Kam Woo-sung (born October 1, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his portrayal of a court jester serving a despotic king in the hit period film ''
The King and the Clown''.
Career
Kam Woo-sung majored in
Oriental painting at the
Seoul National University
Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the three "S ...
, then made his acting debut in the 1991
television drama ''Our Paradise''. Through his roles on TV in the following decade, Kam became known for playing gentle and intellectual upper-middle-class men, notably in ''Hyun-jung, I Love You''. Then in 2002, he successfully subverted this image in his first film, the critically acclaimed ''
Marriage Is a Crazy Thing'', in which he played a commitment-phobic professor having a passionate affair.
More characters followed in a variety of genres: a man trapped in a confusing and haunting sequence of events in
Song Il-gon
Song Il-gon (born January 1, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter known for his internationally award-winning early short films, and later feature films such as ''Spider Forest'' (2004) and ''Feathers in the Wind'' (2005). Long ...
's mystery film ''
Spider Forest
''Spider Forest'' () is a 2004 South Korean horror- drama written and directed by Song Il-gon.
Plot
Awaking alone in the middle of a dark forest, Kang Min sees a secluded cabin nearby and wanders towards it. Upon entering the small home, he is ...
''; the
PTSD-afflicted leader of a South Korean squadron in
Vietnam who looks into the mysterious disappearance of 18 soldiers in the horror thriller ''
R-Point''; and a son struggling to fake
Korea's reunification to fulfill an ailing father's wish in the comedy ''A Bold Family''.
In late 2005, Kam reached a turning point in his 15-year career when he starred in ''
The King and the Clown''.
Jang Hyuk was originally cast in the leading role of a
court jester during the reign of
Joseon Dynasty tyrant
King Yeonsan
Yeonsangun of Joseon or Prince Yeonsan of Joseon (23 November 1476 – 20 November 1506), personal name Yi Yung (Korean: 이융; Hanja: 李㦕), was the tenth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Often considered the worst tyrant in Joseon's ...
, but after Jang was implicated in a
draft-dodging scandal, Kam was brought in to replace him. He trained extensively over two months in the art of Korean traditional performance, including street opera, and acrobatic, rope and mask dances. The low-budget film unexpectedly broke box office records to become (at the time) the
highest grossing Korean film of all time. Critics praised Kam's "powerful energy and wit," and his performance garnered acting recognition, including Best Actor at the 2006
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 ...
.
He returned to television in ''
Alone in Love'' (2006), which was lauded for its realistic portrayal of a divorced couple. Back on the big screen, Kam reunited with previous ''A Bold Family'' costar (and close friend in real life)
Kim Su-ro in ''
Big Bang
The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...
'' (2007), followed by the ensemble romantic comedy ''
My Love'' and crime thriller ''The Outlaw'' (2010). Kam was listed as one of the highest paid entertainers on the
KBS network in 2011, earning for playing
Geunchogo of Baekje in the 60-episode series ''
The King of Legend''.
Though appearing less frequently in projects, Kam has starred in melodramas ''
My Spring Days'' (2014), ''
Should We Kiss First?'' (2018) and ''
The Wind Blows'' (2019) in recent years.
Personal life
After dating for 15 years, Kam married actress Kang Min-ah in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in 2006.
Filmography
Film
Television series
Awards
*
Album
* 《I Will》- MBC drama "My Spring Days" OST(2014)
References
External links
Kam Woo-sunga
8D Creative*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kam, Woo-sung
People from North Chungcheong Province
South Korean male film actors
South Korean male television actors
1970 births
Living people
Hoesan Gam clan