Kim Myung-min
Encyclopedia
Kim Myung-min is a South Korea
n actor most widely known for playing the title role in the KBS historical TV drama The Immortal Lee Soon Shin (Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin
). In 2005 he was named best actor at the KBS Acting Awards for this role. Since that time his reputation as an actor of wide range and professional dedication has grown. Playing the driven, amoral surgeon Jang Joon Hyuk in the 2007 MBC TV series White Tower
he earned the nickname Myung Min Bon Joa, meaning the true guru in acting in Korean. In 2008, after five months of preparation learning to simulate the skills of an orchestra conductor, he played the main role in the 18-episode MBC series Beethoven Virus
as Kang Ma-e(강마에) (Maestro Kang, Kang Gun Woo).
He was given the grand award for this role at the 2008 Korean Drama Festival awards and also won the Best Performance award (a.k.a Grand Prize) at MBC Drama Awards 2008.
in 2001 that made his name known as a lead actor. During this time he worked on several film projects, many of which ended unfinished, mostly due to financial problems. He also suffered from injuries that occurred while he was shooting action scenes.
), a 104-episode TV series that aired in 2004-2005 that tells about Korea's beloved hero of the Imjin War, Admiral Lee Soon Shin, that brought him into the spotlight. The Best Actor award was given to him, ending his career as a nameless actor.
. He played a surgeon in two productions: as Jang Joon Hyuk in White Tower
and as Ryu Jae Woo in Wide Awake
. Through his acclaimed performance in White Tower
, he gained the nickname Myung Min Bon Joa, which means the true guru in acting. Unlike many actors and actresses who make strong impressions through certain roles and become typecast with the viewers, he has been very successful in creating new characters and impressions as he plays different roles. He has taken roles that usually require deeper knowledge of the professions, such as military admiral, surgeon, and orchestra conductor. His performance as a maestro in the 2008 TV series Beethoven Virus
created a sensation in Korea referred to as Kang Ma Eh Syndrome and earned him fresh acclaim from critics and viewers.).
In late 2008, it was announced that his next project is a film about a character living with Lou Gehrig's Disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
), to be titled My Love by My Side (내사랑 내곁에) (international title: Closer to Heaven
), To realistically portray the role of the dying patient, Kim Myung Min painstakingly lost 20 kilos during the course of the filming. He was widely commended for this feat and thus gained the coveted Best Actor Awards in Korea's leading film ceremonies, the 46th Daejong Film Awards and the 30th Blue Dragon Film Awards. The movie was released in South Korean theaters on 24 September 2009 where it remained on top of the charts for 3 consecutive weeks and garnered more than 2 million visitors.
Closer to Heaven
was followed by another film, Man of Vendetta, where Kim Myung Min portrayed the role of a father for the first time The character, Joo Young Soo, is an ex-pastor who tracks down the kidnapper of his 5-year old daughter, 8 years after she had gone missing. Production started in January 2010 and the movie was released on July 1, 2010. Though the movie was rated 18+, it proved to be successful in the boxoffice.
In January 2011, Kim Myung Min appeared as Joseon's Sherlock Holmes in highly popular historical comedy-mystery film Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow. The movie was released on Lunar New Year and it topped the charts for a few weeks. Blockbuster Detective K was followed by sports movie, Pacemaker, where here played the role of Man-ho, a marathon runner. The movie wrapped up filming in August 2011, and is targeted for release on the last quarter of 2011.
Kim Myung Min will be seen next as a pharmaceutical agent in disaster movie Yeongasi, which starts filming in mid-October 2011.
, South Korea
with his wife, Lee Kyung Mi, and his son, Jae-ha, born in 2004. He is a Christian.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n actor most widely known for playing the title role in the KBS historical TV drama The Immortal Lee Soon Shin (Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin
Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin
Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin is a South Korean television show based on the life of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It was first broadcast in August 2004 in Korea and later the same year in the United States. Many times, it filmed on location at the actual battle sites. It made extensive use of rendered...
). In 2005 he was named best actor at the KBS Acting Awards for this role. Since that time his reputation as an actor of wide range and professional dedication has grown. Playing the driven, amoral surgeon Jang Joon Hyuk in the 2007 MBC TV series White Tower
White Tower (TV series)
White Tower , aka Behind The White Tower, is a South Korean drama aired on MBC in 2007, based on the novel Shiroi Kyotō written by Toyoko Yamazaki, Japanese novelist.-Cast:*Kim Myung Min — Jang Joon Hyuk...
he earned the nickname Myung Min Bon Joa, meaning the true guru in acting in Korean. In 2008, after five months of preparation learning to simulate the skills of an orchestra conductor, he played the main role in the 18-episode MBC series Beethoven Virus
Beethoven Virus
Beethoven Virus is a 2008 MBC TV drama in Korea. It was screened Wednesday and Thursday nights on MBC. This show drew attention for being the first drama to depict the lives of classical musicians and orchestra in Korea....
as Kang Ma-e(강마에) (Maestro Kang, Kang Gun Woo).
He was given the grand award for this role at the 2008 Korean Drama Festival awards and also won the Best Performance award (a.k.a Grand Prize) at MBC Drama Awards 2008.
Early years
Kim Myung Min debuted as an actor when he won the 6th SBS public actor contest in 1996. Over the next five years he appeared in a number of television series in various supporting roles. It was the movie SorumSorum
Sorum is a 2001 South Korean horror film and the feature film debut of director Yoon Jong-chan. Starring Kim Myeong-min and Jang Jin-young, it tells the story of a young taxi driver who moves into a dilapidated old apartment building, the site of a brutal tragedy thirty years earlier...
in 2001 that made his name known as a lead actor. During this time he worked on several film projects, many of which ended unfinished, mostly due to financial problems. He also suffered from injuries that occurred while he was shooting action scenes.
2004 - The turning point in Kim Myung Min's career
When he starred in the 2004 KBS family drama "More Beautiful than a Flower", he was expected to have a successful career as a lead actor. But all of his contracts fell through. He tried many things to restart his career but failed. Finally, he decided on emigrating to New Zealand to study and go into business. At the last minute he was offered the role in "The Immortal Lee Soon Shin" (see Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shinImmortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin
Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin is a South Korean television show based on the life of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It was first broadcast in August 2004 in Korea and later the same year in the United States. Many times, it filmed on location at the actual battle sites. It made extensive use of rendered...
), a 104-episode TV series that aired in 2004-2005 that tells about Korea's beloved hero of the Imjin War, Admiral Lee Soon Shin, that brought him into the spotlight. The Best Actor award was given to him, ending his career as a nameless actor.
2006 - present
He has been playing leading roles in movies and TV series since The Immortal Lee Soon Shin. A comical ex-gangster Oh Dal Gun in Bad Family, a detective in Open CityOpen City (film)
- Plot :Jo Dae-yeong is a police officer investigating a pickpocket ring with ties to the Yakuza. One day he rescues Baek Jang-mi from danger, only to discover that she is the boss of the gang he has been tracking.- Cast :* Kim Myung-min ... Jo Dae-yeong...
. He played a surgeon in two productions: as Jang Joon Hyuk in White Tower
White Tower (TV series)
White Tower , aka Behind The White Tower, is a South Korean drama aired on MBC in 2007, based on the novel Shiroi Kyotō written by Toyoko Yamazaki, Japanese novelist.-Cast:*Kim Myung Min — Jang Joon Hyuk...
and as Ryu Jae Woo in Wide Awake
Wide Awake (2007 film)
- Plot :In 1980s South Korea, a young boy is traumatised after experiencing anesthesia awareness during heart surgery, and no-one believes his story afterwards. Twenty five years later, the doctors and nurses who operated on him begin to die under mysterious circumstances. Dr...
. Through his acclaimed performance in White Tower
White Tower (TV series)
White Tower , aka Behind The White Tower, is a South Korean drama aired on MBC in 2007, based on the novel Shiroi Kyotō written by Toyoko Yamazaki, Japanese novelist.-Cast:*Kim Myung Min — Jang Joon Hyuk...
, he gained the nickname Myung Min Bon Joa, which means the true guru in acting. Unlike many actors and actresses who make strong impressions through certain roles and become typecast with the viewers, he has been very successful in creating new characters and impressions as he plays different roles. He has taken roles that usually require deeper knowledge of the professions, such as military admiral, surgeon, and orchestra conductor. His performance as a maestro in the 2008 TV series Beethoven Virus
Beethoven Virus
Beethoven Virus is a 2008 MBC TV drama in Korea. It was screened Wednesday and Thursday nights on MBC. This show drew attention for being the first drama to depict the lives of classical musicians and orchestra in Korea....
created a sensation in Korea referred to as Kang Ma Eh Syndrome and earned him fresh acclaim from critics and viewers.).
In late 2008, it was announced that his next project is a film about a character living with Lou Gehrig's Disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
), to be titled My Love by My Side (내사랑 내곁에) (international title: Closer to Heaven
Closer to Heaven (film)
- Release :Closer to Heaven was released in South Korean theaters on 24 September 2009 where it remained on top of the charts for 3 consecutive weeks. It is also the first melodrama to surpass the 2 million mark since Maundy Thursday aired in 2006...
), To realistically portray the role of the dying patient, Kim Myung Min painstakingly lost 20 kilos during the course of the filming. He was widely commended for this feat and thus gained the coveted Best Actor Awards in Korea's leading film ceremonies, the 46th Daejong Film Awards and the 30th Blue Dragon Film Awards. The movie was released in South Korean theaters on 24 September 2009 where it remained on top of the charts for 3 consecutive weeks and garnered more than 2 million visitors.
Closer to Heaven
Closer to Heaven (film)
- Release :Closer to Heaven was released in South Korean theaters on 24 September 2009 where it remained on top of the charts for 3 consecutive weeks. It is also the first melodrama to surpass the 2 million mark since Maundy Thursday aired in 2006...
was followed by another film, Man of Vendetta, where Kim Myung Min portrayed the role of a father for the first time The character, Joo Young Soo, is an ex-pastor who tracks down the kidnapper of his 5-year old daughter, 8 years after she had gone missing. Production started in January 2010 and the movie was released on July 1, 2010. Though the movie was rated 18+, it proved to be successful in the boxoffice.
In January 2011, Kim Myung Min appeared as Joseon's Sherlock Holmes in highly popular historical comedy-mystery film Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow. The movie was released on Lunar New Year and it topped the charts for a few weeks. Blockbuster Detective K was followed by sports movie, Pacemaker, where here played the role of Man-ho, a marathon runner. The movie wrapped up filming in August 2011, and is targeted for release on the last quarter of 2011.
Kim Myung Min will be seen next as a pharmaceutical agent in disaster movie Yeongasi, which starts filming in mid-October 2011.
Private life
He lives 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
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
with his wife, Lee Kyung Mi, and his son, Jae-ha, born in 2004. He is a Christian.
Films
- Yeongasi (2012)
- Pacemaker (2011)
- Detective K (2011)
- Man of Vendetta (2010)
- Closer to HeavenCloser to Heaven (film)- Release :Closer to Heaven was released in South Korean theaters on 24 September 2009 where it remained on top of the charts for 3 consecutive weeks. It is also the first melodrama to surpass the 2 million mark since Maundy Thursday aired in 2006...
(2009) - Open CityOpen City (film)- Plot :Jo Dae-yeong is a police officer investigating a pickpocket ring with ties to the Yakuza. One day he rescues Baek Jang-mi from danger, only to discover that she is the boss of the gang he has been tracking.- Cast :* Kim Myung-min ... Jo Dae-yeong...
(2008) - Wide Awake (2007)
- Into the MirrorInto the MirrorInto the Mirror is a 2003 South Korean horror film about a series of grisly deaths in a department store, all involving mirrors, and the troubled detective who investigates them. It was the debut film of director Kim Sung-ho....
(2003) - SorumSorumSorum is a 2001 South Korean horror film and the feature film debut of director Yoon Jong-chan. Starring Kim Myeong-min and Jang Jin-young, it tells the story of a young taxi driver who moves into a dilapidated old apartment building, the site of a brutal tragedy thirty years earlier...
(2001)
TV series
- Beethoven VirusBeethoven VirusBeethoven Virus is a 2008 MBC TV drama in Korea. It was screened Wednesday and Thursday nights on MBC. This show drew attention for being the first drama to depict the lives of classical musicians and orchestra in Korea....
(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...
, 2008) - White TowerWhite Tower (TV series)White Tower , aka Behind The White Tower, is a South Korean drama aired on MBC in 2007, based on the novel Shiroi Kyotō written by Toyoko Yamazaki, Japanese novelist.-Cast:*Kim Myung Min — Jang Joon Hyuk...
(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...
, 2007) - Bad Family (SBS, 2006)
- Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shinImmortal Admiral Yi Sun-shinImmortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin is a South Korean television show based on the life of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It was first broadcast in August 2004 in Korea and later the same year in the United States. Many times, it filmed on location at the actual battle sites. It made extensive use of rendered...
(KBS, 2004) - More Beautiful Than a Flower / Her Beautiful Story (KBS, 2004)
- A Father and a Son (SBS, 2001)
- Look Back in AngerLook Back in AngerLook Back in Anger is a John Osborne play—made into films in 1959, 1980, and 1989 -- about a love triangle involving an intelligent but disaffected young man , his upper-middle-class, impassive wife , and her haughty best friend . Cliff, an amiable Welsh lodger, attempts to keep the peace...
(KBS2, 2000) - Some Like it HotSome Like It HotSome Like It Hot is an American comedy film, made in 1958 and released in 1959, which was directed by Billy Wilder and starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and George Raft. The supporting cast includes Joe E. Brown, Pat O'Brien and Nehemiah Persoff. The film is a remake by Wilder and I....
(MBC, 2000) - KaistKAISTKAIST , is located in Daedeok Innopolis, Daejeon, South Korea. KAIST was established by the Korean government in 1971 as the nation's first research oriented science and engineering institution. The QS-The Times World University Rankings in the year of 2009 placed KAIST 69th overall and 21st in...
(SBS, 1999)
Music videos
- Landscape/Poong Gyung (Lee Jung Bong, 2001)
- BlueBlueBlue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
(Lee Kyung Sub, 1999)
Television Commercials
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Publicity Ambassador
- 2010 Seoul National University Bundang Hospital Goodwill Ambassador
- 2009 Korea Dental Association, "Ambassador for Oral Hygiene"
- 2008 Kia Soul CUV
- 2007 Oral Health Care Campaign, "OQ Publicity Ambassador"
- 2007 National Election Commission, "Clean Election Publicity Ambassador"
- 2007 Yeon-se Severance Health Publicity Ambassador
- 2006 National Pension Service
- 2005 Social Welfare Society
- 2005 The Great Admiral Lee Soon-shin Festival
Recognitions and Awards
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Beethoven Virus Beethoven Virus is a 2008 MBC TV drama in Korea. It was screened Wednesday and Thursday nights on MBC. This show drew attention for being the first drama to depict the lives of classical musicians and orchestra in Korea.... Beethoven Virus Beethoven Virus is a 2008 MBC TV drama in Korea. It was screened Wednesday and Thursday nights on MBC. This show drew attention for being the first drama to depict the lives of classical musicians and orchestra in Korea.... Beethoven Virus Beethoven Virus is a 2008 MBC TV drama in Korea. It was screened Wednesday and Thursday nights on MBC. This show drew attention for being the first drama to depict the lives of classical musicians and orchestra in Korea.... White Tower -Geography and history:* White Tower of Thessaloniki, a monument and museum in Greece* White Tower of Tehran, Iran* White Tower of Tsarskoye Selo, landscape architecture element in Tsarskoye Selo, Russia... |
| 2007 |
White Tower -Geography and history:* White Tower of Thessaloniki, a monument and museum in Greece* White Tower of Tehran, Iran* White Tower of Tsarskoye Selo, landscape architecture element in Tsarskoye Selo, Russia... White Tower -Geography and history:* White Tower of Thessaloniki, a monument and museum in Greece* White Tower of Tehran, Iran* White Tower of Tsarskoye Selo, landscape architecture element in Tsarskoye Selo, Russia... White Tower -Geography and history:* White Tower of Thessaloniki, a monument and museum in Greece* White Tower of Tehran, Iran* White Tower of Tsarskoye Selo, landscape architecture element in Tsarskoye Selo, Russia... |
| 2006 |
Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin is a South Korean television show based on the life of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It was first broadcast in August 2004 in Korea and later the same year in the United States. Many times, it filmed on location at the actual battle sites. It made extensive use of rendered... Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin is a South Korean television show based on the life of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It was first broadcast in August 2004 in Korea and later the same year in the United States. Many times, it filmed on location at the actual battle sites. It made extensive use of rendered... |
| 2005 |
Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin is a South Korean television show based on the life of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It was first broadcast in August 2004 in Korea and later the same year in the United States. Many times, it filmed on location at the actual battle sites. It made extensive use of rendered... Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin is a South Korean television show based on the life of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It was first broadcast in August 2004 in Korea and later the same year in the United States. Many times, it filmed on location at the actual battle sites. It made extensive use of rendered... Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin is a South Korean television show based on the life of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It was first broadcast in August 2004 in Korea and later the same year in the United States. Many times, it filmed on location at the actual battle sites. It made extensive use of rendered... |
| 2004 |
Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin is a South Korean television show based on the life of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It was first broadcast in August 2004 in Korea and later the same year in the United States. Many times, it filmed on location at the actual battle sites. It made extensive use of rendered... |
| 2001 |
Sorum Sorum is a 2001 South Korean horror film and the feature film debut of director Yoon Jong-chan. Starring Kim Myeong-min and Jang Jin-young, it tells the story of a young taxi driver who moves into a dilapidated old apartment building, the site of a brutal tragedy thirty years earlier... Sorum Sorum is a 2001 South Korean horror film and the feature film debut of director Yoon Jong-chan. Starring Kim Myeong-min and Jang Jin-young, it tells the story of a young taxi driver who moves into a dilapidated old apartment building, the site of a brutal tragedy thirty years earlier... |
| 2000 |
Some Like It Hot Some Like It Hot is an American comedy film, made in 1958 and released in 1959, which was directed by Billy Wilder and starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and George Raft. The supporting cast includes Joe E. Brown, Pat O'Brien and Nehemiah Persoff. The film is a remake by Wilder and I.... |