Sol Kyung-gu (born May 14, 1967) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in ''

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

film series A film series or movie series (also referred to as a film franchise or movie franchise) is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series. This article explains what film series are ...

, ''

Peppermint Candy ''Peppermint Candy'' () is a 1999 South Korean drama film by Lee Chang-dong, his second. The film opens with the implied suicide of the protagonist and uses reverse chronology to depict some of the key events of the past 20 years of his life t ...

'', ''

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

'', '' Silmido'', ''

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

'' and '' The Merciless''.

Career

Sol was born in

Seocheon Seocheon County () is a county in Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea. It is famous for its seafood and location near the mouth of the Geum River. Administrative divisions Seocheon county has two major centers, Janghang-eup and Seocheon-eup. Seocheon ...

on May 1, 1968, and studied Theater and Film at

Hanyang University Hanyang University (Korean: 한양대학교) is a private research university in South Korea. The main campus is located in Seoul and its satellite campus, the Education Research Industry Cluster (ERICA campus), is in Ansan. ''Hanyang'' (한양, ...

(Class of '86). Upon his graduation in 1994, he appeared in numerous theatrical productions, such as the hit Korean adaptation of the German rock musical '' Subway Line 1'', and productions of

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American actor, playwright, author, screenwriter, and director whose career spanned half a century. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing, the most by any write ...

's '' True West'' and

A. R. Gurney Albert Ramsdell Gurney Jr. (November 1, 1930 – June 13, 2017) (sometimes credited as Pete Gurney) was an American playwright, novelist and academic. He is known for works including '' The Dining Room'' (1982), '' Sweet Sue'' (1986/7), and '' T ...

's '' Love Letters''. In the mid-1990s, Sol began taking on minor roles in feature films, but it was not until 1999 that he made his breakthrough, with major roles in ''The Bird That Stops in the Air'', ''Rainbow Trout'', and ''

'' in which he played a

suicidal Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and subs ...

man devastated by the two-decades of historical change his country undergoes. The film was acclaimed and brought Sol to win his first Best Actor award at the 2000

Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by '' Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popu ...

. Sol next appeared in a romantic comedy '' I Wish I Had a Wife'' with Jeon Do-yeon in 2001, and then acted in a Japanese TV drama produced by

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

. In 2002, Sol starred in three major films. As a violent and unscrupulous police detective in ''

'', he won Best Actor at the

Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards (), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest co ...

and

respectively. In August, he starred in Lee Chang-dong's acclaimed third film ''

'', which won the

Silver Lion The Silver Lion ( it, Leone d'argento, also known as Silver Lion for Best Direction) is an annual award presented for best directing achievements in a feature film at official competition section of the Venice Film Festival since 1998. The pri ...

for Best Director at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

. Sol's portrayal of mildly mentally disabled outcast with sociopathic inclinations won him Best Actor at the

Chunsa Film Art Awards The Chunsa Film Art Awards (also known as the Icheon Chunsa Film Festival) have been presented in South Korea since the founding of the prize by the Korea Film Directors' Society in 1990. The awards take their name from the pen name of the early ...

, Korean Association of Film Critics Awards,

Korean Film Awards The Korean Film Awards was a South Korean film awards ceremony hosted by the broadcasting network MBC from 2002 to 2010. History Originally named the MBC Film Awards, the ceremony was first established in 2002. It was renamed the Korean Film Aw ...

Director's Cut Awards The Director's Cut Awards () is an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film in South Korea. It is presented by the Korea Film Director's Network (KFDN), a group of approximately 300 Korean filmmakers. The KFDN selects winners in the Korean f ...

, and 29th

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...

. In November, he acted together with

Cha Seung-won Cha Seung-won (born June 7, 1970) is a South Korean actor, who began his career as an in-demand fashion model in the 1990s. Cha achieved stardom through the hit comedy films '' Kick the Moon'' (2001), '' Jail Breakers'' (2002), '' My Teacher, Mr ...

in a box office hit ''

Jail Breakers ''Jail Breakers'' () is a 2002 South Korean comedy film directed by Kim Sang-jin (film director), Kim Sang-jin and starring Sol Kyung-gu, Cha Seung-won and Song Yoon-ah. It was a box office hit with a total of 3,073,919 admissions nationwide, makin ...

'' by director Kim Sang-jin. In 2003, Sol starred in '' Silmido'' directed by

Cinema Service Cinema Service () was a South Korean film production and distribution company. History The company was founded in 1993 by film director Kang Woo-suk as "Kang Woo-suk Productions", before taking the name Cinema Service in 1995. It survived durin ...

founder

Kang Woo-suk Kang Woo-suk (born November 10, 1960 in Gyeongsan) is a South Korean film producer and director. He has often been called the most powerful man in Korean cinema, topping Cine21 magazine's list of '50 Most Powerful Men in Korean Cinema' for sev ...

, which became the first Korean film in history to gross 10 million admissions. His next role was as the

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

in ''

Rikidōzan (born Kim Sin-rak; ; November 14, 1924 – December 15, 1963), better known as Rikidōzan (), was a Korean-born Japanese wrestler who competed in sumo and professional wrestling. He was known as The Father of Puroresu, and one of the most i ...

'', about the legendary ethnic Korean pro wrestler who became a national hero in Japan in the 1950s. Sol gained 20 kilograms for the role and also delivered 95% of his lines in Japanese. Although his performance was acclaimed, the film vastly underperformed on its local release. In 2005, Sol starred in the

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

Another Public Enemy ''Another Public Enemy'' is a 2005 South Korean film and the sequel to ''Public Enemy''. Plot Kang Chul-joong (Sol Kyung-gu), a prosecutor for the Seoul District attorney's office, is a unique one. He prefers going directly to the crime scene to ...

'', which ended up outgrossing the original. This was followed by a second sequel, '' Public Enemy Returns'' in 2008. His other films '' Haeundae'' (2009), '' The Tower'' (2012) and ''

Cold Eyes ''Cold Eyes'' (; lit. "Stakeout" or "Surveillance") is a 2013 South Korean action thriller film starring Sol Kyung-gu, Jung Woo-sung, and Han Hyo-joo. A remake of the 2007 Hong Kong film '' Eye in the Sky'', ''Cold Eyes'' is about detectives from ...

'' (2013) have also been box office hits. For his performance in '' Haeundae'', he won Grand Prize at the 2009 Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards, followed by Best Actor award at the 18th

for his performance in 2010 film '' No Mercy''. In 2013, Sol was cast in

family drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

'', directed by

Lee Joon-ik Lee Joon-ik (born September 21, 1959) is a South Korean film director and producer. He is best known for directing and producing ''King and the Clown'' (2005), one of the highest grossing Korean films of all time. Other notable films include ...

, which won him Best Actor at the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards. The following year, Sol starred in ''

My Dictator ''My Dictator'' () is a 2014 South Korean film directed and co-written by Lee Hae-jun, starring Sol Kyung-gu and Park Hae-il. Plot After the North-South Korea Joint Statement on July 4, 1972, reunification fervor briefly sweeps over the Korean Pe ...

'', as an aspiring actor who is forced to impersonate North Korean leader. For his performance in ''My Dictator'', he won Best Actor at the 35th Golden Cinematography Awards. Sol began teaching acting in 2014, at his alma mater Hanyang University, as an

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...

in the College of Performing Arts. In 2015, Sol starred in the war drama film '' The Long Way Home'' alongside Yeo Jin-goo, playing a South Korean farmer who befriended a North Korea soldier. In 2017, Sol starred opposite

Im Si-wan Yim Si-wan (; born on December 1, 1988), known mononymously as Siwan, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is a member of the South Korean boyband ZE:A and its sub-group ZE:A Five. As an actor, he is best known for starring in the film ''The ...

in '' The Merciless''. It was shown out of competition in the Midnight Screenings section at the

70th Cannes Film Festival The 70th Cannes Film Festival took place from 17 to 28 May 2017, in Cannes, France. Spanish film director and screenwriter Pedro Almodóvar was the President of the Jury for the festival and Italian actress Monica Bellucci hosted the opening a ...

on May 24, 2017. The film brought Sol to win Best Actor awards at the

54th Grand Bell Awards The 54th Grand Bell Awards (), also known as Daejong Film Awards, are determined and presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards were first presented in 1962 and have ...

and 37th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards. He next starred in

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

Memoir of a Murderer ''Memoir of a Murderer'' (Hangul: 살인자의 기억법; lit: ''A Murderer's Guide to Memorization'') is a 2017 South Korean action thriller film directed by Won Shin-yun. It is based on a bestselling fiction book by author Kim Young-ha. The fi ...

'', as a retired serial killer with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

. For his performance in ''Memoir of a Murderer'', Sol received Best Actor awards at the 17th

in 2017 and the 9th Korea Film Reporters Association Film Awards (KOFRA) in 2018. The release of Sol's third film in 2017, ''

I Want to Know Your Parents ''I Want to Know Your Parents'' () is a 2022 South Korean drama film directed by Kim Ji-hoon and written by Gim Gyung-mi. Based on a Japanese theatrical play ''Oya no Kao ga Mitai'' by Seigo Hatasawa, the film stars Sol Kyung-gu, Sung Yoo-bin ...

'', has been postponed indefinitely following the scandal of actor Oh Dal-su. Sol next starred in a 2019 film '' Idol'' opposite Han Suk-kyu and

Chun Woo-hee Chun Woo-hee (born April 20, 1987) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 2004, but first drew attention with her supporting role as a rebellious teenager in the 2011 box-office hit '' Sunny''. In 2014, Chun received critical ac ...

, which opened in March. Despite the solid acting by three senior actors, ''Idol'' received mix reviews. In April 2019, Sol reunited with Jeon Do-yeon, eighteen years after ''I Wish I Had a Wife'', in the 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 ...

''. The film, inspired by the Sinking of MV Sewol tragedy, deals with the struggles faced by a couple who lose their son in a tragic accident. The film had its international premiere at the 2019 Far East Film Festival in

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 ...

. The same year, Sol starred in the human comedy film ''Man to Men'' with

Cho Jin-woong Cho Jin-woong (born Jo Won-jun; March 3, 1976) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles as Sejong's loyal bodyguard in ''Deep Rooted Tree'' (2011), a mobster in '' Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time'' (2012), and a mysterious vil ...

. Sol has reunited with '' The Merciless'' director Byun Sung-hyun for the film ''

Kingmaker A kingmaker is a person or group that has great influence on a royal or political succession, without themselves being a viable candidate. Kingmakers may use political, monetary, religious and military means to influence the succession. Origina ...

''. It was released in December 2021. In 2022 Sol will be honoured by

26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival The 26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (), an international film festival held in Bucheon, South Korea, began on 7 July 2022 with the slogan 'Stay Strange'. A non-competitive international film festival with a competitive secti ...

by hosting an actor special exhibition 'The Actor, Sol Kyung-gu' focusing on actor Sol Kyung-gu's 29-year acting career along with various events such as the publication of a commemorative booklet entitled 'Sol Kyung-gu is Snow Gyeong-gu', and mega talk during the festival.

Personal life

Sol married the younger sister of actor

Ahn Nae-sang Ahn Nae-sang (born December 25, 1964) is a South Korean actor. He began his career on the stage, and in 1994 made his film debut in the Bong Joon-ho short film ''Baeksekin'' ("White Man" or "White-collar worker"), followed by Jang Sun-woo's ''B ...

in 1996. They have one daughter together. After being separated for four years, Sol and his wife divorced on July 21, 2006. On May 28, 2009, Sol married actress Song Yoon-ah. They have one son together. Sol and Song previously worked together in the films ''

'' (2002) and ''Lost in Love'' (2006).

Filmography

Film

Television series

Music video appearances

Awards and nominations

Listicles

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sol, Kyung-gu 1968 births Living people South Korean male film actors South Korean male stage actors South Korean male television actors 20th-century South Korean male actors 21st-century South Korean male actors Hanyang University alumni People from South Chungcheong Province South Korean Roman Catholics Best New Actor Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners Grand Prize Paeksang Arts Award (Film) winners