Kim Joo-hun

Kim was born in South Korea on March 1, 1980. He majored in sculpture at an Hongik University College of Fine Arts.[4] After being discharged from the military, he wanted to become an actor and entered the acting department.[5] Kim studied at the Seoul Institute of the Arts where he received bachelor degree from the Department of Theater and Film.[6]

He used to be more interested in the film class and just doing only few theater works. His debut as an actor was in an independent short black and white film A Matter of Principle in 2008.[7] Kim and actor Shim Jae-hyun were working in a school play, they were approached by Professor Park Geun-hyung, one of university professor of the Seoul Institute of the Arts and also leader of Alleyway Theater Company, who invited them to see his play. Kim drawn into theater world, then later debuted in the Seoul Theater Company's Korean production of the play Marat, Sade (2009) by playwright Peter Weiss under direction of Park Geun-hyung himself. Kim also became member of Alleyway Theater Company.[3][8]

In 2013, in 10th Anniversary Festival of Alleyway Theater Company, Kim acted as poet Lee Sang in Korean two-hander play Raising the Sun in the Sky by playwright Kwon Tae under direction of Lee Eun-joon. This work imprinted Kim Joo-hun's name in theater world, as winner of Best Actor in the 11th Drama Festival Acting Award.[3][9] In the same year he acted in minor role in feature film Way Back Home (2013).

After leaving the Alleyway Theater Company in 2014, Kim took a hiatus from theater acting for about three years, during which he worked as a construction laborer to make ends meet.[8] Despite this, he still accepted minor roles in various films, and subsequently appeared in The Con Artists (2014), Tazza: The Hidden Card (2015), Planck Constant (2015), The Accidental Detective (2015), A Violent Prosecutor (2016), and a box office film Train to Busan (2016). He also made his television debut with minor roles in OCN drama series Squad 38. In 2015, Kim signed an exclusive contract with Urban Entertaintment.[10]

In the spring of 2017, Kim made his return to Daehak-ro by portraying Håkon Håkonsson, King-elect of Norway, in the premiere of a Korean adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's play The Pretenders, titled The Claimants of the Throne. Director Kim Gwang-bo and writer Ko Yeon-ok, who had previously collaborated on a project, teamed up again for this performance, which was held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts M Theater.[3][4]

Later that year, in the fall of 2017, Kim starred as French Diplomat Rene Gallimard in the third Korean adaptation of David Henry Hwang’s play M. Butterfly, which was part of the repertoire of The 9th Best Plays Festival,[upper-alpha 1] Directed by Kim Dong-yeon, the play was performed from September to December at the Art One Theater Hall 1.[12][13]

Kim rose to prominence as an actor after his role as Ahn Jae-geun, a whistleblower at Seomyoung Foods, in the tvN drama Argon (2017), where he was praised for his captivating performance.[14] He then went on to star in the KBS drama special Too Bright for Romance, playing the role of the famous theater critic Kim Hyung-seok. Directed by Yoo Young-eun, this drama special was the fourth installment of the KBS Drama Special 2018 series, which aired on October 5, 2018. It was based on Kim Geum-hee's novel of the same name, which had won the grand prize at the 7th Young Artist Award in 2016. Kim was cast in the drama special because director Yoo Young-eun had seen one of his theater performances.[15]

Kim collaborated with director Yoo Young-eun once again in another KBS drama special called Dreamers, where he portrayed the person in charge of managing the dream world. His character has control over those who forget reality and escape into their dreams. This drama special was the seventh installment of the KBS Drama Special 2018 series, which aired on October 25, 2018. Prior to the drama airing, Kim signed an exclusive contract with S.A.L.T. Entertainment on October 23, 2018.[16]

Kim gained wider recognition after starring in the 2018 tvN drama series Encounter, where he portrays Lee Dae-chan, the easy-going and cheerful owner of 'Chan's Golbaengi'. He showcases his own character well and collaborates fantastically with representative actors who lead the production, including Song Hye-kyo, Park Bo-gum, Pyo Ji-hoon, and Kwak Sun-young. His love line with Kwak Sun-young also adds to the drama's attraction, as it intertwines due to a fateful meeting. Kim's performance in Encounter marked a turning point in his career, as he gained wider recognition and established himself as a talented actor in the industry.[17]

Since last year, I've been meeting good works and great roles, so I feel like I'm a very lucky person. I started acting because I had good acting and the stage, but in a way, I think I've lived an immature life. Previously, I did a lot of plays that asked questions about society while living in the troupe, but at that time, when I saw a poster of works with both artistry and commerciality on the street, I thought, 'That's not a play.' I felt a great sense of mission while doing a social play, but after 5 to 6 years like that, I was very tired. There weren't many general audiences, and as it became difficult economically, I thought, 'What are you doing this for?' Around 2015, when I thought, 'I'm fed up with the play,' I had a break with half of the other, and two years later, I returned through the Claimants of the Throne in 2017. Now, as I face a lot of audiences, my past bigoted thoughts about the play have changed a lot, and I'm just grateful to be able to meet such good works. I hope we can balance the play that throws a social message in the future and a play with work and a play with popularity. I think that's a way to balance as an actor, and it's a way to make the theatrical culture of Daehak-ro healthier.

— Kim Joo-heon, Newsculture[18]

In 2019, Kim costarred in Korean adaptation of US series Designated Survivor: 60 Days. His role is the show's counterpart of Jason Atwood, Jung Han-mo, NIS Terrorism Task Force Chief.[19]

In 2020, Kim joined Season 2 of SBS drama series in Romantic Doctor Kim Sa Bu, as Park Min-kook, a professor of general surgery and the new director of Doldam Hospital who think of Kim Sa Bu, starred Han Suk-kyu, as his rival.[20] His solid performance won Best Supporting Actor in 2020 SBS Drama Awards.

In the same year, He also begin to be recognized internationally for his role in tvN & Netflix drama series It's Okay to Not Be Okay. He starred as Lee Sang-in, the CEO of SangsangESang Publishing Company, which publishes Moon-young's children's books.[21] He also starred as lead role in short film Untact alongside Kim Go-eun.[22] Kim made special appearance in the pilot episode of tvN television series Start-Up, as the father of Bae Suzy's character.[23]

Kim starred as second lead in KBS drama Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol.[24] Followed by another second lead in SBS drama Now, We Are Breaking Up.[25] His performance earned him Excellence Award for an Actor in a Mini-Series Romance/Comedy Drama in SBS Drama Awards.[26]

In 2022, Kim made another strong impression on viewers as the biggest villain in the MBC Friday-Saturday drama Big Mouse (written by Kim Ha-ram and by directed by Oh Chung-hwan and Bae Hyun-jin), which ended on September 17. It started with a viewership rate of 6.2% and ended with its own highest viewership rate of 13.7% in the last episode.[27] He acted as Gucheon Mayor Choi Do-ha.[28][29]

When I was creating Choi Do-ha, there was something I wanted to have a new texture. Through Choi Do-ha, I wanted to give the viewers a sense of discomfort and fear, like a fog or a swamp that covers the lake. I tend to use a lot of images when creating a character. I wondered if I could express Choi Do-ha with one tear and one smile. When I do comedy, I tend to try to express that sense of rhythm while thinking of a cute and bouncy hummingbird or a deer running through the meadow.

— Kim Joo-heon, Single List Interview[29]

Kim will acted as senior astronaut in his next drama Ask the Stars.[30]

In the same year Kim acted in his first lead role in feature film opposite Ryu Hyun-kyung in film Fairy. It was premiered in the 26th Busan International Film Festival.[31]