Kim Myung-min
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Kim Myung-min (, born October 8, 1972) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the television series ''
Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin ''Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin'' (; lit. "The Immortal Yi Sun-sin") is a South Korean television series based on the life of Yi Sun-sin, a Korean admiral famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon period ...
'' (2004), '' White Tower'' (2007), ''
Beethoven Virus ''Beethoven Virus'' () is a 2008 South Korean television series starring Kim Myung-min, Lee Ji-ah, and Jang Keun-suk. The show drew attention for being the first Korean drama to depict the lives of classical musicians, an orchestra and ordinar ...
'' (2008), ''
Six Flying Dragons ''Six Flying Dragons'' () is a South Korean television series starring Yoo Ah-in, Kim Myung-min, Shin Se-kyung, Byun Yo-han, Yoon Kyun-sang and Chun Ho-jin. It aired on SBS on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 for 50 episodes beginning on Oc ...
'' (2015-2016), and ''
Law School A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...
'' (2021), as well as the films '' Closer to Heaven'' (2009) and the '' Detective K film series''. Praised for his acting skills, he is often called "The Acting Expert".


Career


Early years

Kim Myung-min debuted as an actor when he won the 6th SBS public talent audition in 1996.Cine21
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last retrieved: 16 April 2000
Over the next five years he appeared in a number of television series in various supporting roles. Kim' first leading role came with critically appraised 2001 horror film ''
Sorum ''Sorum'' is a 2001 South Korean horror film and the feature film debut of director Yoon Jong-chan. Starring Kim Myung-min and Jang Jin-young, it tells the story of a young taxi driver who moves into a dilapidated old apartment building, the si ...
'', the feature debut of the director
Yoon Jong-chan Yoon Jong-chan (; born 1963) is a South Korean film director. He directed ''Sorum'' (2001), ''Blue Swallow (film), Blue Swallow'' (2005), ''I Am Happy'' (2009) and ''My Paparotti'' (2013). Career Yoon Jong-chan majored in Film at Hanyang Univer ...
, telling the story of a taxi driver moving into a decrepit building that hides several dark secrets. For this part Kim received Best New Actor award at 2001
Busan Film Critics Awards Established in 2000, the Busan Film Critics Awards is run by the Busan Film Critics Association (BCFA), a small but independent-minded group of critics based in Busan, South Korea. Each year they announce their choices shortly before the opening of ...
and
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 ...
Building on his new status of a lead actor, Kim started to work on several film projects, many of which however ended unfinished, mostly due to financial problems. At that time he also suffered from injuries incurred while he was shooting action scenes. When he starred in the 2004 KBS family drama ''More Beautiful than a Flower'', he was expected to have a successful career as a lead actor. However, he was badly injured while performing a stunt and his film contracts kept being withdrawn. This series of unfortunate events led him to quit stage acting in 2004. Kim then decided to end his acting career and emigrate to
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
with his family following the birth of his son. A turning point came in his career when he was given the opportunity to play the lead role in the 2004-2005 historical drama ''
Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin ''Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin'' (; lit. "The Immortal Yi Sun-sin") is a South Korean television series based on the life of Yi Sun-sin, a Korean admiral famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon period ...
'' after producers viewed his work in ''More Beautiful than a Flower''. The 104-episode TV series based on the life of Korea's hero of the
Imjin War The Imjin War () was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the "Imjin War", a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 called the Chŏngyu War (). The conflict ended in 159 ...
put Kim in the spotlight and brought him a host of awards including Grand Prize at
KBS Drama Awards The KBS Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony presented by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) for outstanding achievements in Korean dramas aired on its network. It is held annually on 31 December. The highest honor of the ceremony is the "Gr ...
.


Mainstream success

Kim was then cast in leading roles, playing a comical ex-gangster in '' Bad Family'' and a detective in ''
Open City In war, an open city is a settlement which has announced it has abandoned all defensive efforts, generally in the event of the imminent capture of the city to avoid destruction. Once a city has declared itself open, the opposing military will ...
''. He then played a surgeon in two productions: the television series '' White Tower'' and film ''
Wide Awake Wide Awake or Wideawake may refer to: Places *Wide Awake, South Carolina, US *Prestonville, Kentucky, US, formerly Wideawake * Wideawake Airfield or RAF Ascension Island, a British military base Books and publications *Wide Awake (magazine), ''Wid ...
''. ''White Tower'' was a critical and ratings hit in South Korea, gaining praise for its acting (particularly by Kim), writing, direction, and its intelligent and uncompromising story without concessions to melodrama or romance. Kim won the Best Actor awards at the year-end
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 introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the newspaper ''Hankook Ilbo'', ...
and
Grimae Awards Grimae Awards is an awards ceremony held annually by the Korean Television Producers Association since 1993. The award aims to promote the development of innovative visuals due to the phenomenon of media convergence both inside and outside th ...
, and was chosen as the Best Performer of the year by producers. Subsequently, his performance as a maestro in the 2008 TV series ''
Beethoven Virus ''Beethoven Virus'' () is a 2008 South Korean television series starring Kim Myung-min, Lee Ji-ah, and Jang Keun-suk. The show drew attention for being the first Korean drama to depict the lives of classical musicians, an orchestra and ordinar ...
'' created a sensation in Korea referred to as "Kang Mae Syndrome" and again earned him acclaim from critics and viewers. Kim received the Grand Prize (Daesang) at the
MBC Drama Awards The MBC Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony presented by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) for outstanding achievements in Korean dramas aired on its network. It is held annually in December. Unlike its counterparts in KBS and SBS, MBC ...
and his second Baeksang for Best Actor in television. In late 2008, it was announced that his next project was a film about a character living with
Lou Gehrig's disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and lo ...
, titled '' Closer to Heaven''. To realistically portray the role of the dying patient, Kim painstakingly lost 20 kilos during the course of the filming. Kim was widely commended for this feat, and won Best Actor Awards in Korea's leading film ceremonies, the 46th
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 the 30th
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 popula ...
.Park, Sun-young.
‘Closer to Heaven’ actors win Blue Dragon awards
". ''Korea JoongAng Daily''. 4 December 2009. Retrieved on 11 November 2009.
''Closer to Heaven'' was followed by another film, ''
Man of Vendetta ''Man of Vendetta'' () is a 2010 South Korean action thriller film about a pastor whose life changes after the abduction of his daughter. Um Ki-joon was nominated for Best New Actor in Film at the 47th Baeksang Arts Awards in 2011. Plot Joo Youn ...
'', where Kim portrayed the role of a father for the first time. In January 2011, Kim took on the role of
Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...
's
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
in historical comedy-mystery film '' Detective K: Secret of the Virtuous Widow''. He then starred in sports movie, ''
Pacemaker A pacemaker, also known as an artificial cardiac pacemaker, is an implanted medical device that generates electrical pulses delivered by electrodes to one or more of the chambers of the heart. Each pulse causes the targeted chamber(s) to co ...
'', where he played a marathon runner. Summer of 2012 saw Kim as a pharmaceutical agent in disaster movie '' Deranged''. The film, directed by Park Jung-woo became the fastest Korean film in 2012 to reach 2 million admissions, eight days after its July 5 release date. and topped the box office for three consecutive weeks. Kim then starred in '' The Spies'', his second collaboration with
Woo Min-ho Woo Min-ho (born 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Woo debuted with the revenge thriller ''Man of Vendetta'' (2010), followed by the action comedy thriller ''The Spies (2012 film), The Spies'' (2012), both starred Kim Myung ...
, director of his 2010 film, ''Man of Vendetta''. The film is centered on a North Korean agent and his three comrades who are working undercover in South Korea. Kim made a comeback to the small screen after four years in satire dramedy ''
The King of Dramas ''The King of Dramas'' () is a 2012 South Korean television series, starring Kim Myung-min, Jung Ryeo-won and Choi Siwon of Super Junior. It is a satirical dramedy about what goes on behind the scenes in making a Korean drama, TV drama. It aire ...
'', where he played a drama production company CEO. He next played a brilliant but cynical lawyer who gets into an accident and loses his memory in '' A New Leaf'' (2014). In 2015, Kim reprised his role as Detective K in '' Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island'', the second installment in the Detective K series. The historical television series ''
Six Flying Dragons ''Six Flying Dragons'' () is a South Korean television series starring Yoo Ah-in, Kim Myung-min, Shin Se-kyung, Byun Yo-han, Yoon Kyun-sang and Chun Ho-jin. It aired on SBS on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 for 50 episodes beginning on Oc ...
'' followed, in which he played
Jeong Do-jeon Jeong (the Revised Romanization spelling of ) may refer to: *Jeong (surname) *Jeong (given name) *Qing (concept) In Chinese philosophy, ''qing'' ( zh, c=, p=qíng) is a concept translated variously as "emotion", "feeling", "sentiment", or "passion" ...
, who served as the first prime minister of the Joseon dynasty. He next starred in the disaster film ''
Pandora In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hesiod related it, each god cooperated by giving her unique gifts. Her other name—inscribed against her figure on a white-ground '' ky ...
'', portraying the aftermath of an explosion in a nuclear plant. Crime drama ''Proof of Innocence'' followed, where Kim played a former cop-turned-legal broker. In 2017, Kim starred in the noir film '' V.I.P'', playing a police detective.; followed by mystery thriller '' A Day''. The same year, he was cast in the period comedy film '' ''Monstrum''''. In 2018, Kim again reprised his role as Detective K in '' Detective K: Secret of the Living Dead'', the third installment in the Detective K series. The same year, he returned to the small screen in the melodrama ''
The Miracle We Met ''The Miracle We Met'' () is a 2018 South Korean television series starring Kim Myung-min, Kim Hyun-joo, Ra Mi-ran, Ko Chang-seok and Joseph Lee. It aired on KBS2 from April 2 to May 29, 2018, every Monday and Tuesday at 22:00 ( KST). Synopsi ...
''. which won him another Grand Prize at the KBS Drama Awards. In 2019, Kim starred in the war film ''
The Battle of Jangsari ''The Battle of Jangsari'' () is a 2019 South Korean action-war film co-directed by Kwak Kyung-taek and Kim Tae-hoon, starring Kim Myung-min, Megan Fox, and Choi Min-ho in the lead roles. The second installment in a trilogy following '' Operat ...
''. In 2021, he starred in the legal drama series ''
Law School A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...
'' playing a prosecutor-turned-professor who teaches criminal law. In 2022, it was reported that the contract with agency C-JeS Entertainment Kim's has expired. Later the same day it was confirmed that the original agency contract had expired.


Filmography


Film


Television series


Music video appearances


Discography


Ambassadorship

* 2010 Seoul National University Bundang Hospital Goodwill Ambassador * 2009 Korea Dental Association, "Ambassador for Oral Hygiene" * 2008 Kia Soul CUV * 2007 Oral Health Care Campaign, "OQ Publicity Ambassador" * 2007 National Election Commission, "Clean Election Publicity Ambassador" * 2007 Yeon-se Severance Health Publicity Ambassador * 2006 National Pension Service * 2005 Social Welfare Society * 2005 The Great Admiral Lee Soon-shin Festival


Awards and nominations


Listicles


References


External links


MM Entertainment
(Kim Myung-min's Agency)
Kim Myung-min International Official SiteKim Myung-min Japan Official SiteKim Myung-min Japan Official Site
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Myung-min South Korean male film actors South Korean male television actors 1972 births Living people Male actors from Seoul People from Eunpyeong District Seoul Institute of the Arts alumni 21st-century South Korean male actors Chung-am High School alumni Gwangsan Kim clan