Shin Eun-kyung (; born 15 February 1973) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading roles in '' Downfall'' (1997) and '' My Wife Is a Gangster'' (2001). Shin is one of the most prominent Korean actress in the 1990s, alongside Shim Eun-ha, Ko So-young and Jeon Do-yeon, whom she starred with in ''General Hospital'' (1994).

Career

Shin began appearing in commercials in 1986 at the age of 13, and made her television debut in 1988 on KBS. Throughout the late eighties and early nineties, she acted in a great number of films and TV dramas (notably in the 2001

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 ...

''General Hospital''), garnering fame for her warm screen presence. In 1997, however, she took on her most daring role as a prostitute in veteran director

Im Kwon-taek Im Kwon-taek (; born December 8, 1934) is one of South Korea's most renowned film directors. In an active and prolific career, his films have won many domestic and international film festival awards, as well as considerable box-office success, ...

's '' Downfall''. The film was a box-office success, leading her to star status. In 1999, she starred in two films, including the Korean-Japanese co-produced horror film '' The Ring Virus'', based on the novel by

Koji Suzuki is a Japanese writer, who was born in Hamamatsu and lives in Tokyo. Suzuki is the author of the Ring (novel series), ''Ring'' novels, which have been adapted into other formats, including films, manga, TV series and video games. He has written ...

. Her success in this role led to her being cast in a small role for a Japanese film, ''

Uzumaki is a Japanese horror manga series written and illustrated by Junji Ito. Appearing as a serial in Shogakukan's weekly manga magazine '' Big Comic Spirits'' from 1998 to 1999, the chapters were compiled into three bound volumes publis ...

'' (also known as ''Spiral''). Around this time, Shin was also working as an MC for a television game show. In 2002, Shin starred in her most famous role as a tough, female gang boss in '' My Wife Is a Gangster''. The film drew more than 5 million spectators and became a strong hit throughout Asia. She also appeared in the sequel, '' My Wife Is a Gangster 2'', but the film faltered at the box office in 2003. Other roles Shin starred in around this time were as a detective in ''This Is Law'' (also known as ''Out of Justice''), as a professional matchmaker in the romantic comedy ''A Perfect Match'', and as a naval officer in the box office bomb ''

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...

''. Shin went on a short hiatus after she married and had a baby, and returned to acting in 2005, starring in films such as '' Bystanders'' and ''Mr. Housewife'', and television series such as ''Bad Couple'', '' Mom's Dead Upset'', '' White Lie'', '' Still You'' and '' The Scandal''. She gained praise for her impassioned portrayals of ruthless and ambitious women in the 2010 melodrama '' Flames of Desire'' and the 2014 revenge thriller '' The Plan''.

Other activities

Shin has been a professor at Seoul Hoseo Art College's Department of Performing Arts since 2011.

Personal life

On 22 September 2003, Shin married Kim Jung-soo, who was then the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of her talent agency Good Player Entertainment. The following year, she gave birth to a son, who was later diagnosed with

hydrocephalus Hydrocephalus is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up within the brain, which can cause pressure to increase in the skull. Symptoms may vary according to age. Headaches and double vision are common. Elderly adults with n ...

. On 24 August 2007, Shin filed for divorce when she learned that Kim had used her private

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...

without her permission to misappropriate () for his business after its merger with Fantom Entertainment and the box office failure of several films he'd produced. In November, Shin sued Kim for

forgery Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally consists of the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific mens rea, intent to wikt:defraud#English, defraud. Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be fo ...

of private documents. In a separate case, she was sued by KM Culture, the company from whom Kim had taken a loan which amounted to (). On 28 December 2008, the court ruled that Shin was not liable for her ex-husband's debts, stating that although Shin's seal is on the loan contract, Shin had not seen any of the money loaned, had not authorized her seal's use, and is therefore not responsible for the debt. She again landed in the entertainment headlines in 2011 when she underwent bimaxillary osteotomy surgery (or jaw realignment surgery), reportedly because she felt making her strong jawline "slimmer and more rounded" would give her a "younger, softer, more feminine" look, which would result in more acting roles. Shin later spoke candidly that she regretted having undergone the procedure for pure cosmetic purposes, saying the public should be better informed about the pain and danger associated with the invasive surgery. In 2012, she sued an oriental medicine clinic for violating her portrait rights and privacy after it posted false ads on the internet without her permission, featuring her photo and treatment process; she had gone to the clinic to decrease the swelling of her face, a side effect of her jaw reconstruction surgery, but the clinic's treatments proved ineffective. The court ruled in Shin's favor and awarded her damages amounting to .

Filmography

Film

Television series

Variety shows

Music video appearances

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Shin Eun-kyung
at Run Entertainment * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shin, Eun-kyung South Korean film actresses South Korean television actresses Dankook University alumni Actresses from Busan 1973 births Living people