Kim Chang Wan (; born February 22, 1954) is a South Korean singer, actor, and writer.

Early life and education

Kim along with his younger brothers Kim Chang-hoon and Kim Chang-ik, began composing music during their mid-teens, and formed the band Mui when they were college students. Kim graduated from

Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a public university, public research university in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the SKY (universities), SKY universities and a part of the Flagship Korean National Universities. The university's main c ...

in 1975 with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in Agricultural Studies,

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in Natural Fiber.

Career

1975–1984: Debut Sanulrim and commercial success and disbandment

After Kim graduated in 1975, he and his brother went for professional career debut and changed their band's name to Sanulrim (산울림 meaning "Mountain Echo"). With Kim Chang-wan as lead vocalist and guitarist, Kim Chang-hoon on rhythm guitar, bass and keyboards, and Kim Chang-ik on drums. In 1977, Sanulrim released their first album ''What, Already?'', which became a critical and commercial success. The band's

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

sound was music Koreans hadn't heard before, and Sanulrim revitalized the Korean music scene, which was currently devastated after several major musicians were arrested for

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

possession in the 1970s. From 1977 to 1984, they released more than 10 albums and became one of the most influential and beloved figures in the Korean rock music scene. With the

K-pop K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...

retrospective A retrospective (from Latin ', "look back"), generally, is a look back at events that took place, or works that were produced, in the past. As a noun, ''retrospective'' has specific meanings in software development, popular culture, and the arts. ...

boom during the 1990s, all of their albums were

reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Reco ...

d and a

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...

was released. They held a 30th anniversary concert in 2007 and made plans to release a 14th album.

1982–present: Writing, disbandment of Sanulrim, eponymous band and acting career

His 1990 book ''I Want to Live Just Until 20 Years Old'' was adapted into a 1992 film. On January 29, 2008, drummer Kim Chang-ik was killed in a traffic accident in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, Canada on January 29, 2008, and Sanulrim disbanded after his death. In 2008, he founded the eponymous Kim Chang-wan Band, with himself on vocals, keyboardist Lee Sang-hoon, bassist Choi Won-sik, drummer Kang Yoon-gi and guitarist Yeom Min-yeol. They have released one album, ''Bus'', and several EPs. Kim also contributes to soundtracks and collaborates with younger artists, such as IU. Having worked as a

music director A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...

and

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

composer in the early 1990s, Kim Chang-wan also began acting onscreen. He has appeared in supporting roles in film and

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, notably in

dramedy Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

''The Happy Funeral Director'', omnibus '' Beating Heart'',

medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...

'' Behind the White Tower'', and romantic comedies '' Coffee Prince'', '' Queen of Housewives'', and ''

My Love from the Star ''My Love from the Star'' () is a South Korean fantasy romantic comedy television series written by Park Ji-eun and directed by Jang Tae-yoo. Produced by Choi Moon-suk and Moon Bo-mi, it stars Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Soo-hyun, Park Hae-jin, Yoo ...

''. In 2013, he played the leading role of a psychopathic plastic surgeon in the

slasher film A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic ...

''Doctor''. The versatile Kim has also starred in a

stage play A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than mere reading. The creator of a play is known as a playwright. Plays are staged at various levels, ranging ...

(''A Nap'' in 2010), hosted variety shows and radio programs, and written several books (some containing poetry).

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Promotional singles

Filmography

Television series

Film

Television and radio shows

Theater

Books

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Chang-wan 1954 births Living people People from Dongjak District South Korean male singers South Korean rock singers South Korean singer-songwriters South Korean composers South Korean male television actors South Korean male film actors South Korean male stage actors Seoul National University alumni South Korean male singer-songwriters