Shin Goo

He debut onstage in 1962 in Yoo Chi-jin's play "So," with the role of a grumpy father. Instead of his real name, Shin Soon-ki, Shin acted under the stage name Shin-gu. His stage name was given to him by playwright Yoo Chi-jin when he was a first-year student at the Namsan Drama Center's Theater Academy.[8][7] Shin said,

"It seems that he gave me a long term gu (久) to tell me not to think about anything else and to be an actor for a long time. I feel joy when I stand on stage as a 'completely different me'."[12]

After his time at the Drama Center, Shin worked in various theater companies such as Dongrang Repertory, Experiment, Freedom, Square, and affiliated theater companies. However, his decision to pursue acting was not supported by his family. It was only after winning three awards for male acting at the prestigious Dong-A Theater Awards that Shin began to gain recognition as an actor. In 1966, he won the 3rd Dong-A Theater Award for Best Male Actor for his roles as the chairman of the People's Committee in "I Will Become a Human" and as crown in Porgy and Bess.[7]

Actor Park In-hwan recommended Shin to apply for the 6th Seoul Central Broadcasting System (currently KBS) Talent Recruitment in 1969. Shin passed the audition, but was only given minor roles in historical dramas, such as holding a knife or guarding a door. Following this, playwright Yoo Chi-jin suggested that Shin study dance in the East-West Cultural Center in Hawaii for a year. During his stay, he learned the Hwanghae-do mask dance from Kim Jin-ok and Professor Lee Doo-hyun of Seoul National University, and performed it. One of Shin's fellow students from his time in Hawaii later became a human cultural asset. This was Shin's first time traveling abroad, and the experience of encountering different cultures had a profound impact on him.[10]

Upon returning from Hawaii, Shin continued to work in theater and won the 6th Dong-A Theater Award for Best Male Actor in 1969 for his portrayal of Stanley in Tennessee Williams's play A Streetcar Named Desire. In an interview with Kyunghyang Shin-mun, Shin expressed that this performance was his most memorable work.[7]

Afterward, Shin began to prepare to become a member of National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK). In 1971, while he was getting ready to join the company, he happened to meet Lim Hak-song, a KBS drama producer, at a bar the day before. Shin decided to branch out to television to make ends meet, to provide for his old Mother.[14] Subsequently, Shin made his screen debut in 1972 with the drama "Heosaengjeon" and went on to appear in numerous works, including dramas such as "Water Pattern," "Hope," "Country," "Land," "A Day About Us," and "King and Rain."[8][7][12]

It would be great if I could only do theater for the rest of my life, but I acted on TV, radio, and movies as a way to make ends meet. Even when I go there, there is always regret at the bottom of my heart.[15]

Shin devoted himself to acting, juggling his work between the theater stage and television. Even after winning two acting awards, Shin never stopped and went on to receive his third best male actor award at the 8th Dong-A Theater Awards in 1971 for his role as Harry in the play "Luv."[7][16] Among his most memorable and notable works as member of National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK) were Lee Hae-rang's play "Active Volcano" in 1974, and "Jingbirok" in 1975.[12]

Initially, Shin's family did not approve of his decision to pursue acting. However, after winning multiple Dong-A Theater Awards, they began to acknowledge his talent and success. As a result, Shin was offered many work opportunities, which provided him with the strength and motivation to continue pursuing his career, particularly during times when awards and recognition were scarce.[17]

In 1977, Shin joined The Dongnang Repertory World Tour. The Dongnang Repertory troupe performed as part of the World Theater Month commemorative event, sponsored by the USA headquarters of the International Association of Dramatic Arts, in New York, USA from March 15th. Following this event, the troupe toured various cities in the US, including Dallas, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Hawaii, as well as Lane in France, Paris, and the Netherlands, to showcase their level of theater to audiences worldwide. Before their departure, the troupe presented one of their tour works, Tae, written by Tae-seok Oh and directed by Min-soo Ahn, from February 22nd to 24th at the annex of the Seoul Civic Center, sponsored by JoongAng Ilbo and Dongyang Broadcasting.[18]

The repertoire of the world tour includes Tae and Prince Ha Myeol. Prince Ha Myeol was adapted by Ahn Min-soo from Shakespeare's Hamlet. Tae, announced in the spring and fall of 1974 and the fall of 1975, portrays the history of the early Yi Dynasty surrounding the usurpation of the throne and the tragedy of Saksin.[18][19]

Although Shin had been acting in films since the 1970s, it wasn't until the 1990s that he began to gain recognition for his work. In 1992, he played the role of Teacher Choi, a fifth-grade homeroom teacher dominated by Eom Seok-dae, in "Our Twisted Hero". The film, originally written by Lee Moon-yeol and directed by Park Jong-won, was a turning point for Shin's career. He also appeared in director Hur Jin-ho's debut film, "Christmas in August", which is considered a monumental work of Korean melodrama. In this film, Shin played a father with hearing loss whose son, Jung Won (acted by Han Seok-kyu), was dying of an incurable disease. In 2005, Shin starred in "The Big Family Who Went Away" as a displaced father who had left his family in North Korea.[20]

Shin won the best acting award in the play category for the play "Feel Like Heaven" at the 35th Baeksang Arts Awards in 1999.[7]

In addition, Shin Gu was nicknamed the "national father" due to his acting as father in dramas School 1, Tomato, and Why Can't We Stop Them.[7]

From 1999 to 2009, Shin played Chief Judge in KBS show The Clinic for Married Couples: Love and War. This was a milestone project for him, his closing remark, "See you in four weeks," became extremely popular. In 2005, Shin won Achievement Award from KBS Entertaintment Awards. In 2002, Shin appeared in a hamburger commercial lying on a boat with snow crabs. The advertisement's concept was a parody of Hemingway's novel The Old Man and the Sea. Shin's tagline "You know the taste of crabs," became extremely popular. Everytime South Korean see see snow crabs on the table, It reminds them of Shin's tagline.[7]

It's a coincidence. It's a coincidence... . I just did the lines as they were in the continuity. It's a parody of Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea'. When I thought about why that would go up and down in my mouth, maybe it was because it made sense no matter what I substituted for 'crab'. 'Do you know the taste of coffee?' 'Do you know women?' I guess that was fun.[21]

Shin acted in the movie A Bold Family and Murder, Take One directed by Jang Jin.[22]

In 2008, Shin has his first titular role in film. Cherry Tomato (2008). It is a human drama set in a shantytown just before the demolition. Shin-gu played a grandfather who lives a difficult life with his six-year-old granddaughter (Kim Hyang-gi) while gathering waste paper. The granddaughter lives with her grandfather because of her mother who left home and her missing father, but her young age is incredibly precocious and clever.[23]

In 2010 Shin won Best Actor in 3rd Korea Theater Awards for Driving Miss Daisy.[24]

In 2013, cable channel tvN launched the travel-reality show Grandpas Over Flowers (the title parodies the manga Boys Over Flowers). It marked producer Na Young-seok's first variety show since leaving KBS, where he was best known for creating the first season of hit variety show 2 Days & 1 Night.[25] Defying a youth-centered entertainment industry, the hit show stars four veteran actors in their 70s, Shin alongside Lee Soon-jae, Park Geun-hyung and Baek Il-seob, with their porter Lee Seo-jin as they go on a backpacking tour of France, Taiwan and Spain.[26][27][28]

The first season aired from July 5 to August 16, 2013, with seven episodes. It was filmed in Paris, Strasbourg, Bern, and Lucerne.[29] It was immediately followed by the airing of the second season from August 23 to September 20, 2013. The five episodes were filmed in Taiwan,[30][31][32] with an additional two-episode special featuring unaired footage on September 27 and October 4, 2013. The third season aired from March 7 to May 2, 2014, with eight episodes. It was filmed in Spain, specifically the cities of Barcelona, Granada, Seville, Ronda, and Madrid.[33][34] Shin Goo also went on a solo trip to Lisbon. The fourth season aired from March 27 to May 8, 2015, with seven episodes. It was filmed in Dubai and Greece, with Choi Ji-woo joining as a second travel guide and assistant.[35][36][37]

In 2017, Na Young-seok decided to introduce a new program which focuses on a group of South Korean celebrities operating a small Korean cuisine restaurant on a small island overseas. Shin starred in Season 1 alongside Youn Yuh-jung, Lee Seo-jin, Park Seo-joon and Jung Yu-mi.[38] Season 1 was filmed in Lombok, Indonesia.

After a few years' break, a fifth season titled Grandpa Over Flowers Returns aired from June 29 to August 24, 2018, with nine episodes. Actor Kim Yong-gun joined the cast for the trip filmed in Germany, Czech Republic and Austria.[39]