Song Kang-ho
Encyclopedia
Song Kang-ho is a leading South Korean film actor.
, he later joined Kee Kuk-seo's influential theatre company with its emphasis on instinctive acting and improvisation which proved Song's training ground. He made his stage premiere in 1991, in the play Dongseung. Although regularly approached to act in films, he always turned down the opportunity until taking a role as an extra in Hong Sang-soo
's The Day a Pig Fell into the Well (1996).
In the following year, after portraying one of the homeless in Jang Sun-woo
's docu-style Bad Movie
, he gained cult notoriety for his show-stealing performance in Song Neung-han's No. 3
as a gangster training a group of young recruits, winning his first Best Actor award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards
. Since that time he's been cast in several supporting roles before his high-profile appearance as Han Suk-kyu
's secret agent partner in Kang Je-gyu
's blockbuster thriller Shiri
.
In early 2000, Song became a star with his first leading role in the box office smash The Foul King
, for which he reputedly did most of his own stunts. But it is with his award-winning role as a North Korea
n sergeant in Joint Security Area/JSA
that Song came to the forefront as one of Korea's leading actors. Song also starred in Park Chan-wook
's acclaimed followup, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
, which centers around a father's pursuit of his daughter's kidnappers.
In 2002 Song starred in another major production by Myung Films, YMCA Baseball Team
, about Korea's first baseball team which formed in the early 20th century. The following year he played a leading role as an incompetent rural detective in yet another critically acclaimed smash hit, Memories of Murder
from young director Bong Joon-ho
.
In 2004 Song starred in a film by debut director Im Charn-sang that imagines the life of South Korean president Park Chung-hee
's personal barber. The following year he also took the lead in Antarctic Journal
, a big-budget project by debut director Yim Pil-sung, about an expedition in Antarctica that performed weakly at the box-office.
In 2006 Song was thrust back in the spotlight, however, with a leading role in Bong Joon-ho
's record-breaking creature movie The Host
. The film helped to broaden international awareness of Song's talent, and indeed he beat out several of Asia's best known stars to be named Best Actor at the inaugural Asian Film Awards
held in Hong Kong in March 2007.
More high-profile projects followed: The Show Must Go On
about an aging gangster, Lee Chang-dong
's Secret Sunshine
, Kim Ji-woon
's western set in Manchuria The Good, the Bad, the Weird
, Park Chan-wook
's vampire film Thirst
, the North-South spy thriller Secret Reunion
, and the upcoming Blue Salt
.
|-
! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Asian Film Awards
|-
Career
Song Kang-ho never professionally trained as an actor, beginning his career in social theater groups after graduating from Kimhae High School. After getting a degree from Busan Kyungsang CollegeBusan Kyungsang College
Busan Kyungsang College is a college located in the Yeonje-gu district of Busan Metropolitan City, in southeastern South Korea. The current president is Park, Seok-Yong...
, he later joined Kee Kuk-seo's influential theatre company with its emphasis on instinctive acting and improvisation which proved Song's training ground. He made his stage premiere in 1991, in the play Dongseung. Although regularly approached to act in films, he always turned down the opportunity until taking a role as an extra in Hong Sang-soo
Hong Sang-soo
Hong Sang-soo is a South Korean film director. Hong's directorial debut, The Day a Pig Fell into the Well , was praised by South Korean critics for its originality and won international film prizes...
's The Day a Pig Fell into the Well (1996).
In the following year, after portraying one of the homeless in Jang Sun-woo
Jang Sun-woo
Jang Sun-woo is a South Korean film director. Before his directorial debut, Jang made a name for himself by writing film criticism and scripts...
's docu-style Bad Movie
Bad Movie
Bad Movie aka Timeless, Bottomless Bad Movie is an award-winning 1997 South Korean film directed by Jang Sun-woo.-Awards:* Pusan International Film Festival Netpac Award...
, he gained cult notoriety for his show-stealing performance in Song Neung-han's No. 3
No. 3
No. 3 is a South Korean gangster comedy film starring Han Suk-kyu as the titular no. 3 man of a gangster organization who's aspiring to rise up the ranks and become the leader of his own gang. It was writer-director Song Nung-han's debut film....
as a gangster training a group of young recruits, winning his first Best Actor award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards
Blue Dragon Film Awards
The Blue Dragon Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony that is presented annually by Sports Chosun for excellence in film in South Korea....
. Since that time he's been cast in several supporting roles before his high-profile appearance as 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...
's secret agent partner in Kang Je-gyu
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:...
's blockbuster thriller 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...
.
In early 2000, Song became a star with his first leading role in the box office smash The Foul King
The Foul King
The Foul King is a 2000 South Korean comedy-drama film, written and directed by Kim Ji-woon. It was Kim's second feature-length film after The Quiet Family...
, for which he reputedly did most of his own stunts. But it is with his award-winning role as a North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n sergeant in Joint Security Area/JSA
Joint Security Area (film)
Joint Security Area is a 2000 South Korean film starring Lee Young Ae, Lee Byung-hun and Song Kang-ho. It was directed by Park Chan-wook and is based on the novel DMZ by Park Sang-yeon...
that Song came to the forefront as one of Korea's leading actors. Song also starred in Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, producer, and former film critic. One of the most acclaimed and popular filmmakers in his native country, Park is most known for his films Joint Security Area, Thirst and what has become known as The Vengeance Trilogy, consisting of...
's acclaimed followup, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is a 2002 South Korean film directed by Park Chan-wook which follows the character Ryu trying to earn enough money for his sister's kidney transplant and the path of vengeance that follows. It is the first part of The Vengeance Trilogy and is followed by Oldboy and...
, which centers around a father's pursuit of his daughter's kidnappers.
In 2002 Song starred in another major production by Myung Films, YMCA Baseball Team
YMCA Baseball Team (film)
YMCA Baseball Team is a semi-historical 2002 South Korean comedy film.In 1905, there was a confluence of international events leading to the loss of Chosŏn Korean sovereignty, and by 1910, Japan formally annexed Korea outright...
, about Korea's first baseball team which formed in the early 20th century. The following year he played a leading role as an incompetent rural detective in yet another critically acclaimed smash hit, Memories of Murder
Memories of Murder
Memories of Murder is a 2003 South Korean crime-drama film directed by Bong Joon-ho. It is based on the true story of the country's first known serial murders, which took place between 1986 and 1991 in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province...
from young director Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon-ho is a South Korean film director and screenwriter.-Biography:He was born in Daegu in 1969 and decided to become a filmmaker while in middle school, perhaps influenced by an artistic family He majored in sociology in Yonsei University in the late 1980s and was a member of the film club...
.
In 2004 Song starred in a film by debut director Im Charn-sang that imagines the life of South Korean president Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee was a Republic of Korea Army general and the leader of South Korea from 1961 to 1979. He seized power in a military coup and ruled until his assassination in 1979. He has been credited with the industrialization of the Republic of Korea through export-led growth...
's personal barber. The following year he also took the lead in Antarctic Journal
Antarctic Journal
Antarctic Journal is the feature film debut by South Korean director Yim Pil-sung. The movie mixes elements of psychological thriller and classical horror films while showing the hardships met by a modern antarctic expedition trying to reach the pole of inaccessibility...
, a big-budget project by debut director Yim Pil-sung, about an expedition in Antarctica that performed weakly at the box-office.
In 2006 Song was thrust back in the spotlight, however, with a leading role in Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon-ho is a South Korean film director and screenwriter.-Biography:He was born in Daegu in 1969 and decided to become a filmmaker while in middle school, perhaps influenced by an artistic family He majored in sociology in Yonsei University in the late 1980s and was a member of the film club...
's record-breaking creature movie The Host
The Host (film)
The Host is a 2006 South Korean monster film, which also contains elements of comedy and drama films. The film was directed by Bong Joon-ho, who co-wrote the screenplay, along with Baek Chul-hyun....
. The film helped to broaden international awareness of Song's talent, and indeed he beat out several of Asia's best known stars to be named Best Actor at the inaugural Asian Film Awards
Asian Film Awards
The Asian Film Awards are presented annually by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society to recognize excellence of film professionals in the film industries of Asian cinema.-History:...
held in Hong Kong in March 2007.
More high-profile projects followed: The Show Must Go On
The Show Must Go On (film)
The Show Must Go On is a 2007 South Korean crime drama film.- Plot :In-gu is a gangster but also a husband and father who dreams of moving his family out of their drab apartment and into a bigger home. Shunned by his daughter and nagged by his wife to get a respectable job, In-gu nonetheless...
about an aging gangster, Lee Chang-dong
Lee Chang-dong
Lee Chang-dong is a South Korean film director, screenwriter and novelist. He won the 2008 Special Director's Prize at the Asian Film Awards and has been nominated for the Golden Lion and Palme d'Or. Lee served as South Korea's Minister of Culture and Tourism from 2003 to 2004.-Life and career:Lee...
's Secret Sunshine
Secret Sunshine
Secret Sunshine is a 2007 South Korean film directed by acclaimed South Korean director, novelist, and former Minister of Culture Lee Chang-dong. The story focuses on a woman as she wrestles with the questions of grief, madness, and faith. The Korean title, 밀양 is given after the city that served...
, Kim Ji-woon
Kim Ji-Woon
Kim Ji-woon is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Kim Ji-woon has a history of successfully tackling a wide range of film genres, garnering a cult following among Asian films fans all over the world.-Career:...
's western set in Manchuria The Good, the Bad, the Weird
The Good, the Bad, the Weird
The Good, the Bad, the Weird is a 2008 South Korean western film directed by Kim Ji-woon, starring Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, and Jung Woo-sung...
, Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, producer, and former film critic. One of the most acclaimed and popular filmmakers in his native country, Park is most known for his films Joint Security Area, Thirst and what has become known as The Vengeance Trilogy, consisting of...
's vampire film Thirst
Thirst (film)
Thirst is a 1949 Swedish drama film directed by Ingmar Bergman.-Cast:* Eva Henning – Rut* Birger Malmsten – Bertil* Birgit Tengroth – Viola* Hasse Ekman – Dr...
, the North-South spy thriller Secret Reunion
Secret Reunion
Secret Reunion is one of the highest grossing Korean films of 2010. The story follows Song Kang-ho as Agent Lee Han-gyu of the National Intelligence Service who falls from grace after failing to stop the assassination of a North Korean dissident...
, and the upcoming Blue Salt
Blue Salt
Hindsight is a 2011 South Korean film by Lee Hyun-Seung who finally break after ten year hiatus. The film is about a hitwoman who has struggled feelings for an underworld boss, who is her target. The film has issue of age difference and the Korean underworld, specifically gangs...
.
Filmography
| Year | English Title | Korean Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Day a Pig Fell into the Well | 돼지가 우물에 빠진 날 | ||
| 1997 | Green Fish Green Fish Green Fish is a South Korean film. It was the first feature-length film directed by Lee Chang-dong, who also wrote the screenplay. Lee had previously been known as a novelist and high school teacher. The film stars Han Suk-kyu in one of his first major film roles... |
초록 물고기 | Pan-su | |
| No. 3 No. 3 No. 3 is a South Korean gangster comedy film starring Han Suk-kyu as the titular no. 3 man of a gangster organization who's aspiring to rise up the ranks and become the leader of his own gang. It was writer-director Song Nung-han's debut film.... |
넘버3 | Jo-pil | Best New Actor at the 35th Grand Bell Awards Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea.... Best Supporting Actor at the 18th Blue Dragon Film Awards Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony that is presented annually by Sports Chosun for excellence in film in South Korea.... |
|
| 1998 | The Quiet Family The Quiet Family The Quiet Family is a 1998 South Korean comedy horror film. It was director Kim Ji-woon's feature film debut. The story centers around a family who owns a hunting lodge in a remote area, whose customers always happen to end up dying... |
조용한 가족 | Kang Yeong-min (Son) | |
| Bad Movie Bad Movie Bad Movie aka Timeless, Bottomless Bad Movie is an award-winning 1997 South Korean film directed by Jang Sun-woo.-Awards:* Pusan International Film Festival Netpac Award... |
나쁜 영화 | |||
| 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... |
쉬리 | Lee Jang-gil | |
| 2000 | The Foul King The Foul King The Foul King is a 2000 South Korean comedy-drama film, written and directed by Kim Ji-woon. It was Kim's second feature-length film after The Quiet Family... |
반칙왕 | Dae-ho | |
| Joint Security Area Joint Security Area (film) Joint Security Area is a 2000 South Korean film starring Lee Young Ae, Lee Byung-hun and Song Kang-ho. It was directed by Park Chan-wook and is based on the novel DMZ by Park Sang-yeon... |
공동경비구역JSA | Sgt. Oh Kyeong-pil | Best Actor at the 38th Grand Bell Awards Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea.... Best Actor at Deauville Asian Film Festival Deauville Asian Film Festival The Deauville Asian Film Festival takes place annually in Deauville, France since 1999 and focuses on Asian cinema... Best Actor at the 3rd Director's CUT Awards Best Actor at the 1st Pusan Film Critics Awards Pusan Film Critics Awards The Pusan Film Critics Awards have been presented in South Korea since the founding of the prize by the Korea Pusan Film Critics Association. The winners of the awards are announced yearly just prior to the Pusan International Film Festival... |
|
| 2002 | Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is a 2002 South Korean film directed by Park Chan-wook which follows the character Ryu trying to earn enough money for his sister's kidney transplant and the path of vengeance that follows. It is the first part of The Vengeance Trilogy and is followed by Oldboy and... |
복수는 나의 것 | Park Dong-jin | |
| YMCA Baseball Team YMCA Baseball Team (film) YMCA Baseball Team is a semi-historical 2002 South Korean comedy film.In 1905, there was a confluence of international events leading to the loss of Chosŏn Korean sovereignty, and by 1910, Japan formally annexed Korea outright... |
YMCA 야구단 | Lee Ho-chang | ||
| 2003 | Memories of Murder Memories of Murder Memories of Murder is a 2003 South Korean crime-drama film directed by Bong Joon-ho. It is based on the true story of the country's first known serial murders, which took place between 1986 and 1991 in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province... |
살인의 추억 | Detective Park Doo-man | Best Actor at the 6th Director's CUT Awards Best Actor at the 40th Grand Bell Awards Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea.... Best Actor at the 2nd Korean Film Awards Korean Film Awards The Korean Film Award is a South Korean film awards ceremony hosted by the MBC.-Awards:The categories are*Best Film*Best Director*Best New Director*Best Leading Actor*Best Leading Actress*Best Supporting Actor*Best Supporting Actress... Best Actor at the 11th Chunsa Film Art Awards Chunsa Film Art Awards The Chunsa Film Art Awards have been presented in South Korea since the founding of the prize by the Korea Film Directors' Society. The awards take their name from pen-name of the early Korean actor and filmmaker, Na Woon-gyu. Prizes are given for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best... Best Actor at the 23rd Korean Critics' Choice Awards |
| 2004 | The President's Barber The President's Barber The President's Barber is a 2004 South Korean film directed by Lim Chan-sang. It follows a barber, his wife, and their only son through four decades of tumultuous Korean history... |
효자동 이발사 | Seong Han-mo/Barber | |
| 2005 | Antarctic Journal Antarctic Journal Antarctic Journal is the feature film debut by South Korean director Yim Pil-sung. The movie mixes elements of psychological thriller and classical horror films while showing the hardships met by a modern antarctic expedition trying to reach the pole of inaccessibility... |
남극일기 | Choi Do-hyung | |
| Sympathy for Lady Vengeance Sympathy for Lady Vengeance Sympathy for Lady Vengeance is a 2008 South Korean film by director Park Chan-wook. In North America and parts of Europe, the film has been screened under the title Lady Vengeance. The film is the third installment in Park's The Vengeance Trilogy, following Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy... |
친절한 금자씨 | Hired Assassin #1 (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... ) |
||
| 2006 | The Host The Host (film) The Host is a 2006 South Korean monster film, which also contains elements of comedy and drama films. The film was directed by Bong Joon-ho, who co-wrote the screenplay, along with Baek Chul-hyun.... |
괴물 | Park Gang-du | Best Actor at the 1st Asian Film Awards 1st Asian Film Awards The 1st Asian Film Awards were given on 20 March 2007 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, on the opening night of the 31st Hong Kong International Film Festival.... Best Actor at the 9th Director's CUT Awards |
| 2007 | The Show Must Go On The Show Must Go On (film) The Show Must Go On is a 2007 South Korean crime drama film.- Plot :In-gu is a gangster but also a husband and father who dreams of moving his family out of their drab apartment and into a bigger home. Shunned by his daughter and nagged by his wife to get a respectable job, In-gu nonetheless... |
우아한 세계 | Kang In-goo | Best Actor at the 27th Korean Critics' Choice Awards Best Actor at the 28th Blue Dragon Film Awards Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony that is presented annually by Sports Chosun for excellence in film in South Korea.... Best Actor at the 8th Pusan Film Critics Awards Pusan Film Critics Awards The Pusan Film Critics Awards have been presented in South Korea since the founding of the prize by the Korea Pusan Film Critics Association. The winners of the awards are announced yearly just prior to the Pusan International Film Festival... |
| Secret Sunshine Secret Sunshine Secret Sunshine is a 2007 South Korean film directed by acclaimed South Korean director, novelist, and former Minister of Culture Lee Chang-dong. The story focuses on a woman as she wrestles with the questions of grief, madness, and faith. The Korean title, 밀양 is given after the city that served... |
밀양 | Jong-chan | Best Actor at the 6th Korean Film Awards Korean Film Awards The Korean Film Award is a South Korean film awards ceremony hosted by the MBC.-Awards:The categories are*Best Film*Best Director*Best New Director*Best Leading Actor*Best Leading Actress*Best Supporting Actor*Best Supporting Actress... FIPRESCI FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in... Best Actor Award at 19th Palm Springs International Film Festival Palm Springs International Film Festival Palm Springs International Film Festival is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. It was started in 1989 and is held annually in January... Best Actor at the 10th Director's CUT Awards |
|
| 2008 | The Good, the Bad, the Weird The Good, the Bad, the Weird The Good, the Bad, the Weird is a 2008 South Korean western film directed by Kim Ji-woon, starring Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, and Jung Woo-sung... |
좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈 | Yun Tae-goo/The Weird | |
| 2009 | Thirst Thirst (2009 film) Thirst is a 2009 horror/drama film, written, produced and directed by Park Chan-wook. It is loosely based on the novel Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola. The film tells the story of a priest—who is in love with his friend’s wife—turning into a vampire through a failed medical experiment. Park has... |
박쥐 | Sang-hyeon | Best Actor at the 12th Director's CUT Awards Best Actor at the 17th Chunsa Film Art Awards Chunsa Film Art Awards The Chunsa Film Art Awards have been presented in South Korea since the founding of the prize by the Korea Film Directors' Society. The awards take their name from pen-name of the early Korean actor and filmmaker, Na Woon-gyu. Prizes are given for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best... |
| 2010 | Secret Reunion Secret Reunion Secret Reunion is one of the highest grossing Korean films of 2010. The story follows Song Kang-ho as Agent Lee Han-gyu of the National Intelligence Service who falls from grace after failing to stop the assassination of a North Korean dissident... |
의형제 | Agent Lee Han-gyu | |
| 2011 | Blue Salt Blue Salt Hindsight is a 2011 South Korean film by Lee Hyun-Seung who finally break after ten year hiatus. The film is about a hitwoman who has struggled feelings for an underworld boss, who is her target. The film has issue of age difference and the Korean underworld, specifically gangs... |
푸른소금 | Doo-hun |
External links
- Cine 21 (Korean)
|-
! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Asian Film Awards
Asian Film Awards
The Asian Film Awards are presented annually by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society to recognize excellence of film professionals in the film industries of Asian cinema.-History:...
|-