Kim Yoon-jin
Encyclopedia
Yunjin Kim is a Korean American
film
and theater actress. Although she is best known in the English-speaking world for her role as Sun on the American television series Lost
, Kim has also appeared in numerous film and TV projects in South Korea.
, South Korea. At the age of ten, Kim immigrated to the United States with her family. They lived in Staten Island
, New York. She joined the middle school drama club in the 7th grade and performed in the musical My Fair Lady
.
Kim attended high school at the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
, a public high school located in Manhattan
. From there, she went on to study drama at the London Academy of Performing Arts and later earned her BFA
degree in drama
at Boston University
. Kim has remarked that in her zeal to become Americanized quickly, she studied acting, academics and pronunciation with equal intensity. She is also a trained dancer and martial arts fighter.
, in soap opera-style dramas on ABC
, and on the off-Broadway
stage. In 1997 she starred in Splendid Holiday, a Korean TV drama being shot on location in New York. In part due to this experience, Kim decided to return to Korea. She was quickly cast in the TV drama Wedding Dress
and was also invited to act in Lee Kwangmo's feature Spring in My Hometown
, although she ended up not taking this role. Her breakthrough debut came in the 1999 film Shiri
, South Korea's first blockbuster film. Shiri
became the highest grossing film in Korean history at the time, making her an instant star throughout the country. In November 2000 she continued her association with KangJeGyu
Film in the big-budget The Legend of Gingko
.
After acting in a Japanese film and a low-profile feature set in Los Angeles, Kim appeared in the big-budget sci-fi feature Yesterday
, which ended up bombing spectacularly at the box office. Then in 2002, Kim took the lead role in Ardor, the feature film debut of acclaimed documentarist Byun Young-ju. The film was invited to screen in a non-competitive section at the 2003 Berlin film festival, and Kim's acting earned widespread praise.
After a couple quiet years, in 2004 Kim started appearing in the popular U.S. television series Lost
, which introduced her to audiences in the US. She was on the show for all 6 seasons.
In July 2003, Kim signed a three-year contract with William Morris
.
In May 2006, Maxim
named Kim #98 on its annual List. In October 2006 she was featured on the cover of Stuff
, as well as an inside spread.
, after shooting her final scenes for Lost
.
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and theater actress. Although she is best known in the English-speaking world for her role as Sun on the American television series Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, Kim has also appeared in numerous film and TV projects in South Korea.
Early life
Kim was born in SeoulSeoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea. At the age of ten, Kim immigrated to the United States with her family. They lived in Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, New York. She joined the middle school drama club in the 7th grade and performed in the musical My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
.
Kim attended high school at the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is a high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center and the Juilliard School in the Lincoln Center district of Manhattan, on Amsterdam Avenue...
, a public high school located in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. From there, she went on to study drama at the London Academy of Performing Arts and later earned her BFA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
degree in drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
. Kim has remarked that in her zeal to become Americanized quickly, she studied acting, academics and pronunciation with equal intensity. She is also a trained dancer and martial arts fighter.
Career
After graduation, Kim devoted herself full time to acting. She garnered several minor parts on MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, in soap opera-style dramas on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, and on the off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
stage. In 1997 she starred in Splendid Holiday, a Korean TV drama being shot on location in New York. In part due to this experience, Kim decided to return to Korea. She was quickly cast in the TV drama Wedding Dress
Wedding dress
A wedding dress or wedding gown is the clothing worn by a bride during a wedding ceremony. Color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants.- Western culture :...
and was also invited to act in Lee Kwangmo's feature Spring in My Hometown
Spring in My Hometown
Spring in My Hometown is an award-winning 1998 South Korean film.-Synopsis:A story about two village boys, Sungmin and Changhee, in the summer of 1952, during the Korean War.-Cast:* Ahn Sung-gi ... Sungmin's father...
, although she ended up not taking this role. Her breakthrough debut came in the 1999 film Shiri
Shiri (film)
Shiri is a 1999 South Korean action film, written and directed by Kang Je-gyu.Swiri was the first Hollywood-style big-budget blockbuster to be produced in the "new" Korean film industry...
, South Korea's first blockbuster film. Shiri
Shiri (film)
Shiri is a 1999 South Korean action film, written and directed by Kang Je-gyu.Swiri was the first Hollywood-style big-budget blockbuster to be produced in the "new" Korean film industry...
became the highest grossing film in Korean history at the time, making her an instant star throughout the country. In November 2000 she continued her association with KangJeGyu
Kang Je-gyu
Kang Je-gyu is a South Korean film director. He studied in Chungang University.He firstly got his prize in Korea Youth Film festival and Korea Scenario Awards in 1991.-Career:...
Film in the big-budget The Legend of Gingko
The Legend of Gingko
The Legend of Gingko is a 2000 South Korean film starring Choi Jin-sil.- Cast :Seok-hun Kim as DahnKyung-gu Sol as JukJin-shil Choi as BeeYoon-jin Kim as YeonMi-suk Lee as Su...
.
After acting in a Japanese film and a low-profile feature set in Los Angeles, Kim appeared in the big-budget sci-fi feature Yesterday
Yesterday (2002 film)
Yesterday is a 2002 science fiction/action movie set in a unified Korean peninsula in the year 2020. An agent from the Special Investigations Unit tries to locate and take down a serial killer, who is known only by the alias "Goliath"...
, which ended up bombing spectacularly at the box office. Then in 2002, Kim took the lead role in Ardor, the feature film debut of acclaimed documentarist Byun Young-ju. The film was invited to screen in a non-competitive section at the 2003 Berlin film festival, and Kim's acting earned widespread praise.
After a couple quiet years, in 2004 Kim started appearing in the popular U.S. television series Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, which introduced her to audiences in the US. She was on the show for all 6 seasons.
In July 2003, Kim signed a three-year contract with William Morris
William Morris Agency
WME is the largest talent agency in the world, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York City, Nashville, London, and Miami. WME represents elite artists from all facets of the entertainment industry, including motion pictures, television, music, theatre, publishing, and physical production...
.
In May 2006, Maxim
Maxim (magazine)
Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....
named Kim #98 on its annual List. In October 2006 she was featured on the cover of Stuff
Stuff (magazine)
Stuff is a men's magazine featuring reviews of consumer electronics, and other articles of interest to a predominantly male audience.- UK edition :...
, as well as an inside spread.
Personal life
Kim married her former manager Jeong Hyeok Park in March 2010 on the island of OahuOahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, after shooting her final scenes for Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
.
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Shiri Shiri (film) Shiri is a 1999 South Korean action film, written and directed by Kang Je-gyu.Swiri was the first Hollywood-style big-budget blockbuster to be produced in the "new" Korean film industry... |
Lee Myung-hyun / Lee Bang-hee | |
| 2000 | The Legend of Ginkgo | Yeon | |
| 2001 | Rush! | Seo-yeong | |
| 2002 | Iron Palm | Ji-ni | |
| Yesterday Yesterday (2002 film) Yesterday is a 2002 science fiction/action movie set in a unified Korean peninsula in the year 2020. An agent from the Special Investigations Unit tries to locate and take down a serial killer, who is known only by the alias "Goliath"... |
Kim Hisu / No Hisu | ||
| Ardor | Mi-heun | ||
| 2005 | Diary of June Diary of June Diary of June is a South Korean film about a detective tracking down a killer who leaves a mysterious clue inside the victim's body. The clue seems to be an extract of a diary entry that is stuffed inside an oral capsule... |
Seo Yun-hee | |
| 2007 | Mother | Yoo Ji-yeon | |
| 2010 | Harmony | Jeong-hye | |
| 2011 | Heartbeat | Yeon-hee |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Splendid Holiday (화려한 휴가) | ||
| 1997 | Foreboding (예감) | Jang Se-young | 16 episodes |
| 1998 | Wedding Dress Wedding dress A wedding dress or wedding gown is the clothing worn by a bride during a wedding ceremony. Color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants.- Western culture :... (웨딩 드레스) |
Gina | 22 episodes |
| 1999 | In Search of Love (유정) | Jang Hee-ju | 56 episodes |
| 2004–2010 | Lost Lost (TV series) Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island... |
Sun-Hwa Kwon | 88 episodes |