Jeon Do-yeon (; born February 11, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She won

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...

at the 60th Cannes Film Festival, making her the second Korean actress to win an acting award at a prestigious film festival, and Best Performance by an Actress at the 1st Asia Pacific Screen Awards for her performance in Lee Chang-dong's 2007 film ''

Secret Sunshine ''Secret Sunshine'' () is a 2007 South Korean drama film directed by Lee Chang-dong. The screenplay based on the short fiction "The Story of a Bug" by Lee Cheong-jun that focuses on a woman as she wrestles with the questions of grief, madness an ...

''.Actors and Actresses of Korean Cinema
''Koreanfilm.org.'' Retrieved April 28, 2014. Although she is not as broadly popular with the audiences as some other stars in South Korea due to her film choices, Jeon is widely respected and celebrated for her acting abilities, and many young actresses have cited her as a role model.

Early life

Jeon Do-yeon was born on February 11, 1973. She has two older brothers and is the youngest in her family. Born and raised in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

, she graduated from Bukgajwa Elementary School, Yeonhee Girls Middle School, Changduk Girls High School and Department of Broadcasting at

Seoul Institute of the Arts Seoul Institute of the Arts is a prominent educational institution specializing in the Arts located in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The school has nurtured many graduates who are actively working in art related fields within Korea as ...

Career

1990–1997: Beginnings and breakthrough

In 1990, Jeon made her debut in the entertainment industry as an advertisement model for Johnson & Johnson. She made her acting debut in

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

''Our Heaven'' in 1992. She then continued to play supporting roles in ''Scent of Love'' (1994) and ''General Hospital'' (1994) and ''Love is Blue'' (1995), but struggled to receive any significant attention. In 1995, she gained some recognition after playing the heroine's younger sister in

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...

's hit drama ''Our Sunny Days of Youth'', which recorded its highest viewership rating of 62.7 percent. The drama's director, Jeon San PD, made a remark stating that Jeon Do-yeon is a "tough and ambitious newcomer". The following years, she played major roles in multiple dramas such as ''Project'', ''Way Station'' and ''Until We Can Love'' in 1996, and ''

Star in My Heart ''Star in My Heart'' () was a 1997 Korean drama series run on MBC. One of the earlier Korean dramas to air outside Korea, as part of what became known as the Korean Wave, it was very popular and helped its cast (particularly Ahn Jae-wook) beco ...

'' in 1997. Jeon spent five years starring in television dramas before achieving instant star status with her feature film debut acting alongside

Han Suk-kyu Han Suk-kyu (born November 3, 1964) is a South Korean actor. One of the leading actors of Korean cinema, Han's notable works include ''Green Fish'' (1997), '' No. 3'' (1997), '' Christmas in August'' (1998), '' Shiri'' (1999), ''The Scarlet Lett ...

in 1997 film '' The Contact'', which became the second-highest grossing Korean film of that year. She won numerous awards through the work, including Best New Actress at the 35th Grand Bell Awards and 18th Blue Dragon Film Awards.

1997–2006: Critical acclaim and success

From 1997 after the success of ''The Contact'', Jeon emerged as a prominent actress in the Korean film industry and went on to establish a reputation as a "chameleon" who can take on a wide variety of roles, from her performance as a doctor in the hit melodrama ''A Promise'', which won her

at the 35th

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...

, to that of a schoolgirl in the 1999 film '' The Harmonium in My Memory'', then a wife having an adulterous affair in the 1999 film '' Happy End''. In 1999 and 2000, she received Best Actress awards at numerous award ceremonies such as the 20th Blue Dragon Film Awards and the 37th Grand Bell Awards for her performance in ''The Harmonium in My Memory''. She also won Best Actress at the 35th

for her role in ''A Promise'' and several other local film awards for her role in ''Happy End''. In 2001, she played a bank teller in Park Heung-sik's directorial debut ''

I Wish I Had a Wife ''I Wish I Had a Wife'' is a 2001 South Korean film about a lonely banker who meets a schoolteacher. Plot Bong-soo (Sol Kyung-Gu) has been working as manager of a small bank in an apartment complex for three years. During his three years there, ...

''. After starring as the tough-talking Soo-jin in

Ryoo Seung-wan Ryoo Seung-wan (born December 15, 1973) is a South Korean film director. Early life Ryoo Seung-wan was born in 1973 in Onyang, a small town in South Chungcheong Province. With the choice of domestic films mostly limited to propaganda and hoste ...

's '' No Blood No Tears'' in 2002,2 characters working without a script
. '' Korea JoongAng Daily''. February 25, 2002. Jeon spent time acting in the television series ''Shoot for the Stars''. In 2003, she found box-office success in

E J-yong E J-yong (; born September 5, 1966) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. His feature films include ''An Affair'' (1998), '' Untold Scandal'' (2003), '' Dasepo Naughty Girls'' (2006), and '' Actresses'' (2009). Early life E J-yong ( ...

's '' Untold Scandal'', an adaptation of the famous French novel ''

Dangerous Liaisons ''Dangerous Liaisons'' is a 1988 American period romantic drama film directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Christopher Hampton, based on his 1985 play '' Les liaisons dangereuses'', itself adapted from the 1782 French novel of the s ...

'' set in Joseon. The following year, she reunited with director Park Heung-sik in a

dual role A dual role (also known as a double role) refers to one actor playing two roles in a single production. Dual roles (or a larger number of roles for an actor) may be deliberately written into a script, or may instead be a choice made during produc ...

for the time-bending melodrama film '' My Mother, the Mermaid''. In 2005, Jeon played a prostitute who contracts AIDS in

Park Jin-pyo Park Jin-pyo (born 1966) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He directed ''Too Young to Die'' (2002), ''You Are My Sunshine'' (2005), '' Voice of a Murderer'' (2007), '' Closer to Heaven'' (2009), and '' Love Forecast'' (2015). Car ...

's hard-hitting melodrama ''

You Are My Sunshine "You Are My Sunshine" is a song published by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell on January 30, 1940. According to Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), the song has been recorded by over 350 artists and translated into 30 languages. In 1977, the Louisi ...

''. The film was a box-office hit, and her performance received critical acclaim and won her numerous acting awards. She then returned to the small screen with ''

Lovers in Prague ''Lovers in Prague'' () is a 2005 South Korean television drama series starring Jeon Do-yeon, Kim Joo-hyuk, Kim Min-jun and Yoon Se-ah. It aired on SBS from September 24 to November 20, 2005 on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:45 for 18 episodes. I ...

'', a drama that tells the love story between the president's daughter and an ordinary detective. The drama was a huge success, with average viewership ratings of over 27 percent.Drama Looks for Love in Prague
'' Hancinema''. September 14, 2005. For the work, Jeon won the Grand Prize (Daesang) at 2005

SBS Drama Awards The SBS Drama Awards (), also known as SBS Awards Festival, is an awards ceremony presented annually by Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) for outstanding achievements in Korean dramas aired on its network. It is held annually on December 31. The hi ...

. Commenting on her successful year,

The Korea Herald ''The Korea Herald'' is a leading English-language daily newspaper founded in 1953 and published in Seoul, South Korea. The editorial staff is composed of Korean and international writers and editors, with additional news coverage drawn from int ...

noted, "It is rare for a movie and a drama with the same leading actor or actress to become major hits at the same time. And often, actors and actresses avoid such cases, due to the risk of confusing audiences, but Jeon managed to pull both roles off perfectly without causing any confusion in the audience."

2007–2014: ''Secret Sunshine'' and international acclaim

In 2007, Jeon starred in Lee Chang-dong's melodrama ''

'', which propelled her to international recognition. Her fierce and fearless portrayal of a widowed mother who struggles to rearrange her life after the tragic deaths of her husband and son received universal critical acclaim. Although the film itself, which debuted at the 60th Cannes Film Festival, evoked widely differing assessments from international critics, Jeon's performance was universally praised, and she was chosen as the

by the Cannes jury, making her the first Korean ever to receive an acting award at Cannes.Cannes top prize goes to Korean film actress
. '' Korea JoongAng Daily''. June 7, 2007. She also won Best Performance by an Actress at the 1st Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Following the heel of the Cannes' win, Jeon went on to sweep domestic awards, winning Best Actress at multiple film award ceremonies such as the

28th Blue Dragon Film Awards The 28th Blue Dragon Film Awards ceremony was held on November 23, 2007 at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul, South Korea. Hosted by actors Jung Joon-ho and Kim Hye-soo Kim Hye-soo (; born September 5, 1970) is a South Korean actress. Kim ...

. In recognition of her contribution to the development of the Korean film industry, she was honored with the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Special Achievement Award at the

44th Grand Bell Awards The 44th Grand Bell Awards ceremony was held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul on June 8, 2007, and hosted by Kim Ah-joong Kim Ah-joong (born October 16, 1982) is a South Korean actress, model and singer. She is best know ...

. Post-Cannes, she starred in 2008 film '' My Dear Enemy'', playing an unemployed single woman who reacquaints herself with her ex-boyfriend.Jeon Do-yeon, Ha Jung-woo as Ex-Lovers
''

The Korea Times ''The Korea Times'' is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea. It is a sister paper of the '' Hankook Ilbo'', a major Korean language daily; both are owned by Dongwha Enterprise, a wood-based manufacture ...

''. August 27, 2008. After starring in ''My Dear Enemy'', Jeon gave birth to a daughter and rested for a while. In October 2009, she was honored by the French government with the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres medal for her contribution to the arts. The following year, she returned to star in Im Sang-soo's 2010 controversial remake '' The Housemaid''.Jeon Do-yeon Returns to Screen in Risque Role
''

The Chosun Ilbo ''The Chosun Ilbo'' (, ) is a daily newspaper in South Korea and the oldest daily newspaper in the country. With a daily circulation of more than 1,800,000, the ''Chosun Ilbo'' has been audited annually since the Audit Bureau of Circulations w ...

''. April 16, 2010. Jeon came back to Cannes once again as the film was chosen to compete for the

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival. In 2011, Jeon played a female con artist who risks her life for ten days for a final deal with a cold-hearted debt collector in ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

''. ''Countdown'' premiered at the

36th Toronto International Film Festival The 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 8 and September 18, 2011. Buenos Aires, Argentina was selected to be showcased for the 2011 City to City programme. The opening f ...

.Korean pic ''Countdown'' announced as part of 1st lineup for TIFF
''10Asia''. July 27, 2011. Jury_Cannes_2014_2

In 2013, after a two-year break, Jeon returned with

Bang Eun-jin Bang Eun-jin (born August 5, 1965) is a South Korean actress and film director. She is best known for starring in Park Chul-soo's '' 301, 302'' and Kim Ki-duk's '' Address Unknown''. Bang made her feature directorial debut with '' Princess Auror ...

's '' Way Back Home'', a film based on the true story of a housewife who was imprisoned for two years on the island of

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

after being wrongly arrested for

drug smuggling The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through ...

at Paris's

Orly Airport Paris Orly Airport (french: Aéroport de Paris-Orly), commonly referred to as Orly , is one of two international airports serving the French capital, Paris, the other one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located partially in Orly ...

in 2004. In 2014, she was announced as one of the nine panel members of the main competition jury at the 67th Cannes Film Festival, making her the first Korean actor or actress to receive the honor and the second Korean after director Lee Chang-dong in 2009.

2015–present: Further acclaim and return to the small screen

In 2015, Jeon starred in '' The Shameless'', a thriller that explores the unexpected and carnal attraction that develops between a detective and the girlfriend of the murderer that he investigates. The film was selected for the

Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films w ...

section at the

68th Cannes Film Festival The 68th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 May 2015. Joel and Ethan Coen were the Presidents of the Jury for the main competition. It was the first time that two people chaired the jury. Since the Coen brothers each received a separat ...

and Jeon returned to Cannes for the fourth time in her career. For her performance in the film, Jeon won Best Actress at the

24th Buil Film Awards The 24th Buil Film Awards () ceremony was hosted by the Busan-based daily newspaper Busan Ilbo. It was held on October 2, 2015 at the Haeundae Grand Hotel's Grand Ballroom in Busan and was emceed by actors Kwon Hae-hyo and Cho Soo-hyang. Nominati ...

, the 15th

Director's Cut Awards The Director's Cut Awards () is an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film in South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sha ...

, and the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards respectively. The same year, she played a blind swordswoman in the

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...

-set revenge period drama '' Memories of the Sword'', her third collaboration with Park Heung-sik and her second with

Lee Byung-hun Lee Byung-hun (; born July 12, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He has received critical acclaim for his work in a wide range of genres, most notably ''Joint Security Area'' (2000); ''A Bittersweet Life'' (2005); ''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' ...

. This was followed by Jeon's second film with director

Lee Yoon-ki Lee Yoon-ki (; born 1965), is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Career Lee Yoon-ki earned his MA in business administration/economics at the University of Southern California. After returning to Korea, he worked as a producer and di ...

, '' A Man and a Woman'', a 2016 film about a forbidden romance that takes place in the snow-swept landscape of

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. Jeon then made a return to the small screen after twelve years in the 2016 Korean remake of the American legal drama ''

The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal and political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in l ...

''. She was praised for displaying a wide range of emotions and agony of a housewife who is forced to become a lawyer again after her husband is mired in a scandal and put behind bars. After a three-year break, Jeon reunited with

Sol Kyung-gu Sol Kyung-gu (born May 14, 1967) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Public Enemy'' film series, ''Peppermint Candy'', ''Oasis'', '' Silmido'', ''Hope'' and '' The Merciless''. Career Sol was born in Seocheon on May 1, 1 ...

in drama film ''

Birthday A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person, or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage. Many re ...

'', marking her second collaboration with Sol eighteen years after ''I Wish I Had a Wife''. The film, inspired by the

Sewol ferry disaster The ferry MV ''Sewol'' sank on the morning of April 16, 2014, en route from Incheon towards Jeju in South Korea. The 6,825-ton vessel sent a distress signal from about north of Byeongpungdo at 08:58 KST (23:58 UTC, April 15, 2014). Out of ...

, deals with the struggles faced by a couple who lost their son in a tragic accident. The film had its international premiere at the 2019

Far East Film Festival Far East Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Udine, Italy. It is one of the most important events promoting Asian Cinema in Europe. It focuses mainly on the films from East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which ...

Udine Udine ( , ; fur, Udin; la, Utinum) is a city and ''comune'' in north-eastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Alps (''Alpi Carniche''). Its population was 100,514 in 2012, 176,000 with t ...

, Italy. At the festival, Jeon was honored with Golden Mulberry Lifetime Achievement Award. She once again won Best Actress at the

56th Baeksang Arts Awards The 56th Baeksang Arts Awards () ceremony, organised by ''Ilgan Sports'' and JTBC Plus, was held on June 5, 2020, at KINTEX, Ilsanseo-gu, Gyeonggi Province, hosted by Shin Dong-yup, Bae Suzy and Park Bo-gum for the third consecutive year. The ...

, the 6th Korean Film Producers Association Awards and 28th Buil Film Awards for her performance in the film. In early 2020, Jeon starred in '' Beasts Clawing at Straws'', a mystery thriller based on Keisuke Sone's novel, alongside

Jung Woo-sung Jung Woo-sung (born March 20, 1973) is a South Korean actor and the first Korean UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. Jung started his career as a fashion model, rising to stardom and teenage cult status with the gangster movie '' Beat'' (1997), for which ...

. The film was screened at the 49th International Film Festival Rotterdam and won the Special Jury Award in the Tiger Competition. The film failed to turn a profit as local box office sales plummeted due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. She is set to reunite with Song Kang-ho and Lee Byung-hun in Han Jae-rim's disaster action film '' Emergency Declaration''. She is also set to make her small-screen comeback in

Hur Jin-ho Heo Jin-ho (; born August 8, 1963) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Career Heo Jin-ho graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in philosophy and went on to study filmmaking at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. His first st ...

's first television series project '' Lost''.

Personal life

Jeon married businessman and professional car racer Kang Shi-kyu, who is nine years her senior, in a private wedding ceremony at

Shilla Hotel Hotel Shilla ( ko, 신라호텔) is a South Korean operator of luxury hotels and duty-free shops. It is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. The company is an affiliate of Samsung. History Hotel Shilla started operations in March 1979 at ...

on March 11, 2007.Actress Jeon Marries
''

''. March 11, 2007. She gave birth to a daughter on January 22, 2009.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Music video

Theater

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeon, Do-yeon 1973 births 20th-century South Korean actresses 21st-century South Korean actresses Living people South Korean film actresses South Korean stage actresses South Korean television actresses Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress winners Best Actress Asian Film Award winners Recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit (Korea) Seoul Institute of the Arts alumni Korea University alumni People from Seoul Blue Dragon Film Award winners Asia Pacific Screen Award winners Best Actress Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners