Kim Dong-wook

This is a Korean name; the family name is Kim.
Kim Dong-wook
Born July 29, 1983
South Korea
Education Korea National University of Arts - School of Drama
Occupation Actor
Years active 2004-present
Korean name
Hangul 김동욱
Hanja 金東昱
Revised Romanization Gim Dong-uk
McCune–Reischauer Kim Tong'uk

Kim Dong-wook (born July 29, 1983) is a South Korean actor. After appearing in student short films and several minor parts, Kim became a star through his supporting role in the popular TV series Coffee Prince (2007), followed by box office hit Take Off (2009). He then starred in Happy Killers (2010) and Romantic Heaven (2011), but it was his acclaimed performance as an obsessed and tormented king in 2012 period drama The Concubine that brought Kim the best reviews of his career yet.

Career

After officially debuting in A Crimson Mark,[1] Kim Dong-wook's first notable role was the angry, impoverished teenager in director Byun Young-joo's 2004 coming-of-age film Flying Boys. He then broke into the mainstream as the bubbly waiter in MBC's 2007 hit romantic comedy series Coffee Prince.

In the popular 2009 sports flick Take Off, he starred as a former night club bouncer who ends up being a member of Korea's national ski jumping team.[2] In spite of the enormous physical challenge, Kim said it was a character he genuinely enjoyed playing.[3]

His musical theatre debut was in On Air: Season 2, which was produced by his fellow alumni from the Korea National University of Arts. A loose spin-off of the TV series On Air, it takes place at a radio station and centers around an idol singer-turned-DJ and an older female PD.[4] His follow-up the year after was the Korean production of Legally Blonde, the Broadway musical based on the 2011 Hollywood film of the same name. He played Luke Wilson's role Emmett.[5] Kim said "the show must go on, no matter what" mentality was what he found appealing yet tough about doing musicals.[6]

According to critics one of the finest of achievements of the 2012 period thriller The Concubine is Kim's engrossing performance as the tormented Prince Sung-won, who gradually loses his sense of judgment and emotional control in the face of obsessive love. Kim said of playing the intense role, "While feeling sorry for him, I also found the complexity of the character fascinating. That's what drew me in."[3][7][8]

Kim enlisted for his mandatory military service on August 30, 2012 at a training camp in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province. He underwent five weeks of basic training and continued to serve for two years as a riot police for the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.[9]

Filmography

Film

Television

Music video

Musical theatre

Discography

Awards

References

  1. ↑ "All That Star: Kim Dong-wook". Arirang News. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  2. ↑ Park, Sun-young (3 July 2009). "Tale of Korea's ski jumpers flies onto the big screen". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lee, Claire (30 May 2012). "Boyish Kim Dong-wook returns in period noir". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  4. ↑ '커프' 자뻑하림 김동욱, 뮤지컬 데뷔 [From Coffee Prince to On Air]. Star News (in Korean). 29 August 2008. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  5. ↑ Chung, Ah-young (16 September 2009). "Legally Blonde Sparkles With Starry Cast". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  6. ↑ Wee, Geun-woo (16 March 2010). "My Name Is: Kim Dong-wook". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  7. ↑ Oh, Mi-jung (3 June 2012). "Interview: Kim Dong Wook Bares All in The King's Concubine (Pt. 1)". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  8. ↑ Oh, Mi-jung (3 June 2012). "Interview: Kim Dong Wook Bares All in The King's Concubine (Pt. 2)". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  9. ↑ Hong, Lucia (30 August 2012). "Kim Dong-wook begins mandatory 2-year military service today". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-04-04.
  10. ↑ Kim, Lynn (17 December 2009). "Winners of Director's CUT Awards announced". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-05-04.

External links