast". Korea JoongAng Daily.
  20. ↑ Lim, Ju-ri (June 28, 2013). "Jung Woo-sung turns bad". Korea JoongAng Daily.
  21. ↑ "Jung Woo-sung Turns His Back on Nice-Guy Image in New Film". The Chosun Ilbo. June 29, 2013.
  22. ↑ Lee, Hye-ji (July 15, 2013). "INTERVIEW: Actor Jung Woo-sung: Confessions of a Top Star". 10Asia.
  23. ↑ Jeon, Su-mi (July 31, 2013). "Choi Jin Hyuk Stars in a Short Piece Directed by Jung Woo Sung". enewsWorld.
  24. ↑ Adams, Mark (March 24, 2014). "Three Charmed Lives". Screen International.
  25. ↑ Kerr, Elizabeth (March 31, 2014). "Three Charmed Lives Filmart Review: Three of Asia's most prominent actors step behind the camera.". The Hollywood Reporter.
  26. ↑ Jin, Eun-soo (May 30, 2014). "The Divine Move an action twist on baduk". Korea JoongAng Daily.
  27. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (June 27, 2014). "High stakes set in risky baduk flick". Korea JoongAng Daily.
  28. ↑ Jang, Sung-ran (July 10, 2014). "Jung muses latest move". Korea JoongAng Daily.
  29. ↑ Lee, Eun-sun (October 14, 2014). "Jung is red hot in Scarlet Innocence". Korea JoongAng Daily.
  30. ↑ Choi, Song-hee (October 22, 2014). "Scarlet Innocence A Classic Man, Jung Woo Sung". BNTNews.
  31. ↑ Kang, Hye-in (November 30, 2012). "Jeong Woo Sung talks about his poor family background". StarN News.
  32. ↑ "내 선택엔 후회가 없다…당당한 학력 연예인들 주목". Chosun.com (in Korean). August 24, 2007.
  33. ↑ Lee, Woo-young (March 11, 2011). "Co-stars in ATHENA spotted dating in Paris: report". The Korea Herald.
  34. ↑ "Jung Woo-sung Admits Romance with Lee Ji-ah". The Chosun Ilbo. March 21, 2011.
  35. ↑ Kim, Jessica (April 26, 2011). "Jung Woo-sung: E Ji-ah not a defensive person". 10Asia.
  36. ↑ Ko, Kyoung-seok (June 9, 2011). "Jung Woo-sung, E Ji-ah believed to have broken up". 10Asia.
  37. ↑ Kamarudin, Syahida (June 10, 2011). "Lee Ji-ah & Jung Woo-sung break up?". Yahoo! News.
  38. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (November 30, 2012). "Jung Woo-sung talks about E Jiah relationship". Korea JoongAng Daily.

External links

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