Shin Sung-rok (; born November 23, 1982) is a South Korean actor. He frequently appears in films and television series, but is better known as active in
musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...
.
Early life
Shin had initially aspired to become a basketball player together with his brother Je-rok, who is two years younger. Both brothers attended
Whimoon High School
Whimoon High School () is a private high school at Daechi-dong, Seoul, South Korea.
It is one of the oldest and most prestigious high schools in South Korea. It is known for having extremely competitive admissions and strong college admission o ...
, known as one of Seoul's top high school basketball programs.
An injury prompted Shin to reconsider another career and he transferred to Anyang Arts High School.
He majored in Theater and Film at the
University of Suwon
University of Suwon () is a university in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It was established under the Confucianism, Confucian values of Dong-Go Lee Joon-Kyung, one of the most representative scholars in Joseon, Jose ...
but subsequently dropped out after being
cast
Cast may refer to:
Music
* Cast (band), an English alternative rock band
* Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band
* The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis
* ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William ...
in a play.
["Herald Interview: 'It is heart that embraces character'"]
The Korea Herald
''The Korea Herald'' () is a South Korean English-language daily newspaper founded in August 1953 and published in Seoul. The editorial staff is composed of Korean and international writers and editors, with additional news coverage drawn from i ...
. June 21, 2007.["Shin Flies High in ''My Scary Girl''"]
. The Korea Times
''The Korea Times'' () is a daily English-language newspaper in South Korea. It is a sister paper of the ''Hankook Ilbo'', a major Korean language, Korean-language daily.
It is the oldest active daily English-language newspaper in South Korea. ...
. March 3, 2009.
Career
Shin made his acting debut in 2003, but found it difficult to find acting jobs since directors were reluctant to cast the 189 centimeter-tall aspiring actor in supporting or minor roles. Thinking he would have a better chance if he gained more acting experience and honed his craft on the stage, Shin switched gears and joined the theater company Hakchon.
["Shin Sung Rok: 'Middle Aged Women Fans Have Increased'"]
. KBS Global. July 28, 2010.
When Shin performed in his first musical ''Moskito'', there were only 20-25 audience members in the 500-seat hall. Despite feeling depressed and frustrated, he said the experience made him strong and helped him become an actor with plenty of guts.
While doing the musical ''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...
'', Shin was cast in his first substantial onscreen role, in the risqué cable drama ''Hyena'' (2006).
Supporting roles in dramas and films followed, notably in ''
Thank You
"Thank you" (often expanded to ''thank you very much'' or ''thanks a lot'', or informally abbreviated to ''thanks'' or alternately as ''many thanks''Geoffrey Leech, ''The Pragmatics of Politeness'' (2014), p. 200.) is a common expression of gr ...
'' (2007) and ''My Life's Golden Years'' (also known as ''All About My Family'', 2008). He also appeared on
season 1 Season One may refer to:
Albums
* ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004
* ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012
* ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012
See also
*
*
* Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to:
...
of the
MBC dating reality show ''
We Got Married
''We Got Married'' () was a South Korean reality variety show that aired on MBC from 2008 to 2017. The show paired up celebrities who pretended to be married couples and completed various challenges together. The show ran for four seasons and i ...
'' as a "fake couple" with female comedian
Kim Shin-young.
Mainstream breakthrough still eluded Shin, but in theater his star was rising. In 2007, Shin was picked from 400 auditionees for the lead role Solomon in ''Dancing Shadows'', a musical adaptation of the realist play ''Forest Fire'' by celebrated Korean playwright Cha Beom-seok.
He later received a Best New Actor nomination from the Korea Musical Awards.
[''Dancing Shadows'' Sweeps Musical Awards]
. The Korea Times
''The Korea Times'' () is a daily English-language newspaper in South Korea. It is a sister paper of the ''Hankook Ilbo'', a major Korean language, Korean-language daily.
It is the oldest active daily English-language newspaper in South Korea. ...
. October 24, 2007.
As Shin starred in one hit musical after another, he continued to impress critics with his acting performances, his strong and powerful baritone vocals and his delicate and clear alto notes.
[''Romeo et Juliette'' Back in Korean]
. The Korea Times
''The Korea Times'' () is a daily English-language newspaper in South Korea. It is a sister paper of the ''Hankook Ilbo'', a major Korean language, Korean-language daily.
It is the oldest active daily English-language newspaper in South Korea. ...
. May 18, 2009. He is now considered a top musical star, even drawing fans from outside Korea to his shows.
''
Definitely Neighbors'' (2010) further boosted his TV profile; for his role as a difficult chef who falls in love with an older divorcee, Shin won Best Supporting Actor in a Weekend/Daily Drama at the
2010 SBS Drama Awards
The 2010 SBS Drama Awards () is a ceremony honoring the best performances in television on the SBS network for the year 2010. It took place on December 31, 2010, at the SBS Open Hall in Deungchon-dong, Seoul, and was hosted by Lee Beom-soo, Par ...
.
His most popular drama yet was the romantic comedy ''
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 ...
'' (2013), in which he appeared as a villainous businessman. This was followed by supporting roles in the 2014 series ''
Lovers of Music'' (as a talent agency CEO), ''
Liar Game
''Liar Game'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shinobu Kaitani. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Young Jump'' from February 2005 to January 2015. It was adapted into a Ja ...
'' (as the host of a reality show), and ''
The King's Face
''The King's Face'' (; Hanja: 王의 얼굴) is a 2014 South Korean television series starring Seo In-guk, Jo Yoon-hee, Lee Sung-jae, Kim Gyu-ri and Shin Sung-rok. It aired on KBS2 from November 19, 2014, to February 5, 2015, on Wednesdays and ...
'' (as a
face reader).
Despite branching out to film and television, Shin has maintained that his heart will always belong to the stage, and has stated, "I feel more affection toward the stage
ather than TV I think it is the stage where actors learn life and understand the meaning of acting. It is where I learned how to act and where I gained confidence. I think the core of my life will remain on the stage" (''
The Korea Herald
''The Korea Herald'' () is a South Korean English-language daily newspaper founded in August 1953 and published in Seoul. The editorial staff is composed of Korean and international writers and editors, with additional news coverage drawn from i ...
'', 2007).
"The musical is like my old home and it made me what I am now, so I can't stop performing the musicals however busy I get" (''
The Korea Times
''The Korea Times'' () is a daily English-language newspaper in South Korea. It is a sister paper of the ''Hankook Ilbo'', a major Korean language, Korean-language daily.
It is the oldest active daily English-language newspaper in South Korea. ...
'', 2009)
In September 2021, Shin decided not to renew his contract with HB Entertainment. Later on September 27, 2021, Shin signed a contract with Screening ENT. After his contract with Sangyeong ENT ended in December 2023, Shin Sung-rok signed a contract with Y.ONE Entertainment on January 9th 2025.
Personal life
Shin has a younger brother. Shin Jae-rok is a former professional basketball player who had short stints with
Anyang KT&G Kites and
Changwon LG Sakers
Changwon LG Sakers are a professional basketball team located in the city of Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. They play in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), and their home arena is Changwon Gymnasium which has a capacity for ...
before retiring. He became a chef and has since opened his own restaurant. Both of them appeared on
KBS talk show ''
Happy Together'' on July 30, 2015.
Relationships
Shin began dating ballerina
Kim Joo-won in 2011; Kim was a
principal dancer
A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company.
A principal may be either gender. The position is similar to that of ''Soloist (ballet), solois ...
with the
Korea National Ballet for 15 years from 1988 to 2003, and currently teaches at
Sungshin Women's University
Sungshin Women's University () is a Private university, private women's college, women's university located in Seongbuk District, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It was founded by Dr. Sook-Chong Lee in 1936. The university comprises ten colleg ...
. The pair broke up after four years of dating in August 2015.
In June 2016, Shin married a non-celebrity office worker in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
. In November the same year, Shin became a father to a daughter.
Filmography
Television series
Film
Television shows
Stage
Musical
Theater
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Shin Seong-rokat HB Entertainment
Shin Sung-rok Fan Cafeat
Daum
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shin, Sung-rok
South Korean male film actors
South Korean male television actors
South Korean male musical theatre actors
South Korean male stage actors
1982 births
Living people
Male actors from Seoul
21st-century South Korean male actors
South Korean baritones