Uhm Tae-goo

Um Tae-goo (; born November 9, 1983) is a South Korean actor known for his supporting roles in critically acclaimed films such as '' Coin Locker Girl'' (2015), ''The Age of Shadows'' (2016). He rose to prominence due to his role in film '' Night in Paradise'' (2020) and romantic comedy ''My Sweet Mobster'' (2024).

Um has frequently collaborated with his older brother, film director Um Tae-hwa. He made appearances as an actor on several of his brother's films, including ''Heart Vibrator'', ''The Forest'', ''Sookja'', ''Ingtoogi: The Battle Internet Trolls'', '' Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned,'' and ''Concrete Utopia''.

Early life and education

Um Tae-goo was born on November 9, 1983. He attended Jinju Air Force Aviation Science High School but left during his second year after realizing he could not fulfill the seven years of mandatory military service required post-graduation. He started acting at the recommendation of a friend from church. His parents supported his decision to pursue acting and helped him find an academy. Despite initial doubts about his potential success as actor, he worked hard and eventually gained admission to Konkuk University's film department after three attempts.

As first-year student in the Department of Film at Konkuk University, starred in and directed two short films during his college years. Among them, ''To Father'', a story about a visually impaired person, won an award at the Cyworld Film Festival. He learned a lot through directing, but after realizing that acting was his calling, he decided to focus on acting. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in film studies.

Career

Beginning

Um Tae-goo's career began with the public release of his first short film, ''Season's End'' (2003). His early minor roles in ''Lady Vengeance'' (2005) and ''Epitaph'' (2007) came in projects where his older brother, film director Um Tae-hwa, served as an assistant director and encouraged him to audition. Prior to Um Tae-goo's full-time acting career, his brother had already established himself by directing short films such as ''Cactus'' and ''Fill the Hole in My Wisdom Tooth'', and by working on various commercial films.

The film ''Epitaph'' (2007) marked Um's official acting debut, in which he secured a role as a Japanese soldier. Despite diligently memorizing his lines, nervousness—due to this being his first role with dialogue—caused him to forget them, leading to filming delays. He remained on the mountain set, wearing his costume and repeatedly practicing his lines while skipping meals, which led a hiker to mistake him for a real armed guerrilla.

From 2007 to 2010, Um primarily took on bit roles. In 2010, he collaborated with his brother for the third time in the short film ''Home Sweet Home'' (Yusukja), where he was cast as a homeless man after another actor dropped out due to the need for a shaved head.

In 2011, Um had small roles in several films, including ''Insadong Scandal'', ''The Servant'', ''I Saw the Devil'', ''Oki's Movie'', and ''Spellbound''. He also played supporting roles in director Park Hyun-seo's KBS Drama Special ''Perfect Spy''. That same year, he starred in his first lead role in the independent film ''Choked'', the debut feature film of director Kim Joong-hyun. The film depicts a family falling apart due to the mother's ( Gil Hae-yeon) involvement in a pyramid scheme, with Um portraying Youn-ho, a son grappling with debt and a broken engagement.

In 2012, Um collaborated again with his brother on the short film ''Forest'', where he played the lead role and received an acting award at the 13th Daegu Independent Short Film Festival. The film also won the grand prize at the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival. That year, director Park Hyun-seok cast Um in his first leading role in a television series, playing Director Jun opposite actress Kim Ye-won in the KBS Drama Special ''Art''. As his career progressed, he began to secure more significant supporting roles in films such as '' Horror Stories'', ''Secretly, Greatly'', and '' Commitment''.

In 2013, Um starred in Um Tae-hwa's first full-length independent film, ''INGtoogi: The Battle of Internet Trolls'', alongside Ryu Hye-young and Kwon Yul. This film, a graduation project for the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA), received support from director Park Chan-wook. Um played Tae-sik, an introverted, unemployed man who is cyberbullied by a user named Man Boobs, seeking revenge by challenging him to a martial arts match with the help of friends.

In 2014, Um gained wider recognition for his portrayal of the villain Dok-ku in the 2014 drama ''Inspiring Generation''. He also worked for the third time with director Park Hyun-seo in the KBS Drama Special ''Youth''.

Um had two releases in 2015. His first appearance was in a supporting role in the JTBC period series '' More than Maid''. He then took on a supporting role in Han Jun-hee's female-led noir film '' Coin Locker Girl'', playing Woo-gon, one of Ma Woo-hee's (played by Kim Hye-soo) adopted children. As the group's "big brother," Woo-gon is responsible for collecting debts, creating fraudulent documents, and using force against those who defy his criminal family. The film was selected to screen in the Critics' Week section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

Breaktrough

In 2016, Um Tae-goo starred opposite Song Kang-ho as Japanese police officer Hashimoto Kim Jee-woon's period film ''The Age of Shadows''. Um considered Song the most imposing actor whom he had appeared, and he felt that acting with veteran performer profoundly improved his own acting. His performance was praised for its charisma, earning him his first nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards. He went on to win the Best Supporting Actor award at the 53rd Grand Bell Awards.

In the same year, Indie Story held the Wednesday Short Film Theater Indie Story Short Film Showcase titled "3 Men 3 Colors: Koo Kyo-hwan, Nam Yeon-woo, Um Tae-gu" at Seoul Art Cinema, on April 19. Um starred as supporting role in Um Tae-hwa's fantasy film '' Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned'', Um plays the adult version of Tae-shik, one of the boys who, along with the main character Sung-min (Gang Dong-won), experiences a "vanishing time" phenomenon after encountering a mysterious glowing egg in a cave.

In 2017, Um reunited with Song Kang-ho in Jang Hoon's historical film ''A Taxi Driver'' (2017) making a special appearance as Sergeant Park. Despite his brief four-minute screen time, his powerful performance left a lasting impression. Song Kang-ho recommended Um for the role to the director, based on their previous collaboration.

Um had two film releases in 2018. His first appearance was in Kim Kwang-sik's historical epic action film '' The Great Battle.'' It features an ensemble cast led by Zo In-sung. He played love interest of Baek-ha, Kim Seol-hyun's character, the cavalry captain Pa-so. He then played the estranged uncle of Lee Jae-in's character in Kim In-seon's full feature directorial debut film ''Adulthood.'' Hwang Jae-min took 80 million won in insurance money left to his niece Kyung-eon, and under the pretext of paying it back, he drags his niece into a plan to con the local pharmacist.

Transition to Leading Roles

In 2019, Um starred as Kim Min-cheol in the OCN drama '' Save Me 2''. His portrayal of a complex character, balancing roughness with a strong moral compass, was noted as a key factor in the drama's success. He also appeared in Jung Hyuk-ki's film ''My Punch-drunk Boxer'' alongside Lee Hye-ri and Kim Hee-won. The movie tells the story of Byung-gu, a retired boxer suffering from dementia pugilistica, who strives to perfect his "Pansori Boxing" technique with the assistance of a new gym member, Min-ji. The film premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival in 2020, and Um won Best Actor at the 7th Wildflower Film Awards for his role as Byung-gu.

In 2021, Um landed his first leading role in Park Hoon-jung's noir film '' Night in Paradise'' as Park Tae-goo, a member of a criminal gang seeking revenge for the murder of his sister and niece. Tae-goo brutally kills Chairman Doh and his men from the Bukseong gang. While on Jeju Island, he meets Jae-yeon (played by Jeon Yeo-been), a terminally ill woman. Director Ma (played by Cha Seung-won) of the Bukseong gang relentlessly pursues Tae-goo for revenge, while Mr. Yang (played by Park Ho-san) ultimately betrays Tae-goo to save himself. Filming primarily took place on Jeju Island over three months. ''Night in Paradise'' premiered on September 3, 2020, at the 77th Venice International Film Festival in the "Out of Competition" category. The film was released on Netflix on April 9, 2021, quickly rising to the number one spot on Netflix's Top 10 most popular content list.

That same year, Um starred in the tvN mystery thriller drama '' Hometown'' alongside Yoo Jae-myung and Han Ye-ri. He played the role of Jo Kyung-ho, a convicted terrorist sentenced to life in prison for a gas attack at the town's train station in 1989. In 2022, Um made a special appearance in Park Hoon-jung's film '' The Witch: Part 2 - The Other One''.

In 2023, Um made a brief but impactful cameo in Um Tae-hwa's disaster film ''Concrete Utopia'', based on the webtoon ''Pleasant Outcast'' by Kim Soongnyung. The screenplay was co-written by Um Tae-hwa and Lee Shin-ji, and the film stars Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon, and Park Bo-young. Um is credited as "homeless person 1" and was selected for his strong presence, which influences the film's flow. ''Concrete Utopia'' was released in theaters on August 9, 2023, and screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival in the Gala section on September 9 for the press and September 10 for the public. He also played King Yeomra in the 2023 short film ''Karma'', the directorial debut of Choi Soo-hyuk, which also stars Kim Hee-sang, Byun Jin-soo, and Kim Kyung-hwan.

In 2024, Um reunited with Han Sun-hwa and Kwon Yul, in his first in the romantic comedy series ''My Sweet Mobster,'' a project he had committed to two years prior. The series features a love triangle involving Go Eun-ha, a children's content creator portrayed by Han Sun-hwa, and Seol Ji-hwan, played by Um, a former gangster turned CEO of a meat processing company called Thirsty Deer, with Kwon Yul appearing as Jang Hyeon-woo, a prosecutor. The series was well-received, with Um's portrayal of a lovable character marking a departure from his previous rougher roles. According Good Data Corporation, Um ranked first for five consecutive weeks in the topicality category for all performer in dramas and non-dramas. He also topped the July actor brand reputation rankings announced by the Korea Enterprise Reputation Research Institute.

That same year, Um reunited with Kim Seol-hyun in Kim Hee-won's directorial debut, the Disney+ drama ''Light Shop'', an adaptation of Kang Full's manhwa of the same name. Um played Kim Hyun-min, a man who develops an inexplicable curiosity about a mysterious woman sitting at a bus stop. The series, featuring an ensemble cast led by Ju Ji-hoon, revolves around a mysterious light shop visited by various individuals with hidden stories.

Personal life

Um Tae-goo is a devout Christian who regularly attends dawn prayers and practices biblical pronunciation. His given name, Tae-goo, is derived from a biblical concept, signifying the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. Um Tae-goo resides with his dog, Umji, and is a non-drinker who enjoys vanilla lattes.

Filmography

Films

Television series

Web series

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Uhm, Tae-goo
1983 births
Living people
Male actors from Seoul
Konkuk University alumni
21st-century South Korean male actors
South Korean male film actors
South Korean male television actors