Song Kang-ho (born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Song made his film debut in '' The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), and came to national prominence with a series of critically acclaimed performances, including ''

No. 3 ''No. 3'' () is a 1997 South Korean gangster comedy film starring Han Suk-kyu as the titular no. 3 man of a gang who's aspiring to rise up the ranks and become the leader of his own gang. It was writer-director Song Nung-han's feature direct ...

'' (1997), ''

Joint Security Area The Joint Security Area (JSA, often referred to as the Truce Village or Panmunjom) is the only portion of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) where North and South Korean forces stand face-to-face. The JSA is used by the two Koreas for dipl ...

'' (2000), '' Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance'' (2002), ''

Memories of Murder ''Memories of Murder'' () is a 2003 South Korean crime thriller film co-written and directed by Bong Joon-ho. It is loosely based on the true story of Korea's first confirmed serial murders, which took place between 1986 and 1991 in Hwaseong, ...

'' (2003), '' The Host'' (2006), and ''

A Taxi Driver ''A Taxi Driver'' () is a 2017 South Korean historical action drama film directed by Jang Hoon and written by Eom Yu-na, with Song Kang-ho starring in the title role, alongside Thomas Kretschmann, Yoo Hae-jin, and Ryu Jun-yeol. Based on a real- ...

'' (2017). Song rose to international prominence for his performances in ''

Snowpiercer ''Snowpiercer'' () is a 2013 post-apocalyptic science fiction action film based on the French climate fiction graphic novel ''Le Transperceneige'' by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette. The film was directed by Bong Joon-ho a ...

'' (2013) and ''

Parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson h ...

'' (2019), the latter of which won 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

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

and the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only categ ...

. He was awarded

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to the ...

at the

75th Cannes Film Festival The 75th annual Cannes Film Festival is an upcoming film festival scheduled to take place from 17 to 28 May 2022. The festival will see a tribute to actor Tom Cruise, whose film '' Top Gun: Maverick'' is due to premiere at the festival. The of ...

for his performance in ''

Broker A broker is a person or firm who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither role should be con ...

''. In 2020, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' ranked him #6 on its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century. He has been named Gallup Korea's Film Actor of the Year four times (2013, 2017, 2019 and 2020).

Early life

Song Kang-ho was born in

Gimhae Gimhae () is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the seat of the large Gimhae Kim clan, one of the largest Kim clans in Korea. The Gimhae Kims claim descent from the ancient royal house of Geumgwan Gaya, which was based in G ...

South Gyeongsang Province South Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상남도, translit=Gyeongsangnam-do, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World H ...

, South Korea. He had wanted to be an actor since eighth grade.

Career

Early career

Song joined Kee Kuk-seo's theatre company, which emphasized instinctive acting and improvisation. He made his stage premiere in 1991 in a play called ''A Little Monk'' and spent the next decade as a stage actor. Although he was 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 (홍상수, born 25 October 1960) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Early life Hong's parents owned the film production company Cinetel Soul. Hong took the entrance exam and entered the theater department at Chun ...

's 1996 film '' The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' at age 30. The following year, after portraying one of the homeless in

Jang Sun-woo Jang Sun-woo (born 20 March 1952) is a South Korean film director. Life Jang attended Seoul National University and received a bachelor's degree in anthropology. Before his directorial debut, Jang made a name for himself by writing film crit ...

's documentary-style '' Bad Movie'', he gained cult notoriety for his performance in Song Neung-han's ''

'' as a gangster training a group of young recruits, winning his first acting award at the

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 ...

. Following this, Song was 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's popularity increased with his first leading role in the box office smash ''

The Foul King ''The Foul King'' () is a 2000 South Korean comedy-drama film, written and directed by Kim Jee-woon. It was Kim's second feature-length film after '' The Quiet Family''. Like the director's debut film, ''The Foul King'' also stars Song Kang-ho, ...

'', for which he did most of his own stunts. It was his award-winning 2000 performance in ''

'' as a

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

n sergeant that established him as one of South Korea's leading actors. Song also starred in

Park Chan-wook Park Chan-wook ( ; born 23 August 1963) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, producer, and former film critic. He is considered as one of the most prominent filmmakers of South Korean cinema as well as world cinema in 21st century. ...

's acclaimed followup, '' Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance'', which centers on 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'' () 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. The Japan ...

'', about Korea's first baseball team which formed in the early 20th century.

Prominence

In 2003, he played a leading role as an incompetent rural detective in another critically acclaimed hit, ''

'', from young director

Bong Joon-ho Bong Joon-ho (, ; Hanja: 奉俊昊; born September 14, 1969) is a South Korean film director, producer and screenwriter. The recipient of four Academy Awards, his filmography is characterised by emphasis on social themes, genre-mixing, black h ...

. It was the first of several critically acclaimed movies they would make together, with commentators describing Bong's relationship with Song as a "great actor-director collaboration". In 2004, Song starred in ''

The President's Barber ''The President's Barber'' () is a 2004 South Korean comedy drama film directed by Im Chan-sang. It follows a barber, his wife, and their only son through four decades of tumultuous Korean history. Much as in ''Forrest Gump'', we see important mom ...

'' by debut director Im Chan-sang, which imagines the life of South Korean president

Park Chung-hee Park Chung-hee (, ; 14 November 1917 – 26 October 1979) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the dictator of South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979; ruling as an unelected military strongman from 1961 ...

's personal barber. The following year he also took the lead in ''

Antarctic Journal ''Antarctic Journal'' is a 2005 South Korean film. It is the feature film debut by director Yim Pil-sung. The film mixes elements of psychological thriller and classical horror films while showing the hardships met by a modern Korean antarctic e ...

'', a big-budget project by debut director

Yim Pil-sung Yim Pil-sung (born May 13, 1972) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He wrote and directed ''Antarctic Journal'' (2005), ''Hansel and Gretel'' (2007), and '' Scarlet Innocence'' (2014). Career Short films Yim Pil-sung began directi ...

about an expedition in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

that performed weakly at the box office. In 2006, Song was thrust back in the spotlight, however, with a leading role in

's record-breaking creature movie '' The Host''. The film helped to broaden international awareness of Song's talent, and in March 2007 he was named Best Actor at the inaugural

Asian Film Awards Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

in Hong Kong. More high-profile projects followed: '' The Show Must Go On'' about an aging gangster, Lee Chang-dong's ''

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 ...

'',

Kim Jee-woon Kim Jee-woon (; born July 6, 1964) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Career Kim started out directing theater but has worked with increasing levels of success in cinema, showing accomplished acting and a detailed stylization in ...

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

set in

Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer M ...

'' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'',

's vampire film ''

Thirst Thirst is the craving for potable fluids, resulting in the basic instinct of animals to drinking, drink. It is an essential mechanism involved in fluid balance. It arises from a lack of fluids or an increase in the concentration of certain osmol ...

'' in which he notably appeared full frontally nude, the North–South spy thriller ''

Secret Reunion ''Secret Reunion'' (; lit. "Sworn Brothers" or "Blood Brothers") is a 2010 South Korean action film directed by Jang Hoon, and one of the highest grossing Korean films of 2010. The story follows Song Kang-ho as Agent Lee Han-gyoo of the National ...

'', the gangster love story ''

Hindsight Hindsight bias, also known as the knew-it-all-along phenomenon or creeping determinism, is the common tendency for people to perceive past events as having been more predictable than they actually were. People often believe that after an event ha ...

'', the suspense film ''

Howling Howling is a vocal form of animal communication seen in most canines, particularly wolves, coyotes, foxes, and dogs, as well as cats and some species of monkeys. Howls are generally lengthy sustained sounds, loud and audible over long distances, ...

'', the English-language

dystopian A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

blockbuster ''

'', the period drama ''

The Face Reader ''The Face Reader'' (; lit. "Physiognomy") is a 2013 South Korean film starring Song Kang-ho as the son of a disgraced noble family who goes around Joseon and a ''gwansang'' expert. He is able to assess the personality, mental state and habits o ...

'', and ''

The Attorney ''The Attorney'' () is a 2013 South Korean courtroom drama film directed and co-written by Yang Woo-suk in his directorial debut. With 11,375,954 tickets sold and a revenue of , ''The Attorney'' became the 15th-best-selling Korean film of all t ...

'' which was inspired by

Roh Moo-hyun Roh Moo-hyun (; ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea between 2003 and 2008. Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...

's early days as a human rights lawyer. Song has continued to star in a number of critically acclaimed films, including '' The Throne'', a period film that presents a new spin on the relationship between

King Yeongjo Yeongjo of Joseon (31 October 1694 – 22 April 1776), personal name Yi Geum (Korean: 이금, Hanja: 李昑), was the 21st monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of King Sukjong, by his concubine Royal Noble Consort Suk ...

and

Prince Sado Crown Prince Sado (Hangul: 사도세자, Hanja: 思悼世子; 13 February 1735 – 12 July 1762), personal name Yi Seon (Hangul: 이선, Hanja: 李愃), was the second son of King Yeongjo of Joseon. His biological mother was Royal Nobl ...

; period action film ''

The Age of Shadows ''The Age of Shadows'' (; lit. "Emissary") is a 2016 South Korean period action thriller film directed by Kim Jee-woon and written by Lee Ji-min and Park Jong-dae. The film is set in Shanghai and Seoul in the 1920s and stars Song Kang-ho and Gon ...

'', and ''

'', a film that depicts the 1980

Gwangju Democratization Movement The Gwangju Uprising was a popular uprising in the city of Gwangju, South Korea, from May 18 to May 27, 1980, which pitted local, armed citizens against soldiers and police of the South Korean government. The event is sometimes called 5·18 (Ma ...

. More recently, he had a starring role in the critically acclaimed film ''Parasite'', also directed by his frequent collaborator

, which became the first South Korean film to win the

, as well as the first to be nominated for and win the

. In 2021, he was selected as one of the nine judges in the competition section of the 74th Cannes Film Festival to be held from July 6 to July 17. The following year, he was awarded

at the

for his performance in ''

''.

Personal life

Song married Hwang Jang-suk in 1995, with whom he has two children. Their son, Song Jun-pyoung, born in 1996, is a former football player for

Suwon Samsung Bluewings ''(The Blue, White and Reds)''Tricolor'' , short name = SSB , image = , caption = , founded = , ground = Suwon World Cup Stadium , capacity = 44,031 , owner = Cheil Worldwide( Samsung's subsidiary) , chairma ...

, despite Song's opposition. In 2005, Song was found by the police to be drunk driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.095%. His license was suspended for 100 days.

Philanthropy

On March 6, 2022, Song donated 100 million won to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help the damage from the massive wildfire that started in Uljin, Gyeongbuk and spread to Samcheok, Gangwon. On July 22, 2022, Song donated 200 million won each at the start of the March 2020 corona crisis and another 100 million won when the east coast bushfires broke out in March, and joined the 'Honors Club', a large donor group.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Theatre

Awards and nominations

State honors

Notes

References

External links

* *
Song Kang-ho
at Cine21 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Song, Kang-ho South Korean male film actors South Korean male stage actors People from Gimhae Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Best Actor Asian Film Award winners 1967 births Living people 20th-century South Korean male actors 21st-century South Korean male actors Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor winners category:Grand Prize Paeksang Arts Award (Film) winners