Jang Hyuk
Encyclopedia
Career
As a child, Jang Hyuk spent most of his life in his birthplace BusanBusan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
, before making his drama debut in the SBS drama Model in 1997. Besides the TV drama School and a minor role in the little-seen film Zzang, Jang appeared in g.o.d.
G.o.d.
g.o.d. was a Korean pop music group. The name is an acronym for Groove Over Dose. Their name is lower cased to avoid confusion with God. The group was one of the few groups to have an album become a "million seller" in K-pop. The members have gone to solo careers after dis-forming.- Career:The...
's music video of their 1999 debut single To My Mother. He also acted in several music videos from his rap album, released in 2000 under the name TJ Project. His career first began to take off in 2001 when he was cast in the lead role of the special-effects extravaganza Volcano High together with actress Shin Min-ah
Shin Min-a
Shin Min-a may refer to:* Shin Min-a , South Korean actress* Shim Mina, South Korean singer...
. His acting in the eccentric role drew praise from fans and critics.
In 2002 he continued to make a name for himself, starring in the sleeper hit Jungle Juice, which made the top of the weekly box-office, and especially in the hugely popular TV drama Bright Girl's Success Story with actress Jang Nara
Jang Nara
Jang Na-ra is a South Korean singer and actress. She also sings in Chinese, and is known in China by her transliterated Chinese name .-Early life:...
. He also took a role in Public Toilet, the HK-Korea co-production by acclaimed Hong Kong director Fruit Chan
Fruit Chan
Fruit Chan Gor is an independent Hong Kong Second Wave screenwriter, filmmaker and producer, who is best known for his style of film reflecting the everyday life of Hong Kong people. He is well known for using amateur actors in his films...
which won a Special Mention in the Upstream section of the 2002 Venice film festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
.
In 2003 Jang appeared with actress Lee Na-young
Lee Na-young
Lee Na-young is one of Korean film, TV and CF industry's most popular actresses. She first made a name for herself as the star in the dramatic mini-series Ruler of Your Own World....
in the comedy Please Teach Me English
Please Teach Me English
Please Teach Me English is a 2003 South Korean comedy about a young woman who begins English lessons after she is unable to help a foreigner at her government office.-Synopsis:...
, by director Kim Sung-soo
Kim Seong-soo
Kim Seong-soo is a South Korean film director, known mainly for Musa and the comedy Please Teach Me English.- As director :* Beat * Musa * Please Teach Me English * Running Wild...
(Beat, Musa
Muša
Mūša is a river in Northern Lithuania and Southern Latvia , having its confluence with river Nemunėlis , in Latvia, near city Bauska. Mūša is a tributary of the river Lielupė. Mūša is 164 kilometres long....
). His next project was even more high-profile, opposite top star Jeon Ji-hyun
Jun Ji-hyun
Jun Ji-hyun also known as Gianna Jun, is a South Korean actress and model. She had her breakthrough role in 2001 as The Girl in the film My Sassy Girl which became the highest grossing Korean comedy of all time...
in Kwak Jae-yong
Kwak Jae-yong
Kwak Jae-yong is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He studied physics at Kyunghee University. He achieved success with his debut film Watercolor Painting in a Rainy Day in 1989, but the failure of his next two movies led to eight years of unemployment before a comeback with the...
's Windstruck
Windstruck
Windstruck is a 2004 South Korean fantasy-romantic comedy directed by Kwak Jae-yong...
. Although this film was generally not well received in Korea, it went on to beat Shiri
Shiri
Shiri may refer to any of the following:*Shiri , scientific name Coreoleuciscus splendidus*Shiri , a 1999 South Korean film which takes its name from the fish*Shiri , a fantasy subculture*Shiri Appleby, American actress...
and become one of the best-selling Korean films in Japan.
In late 2004, together with fellow actors Song Seung-heon and Han Jae-suk, Jang was found to have illegally avoided his obligatory military service. Amid widespread public condemnation, Jang apologized to his fans, then began to serve his two-year term.
After his discharge from the army in 2006, Jang rejoined the entertainment scene through the MBC
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
drama Thank You. A heartwarming story about a young single mother with an HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
-afflicted daughter and the cynical doctor who enters their lives, Thank You surprisingly became a modest hit, and with it Jang left the stigma of his draft dodging scandal behind him.
He then signed up for an international movie production, Dance of the Dragon featuring Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
an actress Fann Wong
Fann Wong
Fann Woon Fong , better known by her stage name Fann Wong, is a Singaporean actress, singer and model.At Singapore's Star Awards 1995, Fann became the first actress to win both the Best Actress and Best Newcomer awards in the same year...
. He won the Best Actor award at the inaugural West Hollywood International Film Festival for his role as Tae, who moves to Singapore to pursue his passion for dance.
Jang made a cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in Japanese drama Ryokiteki na Kanojo
Ryokiteki na Kanojo (Japanese television drama)
is a Japanese television drama based on the South Korean movie My Sassy Girl. It narrates the story between Saburo Masaki, a marine biologist, and Riko Takami, an aspiring writer with a short temper. While the two are at odds with each other at first, they eventually become attracted to each other...
, a remake of the 2001 Korean film My Sassy Girl
My Sassy Girl
My Sassy Girl is a 2001 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Kwak Jae-yong. It tells the story of a man's chance meeting with a drunk girl on the train which changes his life...
. After his earlier guesting on star Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
is a Japanese entertainer. Kusanagi is a member of the popular Japanese idol group SMAP and has also appeared in a number of television dramas, variety shows and movies.-Background:Kusanagi grew up in Kasukabe, Saitama, Japan....
's talk show, the director of the drama reportedly added new scenes for Jang that were not included in the original script. Jang then appeared as the love interest in three music videos of Taiwanese singer Elva Hsiao
Elva Hsiao
Elva Hsiao, also known as Elva Siu, was born on 24 August 1979. She is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer.-Biography:She was educated at John Casablanca's College in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is fluent in both written and spoken English. While in Vancouver, she attended the New Talent Singing...
.
Several more movies and dramas followed, including a 2008 TV adaptation of the gambling film Tazza
Tazza: The High Rollers
Tazza: The High Rollers is a 2006 South Korean film based on Huh Young-man's manhwa . The story involves a group of grifters involved in the Korean card game called Hwatu ....
, and the melodrama Maybe.
In 2010, he received the best reviews of his career for his leading role as the slave hunter Dae-gil in the hit fusion historical drama Chuno
Chuno (TV series)
Chuno is a South Korea action historical drama, starring Jang Hyuk, Oh Ji Ho and Lee Da Hae. It was produced by the Korean Broadcasting System and aired on January 6, 2010....
. He won several acting awards, most significantly the Daesang (Grand Prize) at the KBS Drama Awards and a Best Actor nomination at the 2011 International Emmy Awards.
Shortly afterward he starred in Ai Shang Nu Zhu Bo ("Fall in Love with Anchor Beauty"), the Chinese remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of 2000 Korean drama All About Eve. The drama posted high ratings in China during its run.
In Midas
Midas (TV Series)
Midas is a South Korean drama about business and takeovers between companies in the Korean stocks. It tells story of the life of ordinary people and chaebols in the mergers & acquisitions, stock market and financial world. It is starring Jang Hyuk, Lee Min Jeong and Kim Hee Ae and directed by Kang...
, Jang played a fund manager-turned-lawyer who nabs the job of a lifetime working for a chaebol
Chaebol
Chaebol refers to a South Korean form of business conglomerate. They are global multinationals owning numerous international enterprises. The term is often used in a context similar to that of the English word "conglomerate"...
household, involving him in a high stakes game of power that threatens to transform him into a money-hungry monster.
He next starred in the legal thriller The Client, saying the film satisfied his wish to play a more emotionally complex persona. Playing a man accused of murdering his wife, Jang said he had to find "the right balance" between appearing "as someone who can appear at times like a criminal or at other times like an innocent man."
Initially reluctant to sign on to historical drama Tree With Deep Roots
Deep Rooted Tree
Tree With Deep Roots is a 24-episode television series currently airing on SBS. It is based on the novel by Lee Jeong-myeong . The drama stars Jang Hyuk, Shin Se-kyung and Han Suk-kyu...
because he found the role of low-level royal guard Kang Chae-yoon uninteresting in the original novel, Jang changed his mind upon reading that the character had been dramatized and made richer in the TV script. It tells the story of Kang investigating a case involving the serial murders of Jiphyeonjeon scholars
Hall of Worthies
The Hall of Worthies or Jiphyeonjeon ' was set up by Sejong the Great of the Korean Joseon Dynasty in 1420. It consisted of scholars selected by the king....
in Gyeongbok Palace while the king (played by Han Suk-kyu
Han Suk-kyu
Han Suk-kyu is a South Korean actor.-Biography:Han is known as a family man, avid golfer, fisherman and voracious reader. He collects animation by Studio Ghibli and hopes to join Ghibli voice cast one day as a Korean-speaking character. While a student at the Film and Theater department of...
) comes to create the Korean written language
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
.
Personal life
On June 2, 2008, Jang tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend Kim Yeo-jin. The couple have been together since 2002; she was his PilatesPilates
Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany, the UK and the USA. As of 2005, there were 11 million people practicing the discipline regularly and 14,000 instructors in the United States....
instructor. His close friends singer Kim Jong-kook
Kim Jong Kook
Kim Jong Kook is a South Korean singer. He was initially part of the Korean duo Turbo, and he later pursued a successful career as a solo artist.-Biography:...
and actor Cha Tae-hyun
Cha Tae-hyun
Cha Tae-Hyun is a South Korean movie star, television actor, and singer. He started his acting career in a 1995 KBS television drama. He appeared in his first movie, Hallelujah, in 1997, also making his debut as a singer in 2001...
participated in the wedding ceremony.
The couple have two children (born in 2008 and 2009).
Jang has practiced Jeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do is a hybrid martial arts system and life philosophy founded by martial artist Bruce Lee with direct, non classical and straightforward movements. Due to the way his style works they believe in minimal movement with maximum effect and extreme speed. The system works on the use of...
for more than 10 years and is a former professional Tae Kwon Do athlete.
Films
- 2011: The Client
- 2009: Searching for the ElephantSearching for the ElephantSearching for the Elephant is 2009 South Korean Psychological thriller by Jung Seung-gu which stars Jang Hyuk and Lee Min-jeong. The film was the last film of Jang Ja-yeon who committed suicide just after the film's release...
- 2009: Maybe (Rabbit and Lizard)
- 2009: Five Senses of ErosFive Senses of ErosFive Senses of Eros is a 2009 South Korean omnibus film by five directors.-Plot:His Concern*A man is attracted by the woman sitting across from him on a train ride to Busan. He gets off the train after her, even though it's not his stop. He gets her phone number...
: His Concern - 2008: Dance of the Dragon
- 2004: S DiaryS DiaryS Diary is a 2004 South Korean romantic comedy film about a woman who decides to interrogate her past lovers about why their relationships failed - then hatches a plot to take revenge on them....
(cameoCameo appearanceA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
) - 2004: WindstruckWindstruckWindstruck is a 2004 South Korean fantasy-romantic comedy directed by Kwak Jae-yong...
- 2003: Please Teach Me EnglishPlease Teach Me EnglishPlease Teach Me English is a 2003 South Korean comedy about a young woman who begins English lessons after she is unable to help a foreigner at her government office.-Synopsis:...
- 2002: Public ToiletPublic Toilet (film)Public Toilet is a 2002 movie by Hong Kong director Fruit Chan, his first in digital format. The story talks about a Beijing man, "Dong-dong", who was born in a toilet...
- 2002: Jungle Juice
- 2001: Volcano High
- 1998: Zzang
TV Dramas
- 2011 SBS: Tree with Deep RootsDeep Rooted TreeTree With Deep Roots is a 24-episode television series currently airing on SBS. It is based on the novel by Lee Jeong-myeong . The drama stars Jang Hyuk, Shin Se-kyung and Han Suk-kyu...
- 2011 SBS: MidasMidas (TV Series)Midas is a South Korean drama about business and takeovers between companies in the Korean stocks. It tells story of the life of ordinary people and chaebols in the mergers & acquisitions, stock market and financial world. It is starring Jang Hyuk, Lee Min Jeong and Kim Hee Ae and directed by Kang...
- 2010 ZJSTV: Fall in Love with Anchor Beauty
- 2010 KBS: The Slave Hunters (Chuno)Chuno (TV series)Chuno is a South Korea action historical drama, starring Jang Hyuk, Oh Ji Ho and Lee Da Hae. It was produced by the Korean Broadcasting System and aired on January 6, 2010....
- 2008 SBS: Tazza
- 2008 TBSTokyo Broadcasting System, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
: Ryokiteki na KanojoRyokiteki na Kanojo (Japanese television drama)is a Japanese television drama based on the South Korean movie My Sassy Girl. It narrates the story between Saburo Masaki, a marine biologist, and Riko Takami, an aspiring writer with a short temper. While the two are at odds with each other at first, they eventually become attracted to each other...
(cameoCameo appearanceA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
, episode 1) - 2007 SBS: Robber (Bulhandang)
- 2007 MBCMunhwa Broadcasting CorporationMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
: Thank You - 2002-2003 SBS: Great Ambition (Daemang)
- 2002 SBS: Bright Girl's Success Story
- 2000 SBS: Wang Rung's Land
- 1999 KBS: School
- 1999 MBCMunhwa Broadcasting CorporationMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
: Into the Sunlight - 1997 SBS: Model
Music Videos
- Is There Love? (Kim Yong-jin, 2008)
- Loneliness of Two People (Elva HsiaoElva HsiaoElva Hsiao, also known as Elva Siu, was born on 24 August 1979. She is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer.-Biography:She was educated at John Casablanca's College in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is fluent in both written and spoken English. While in Vancouver, she attended the New Talent Singing...
, 2008) - Impulsive (Elva HsiaoElva HsiaoElva Hsiao, also known as Elva Siu, was born on 24 August 1979. She is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer.-Biography:She was educated at John Casablanca's College in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is fluent in both written and spoken English. While in Vancouver, she attended the New Talent Singing...
, 2008) - Love of Sun and Moon <2 parts> (TJ Project, 2000)
- Hey Girl (TJ Project, 2000)
- Rain (TJ Project, 2000)
- Take the Life of You (TJ Project, 2000)
- TJ's Love Story (TJ Project, 2000)
- Money (TJ Project, 2000)
- g.o.d.G.o.d.g.o.d. was a Korean pop music group. The name is an acronym for Groove Over Dose. Their name is lower cased to avoid confusion with God. The group was one of the few groups to have an album become a "million seller" in K-pop. The members have gone to solo careers after dis-forming.- Career:The...
Bless TJ (TJ Project, 2000) - To My Mother (g.o.d.G.o.d.g.o.d. was a Korean pop music group. The name is an acronym for Groove Over Dose. Their name is lower cased to avoid confusion with God. The group was one of the few groups to have an album become a "million seller" in K-pop. The members have gone to solo careers after dis-forming.- Career:The...
, 1999)
Awards
- 2010 KBS Drama Awards: Grand Prize (ChunoChuno (TV series)Chuno is a South Korea action historical drama, starring Jang Hyuk, Oh Ji Ho and Lee Da Hae. It was produced by the Korean Broadcasting System and aired on January 6, 2010....
) - 2010 KBS Drama Awards: Best Couple Award with Lee Da HaeLee Da HaeLee Da-hae , is a South Korean actress who has appeared in a number of Korean television series and dramas such as My Girl and Green Rose.-Biography:...
(ChunoChuno (TV series)Chuno is a South Korea action historical drama, starring Jang Hyuk, Oh Ji Ho and Lee Da Hae. It was produced by the Korean Broadcasting System and aired on January 6, 2010....
) - 2010 Seoul International Drama Awards: HallyuKorean waveThe Korean Wave, also known as the Hallyu , refers to spread of South Korean culture around the world. The term was coined in China in mid-1999 by Beijing journalists surprised by the fast growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture in China...
Special Award for Actor (ChunoChuno (TV series)Chuno is a South Korea action historical drama, starring Jang Hyuk, Oh Ji Ho and Lee Da Hae. It was produced by the Korean Broadcasting System and aired on January 6, 2010....
) - 2008 SBS Drama Awards: Best Actor, Special Project (Tazza)
- 2008 West Hollywood International Film Festival: Best Actor (Dance of the Dragon)
- 2007 Asia Model Festival: BBF Popular Star Award
- 2007 MBCMunhwa Broadcasting CorporationMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
Drama Awards: Golden Acting Award, Miniseries (Thank You) - 2002 SBS Drama Awards: Best Actor (Daemang, Bright Girl's Success Story)
- 2002 SBS Drama Awards: Top 10 Stars
- 2000 SBS Drama Awards: Best New Actor (Wang Rung's Land)