Kim Soo-hyun can be defined in a number of ways. He is a top-tier South Korean actor, a household name across Asia, winner of numerous television and film awards, and was formerly one of the influential young people on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list.
Born on February 16, 1988, Kim turns 32 on Sunday, and is celebrating 13 years as an actor.
After completing two years of compulsory military service in 2019, Kim returned to acting with the lead role in Psycho But It’s Okay, a South Korean television drama that revolves around a romance between a man working in a psychiatric ward and a woman who has antisocial personality disorder and is a writer of children’s books. The show is scheduled to air in the first half of 2020.
We recall five of Kim’s stand-out performances.
Dream High (2011)
This teen musical TV drama turned Kim into a household name in South Korea. Dream High depicts the lives of six high school students who dream of becoming K-pop superstars, and offers a glimpse into how young talents grow and overcome challenges on the country’s competitive idol-making production line.
The drama drew a television audience rating of about 20 per cent – in a country where a 10 per cent rating is considered high – two months after its release.
Moon Embracing the Sun (2012)
This historical fantasy drama focuses on a noblewoman who is believed to be dead, but returns to the Korean royal palace as a shaman to reclaim her position as queen eight years later. Kim plays Crown Prince King Lee Hwon alongside Han Ga-in, who plays his lover Shaman Wol.
Moon Embracing the Sun received a record high rating of 42.2 per cent in South Korea. In 2012, Kim won the best television actor accolade in the country’s Baeksang Arts Awards.
Secretly, Greatly (2013)
After taking a leap onto the silver screen for the first time in The Thieves in 2012, Kim played the protagonist in Secretly, Greatly. In the film, Kim is North Korea’s top secret agent, who spirits himself into South Korea and adopts the disguises of a villager, singer and student. Just as he is growing comfortable with his life in the South, he gets a surprise order from his bosses in the North.
The film was watched by a record 507,910 viewers on its debut in South Korea and was screened widely across Asia, North America and Europe later that year.
Kim was crowned best new actor in film at the 50th Grand Bell Awards and the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards.
My Love from the Star (2014)
This television romance earned Kim fame throughout Asia. It tells the story of an alien, played by Kim, who arrives on Earth 400 years ago and falls in love with an actress.
My Love from the Star achieved high audience ratings not only in South Korea but also in China, where it became one of the most-watched shows across video streaming platforms. The drama notched up about 14.5 billion views on China’s popular streaming platform iQiyi during the two months it was aired.
The show also fuelled many trends in Asia, for South Korean fashion, make-up and food, especially the fried chicken and beer craze in China.
At the 7th Korea Drama Awards, Kim won the Grand Prize for his performance – the highest honour for an actor or actress in the country.
The Producers (2015)
The television comedy series focuses on a group of young people working in the broadcasting industry. Kim plays Seung-chan, who decides to join a television network because he has a crush on one of the company’s female employees.
It captured an average viewership rating of 12.5 per cent in South Korea, and went on to air in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand between 2015 and 2018.
Kim won the Grand Prize again at the 8th Korea Drama Awards for his role in The Producers, as well as top prize in the 2015 KBS Drama Awards.
