Kim Jae-wook (born April 2, 1983) is a South Korean model and actor. He is best known for his roles in the hit series '' Coffee Prince'' (2007),

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

Antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

'' (2008), mystery drama '' Who Are You?'' (2013), thriller ''

Voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production in ...

'' (2017), '' The Guest'' (2018), ''

Her Private Life ''Her Private Life'' is a surviving 1929 American pre-Code drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Billie Dove, Walter Pidgeon and Holmes Herbert. The plot concerns an English aristocrat who causes a scandal when she divorces her hu ...

'' (2019) and Crazy Love (2022). He is fluent in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, and played the role of

Sō Takeyuki Count ; 16 February 1908 – 22 April 1985 was a Japanese aristocrat, academic and poet. He was the count of the island Tsushima from 1923 to 1985. He was the husband of Princess Deokhye, the last princess of the Korean Empire, and served as a ...

, the Japanese husband of

Princess Deokhye Princess Deokhye (Korean: 덕혜옹주, ''Deokhye-Ongju''; Japanese: 徳恵姫, ''Tokue-hime''; 25 May 191221 April 1989) was the last princess of the Korean Empire. She was born on May 25, 1912, at Changdeok Palace, in Seoul, as the youngest ...

, in the film '' The Last Princess''.

Early life

Kim was born in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, and grew up in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

until he was seven years old before returning to South Korea. His father worked as a journalist and was transferred to Japan as a foreign correspondent. He started out performing in a band, and began modelling at age 17. Due to the time he spent in Japan, he can speak fluent

Career

2002–2011: Career beginnings and breakthrough

In 2002, Kim debuted as the member of an indie band in the MBC drama ''

Ruler of Your Own World ''Ruler of Your Own World'' (; lit. "Do As You Wish") is a 2002 South Korean television series starring Lee Na-young and Yang Dong-geun. It was written by In Jung-ok and directed by Park Sung-soo. Often regarded as the best Korean drama of 2002 ...

''. After this first role, he concentrated on his modeling career for 5 years. In 2007, he auditioned for and won the role of No Sun-ki in the 2007 hit drama series '' Coffee Prince''. The role shot him to fame in both South Korea and several Asian countries. He later appeared in the 2008 drama '' The Kingdom of The Winds'', and served as the ambassador of goodwill for the 9th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) in May 2008. Kim then starred in his first film, ''

'', based on the manga ''

Antique Bakery is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fumi Yoshinaga. The slice of life series follows the lives of four men who work in a ''pâtisserie''. It was originally serialized in the manga magazine ''Wings'' from 1999 to 2001, a ...

'', which was invited to the

59th Berlin International Film Festival The 59th Berlin International Film Festival was held from 5 February to 15 February 2009. The opening film of the festival was Tom Tykwer’s '' The International'', screened out of competition. Costa-Gavras's immigrant drama '' Eden Is West'' ser ...

. He played a gay chef working at a bakery. He won the Best New Actor award at the 16th Korean Entertainment Awards. In October 2009, he formed a modern rock band named Walrus, where he served as guitarist and vocal. The name of the group came from the

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

single "

I am the Walrus "I Am the Walrus" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 television film ''Magical Mystery Tour''. Written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was released as the B-side to the single "Hello, Goodbye" a ...

". Kim got his first leading role in Bee TV's South Korean-Japanese drama ''Give Me Your Memory: Pygmalion's Love'', which aired in March 2010. The same year, he starred in the melodrama television series ''

Bad Guy A bad guy or villain is a type of character in fiction and other narratives. Bad Guy or Bad Guys or ''variation'', may also refer to: Film * ''Bad Guy'' (1937 film), a film starring Virginia Grey * ''Bad Guys'', a 1986 film starring Adam Bal ...

'', and featured in the romantic comedy series ''

Marry Me, Mary! ''Marry Me, Mary!'' () is a 2010 South Korean romantic comedy television series, starring Moon Geun-young, Jang Keun-suk, Kim Jae-wook and Kim Hyo-jin. It is based on the Daum webtoon of the same title by Won Soo-yeon. It aired on KBS2 from Nove ...

''. Before enlisting to military service in 2011, he played in rock musical, Hedwig And the Angry Inch, from May 14 until June 19, 2011.

2013–2016: Comeback

After finishing his

mandatory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

, Kim made his comeback in the 2013 television series '' Who Are You?'', playing the dead boyfriend of

So Yi-hyun So Yi-hyun (; born Jo Woo-jung, 조우정; August 28, 1984) is a South Korean actress, with starring and supporting roles in ''Hyena'', ''Assorted Gems'', ''Gloria'', '' Heartstrings'', ''Glowing She'', ''Cheongdam-dong Alice'', and '' Who Are Y ...

's character. In 2014, Kim was featured in KBS' period action drama ''

Inspiring Generation ''Inspiring Generation'' () is a 2014 South Korean television series starring Kim Hyun-joong, Im Soo-hyang and Jin Se-yeon. It aired on KBS2 from January 15 to April 3, 2014 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 24 episodes. Based on the man ...

'' as

Kim Hyun-joong Kim Hyun-joong (; born June 6, 1986) is a South Korean actor, singer and songwriter. He is a member of the boy band SS501 and played roles in the Korean dramas '' Boys Over Flowers'' and ''Playful Kiss''. After debuting with SS501 in 2005, K ...

's rival, but quit after episode 8 due to unavoidable circumstances. In 2015, Kim was cast for the lead role in the fantasy comedy film ''Plank Constant'', playing a script writer with weird sexual fantasies. The following year, Kim took on the role of a Japanese nobleman who marries

Son Ye-jin Son Ye-jin (born Son Eon-jin on January 11, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in 2003 for '' The Classic'' and ''Summer Scent'', which were followed by the commercially successful ''A Moment to Remember'' (2004) and '' April Snow ...

's character

in the

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

film '' The Last Princess''. The same year, Kim took a leading role in the film ''Two Rooms, Two Nights'' as a popular movie director who tries to maintain secretive romantic relationships with both: his current girl friend and ex-girl friend.

2017–present: Rising popularity

In January 2017, Kim starred in romance film '' Another way (2017)'', playing the role of a police officer who finds

Seo Yea-ji Seo Ye-ji () is a South Korean actress. She began her acting career in the sitcom '' Potato Star 2013QR3'' (2013–2014). This was followed by major roles in period drama ''Diary of a Night Watchman'' (2014), thriller ''Last'' (2015), and fanta ...

's character online and forms a suicide pact. He then played the antagonist in OCN's hit thriller drama ''

'', earning acclaim for his performance as a serial killer. In July the same year, Kim was cast as in the romance drama ''

Temperature of Love ''Temperature of Love'' () is a 2017 South Korean television series written by Ha Myung-hee and starring Seo Hyun-jin, Yang Se-jong, Kim Jae-wook and Jo Bo-ah. It is based on the screenwriter's own novel titled ''Good Soup Never Picks up the Pho ...

'', playing a rich businessman. In 2018, Kim was cast in the musical ''Amadeus'' in triple casting, alongside

Jo Jung-suk Jo Jung-suk (born December 26, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He began his career in theater, starring in '' Spring Awakening'', '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', and the stage adaptation of ''The Harmonium in My Memory'', among many other music ...

and

Kim Sung-kyu Kim Sung-kyu (born April 28, 1989), referred to as Sunggyu or Sungkyu, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is the leader and main vocalist of South Korean boy band Infinite. In November 2012, Kim began his solo career with his first extend ...

. Kim's Japanese film ''Butterfly Sleep'' was released in Japan in May 2018. The same year, he was cast in OCN's supernatural thriller '' The Guest''. In 2019, Kim was cast as the main lead in the romantic comedy drama ''

'' alongside

Park Min-young Park Min-young (; born March 4, 1986) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in the historical coming-of-age drama ''Sungkyunkwan Scandal '' (2010) and has since starred in television series ''City Hunter'' (2011), ''Glory Jane'' (2011), ...

. The show marks Kim's first time as a primary lead in a romantic comedy. In 2020, Kim created "My Margiela", a 5-episode video series on the Belgian fashion designer

Martin Margiela Martin Margiela (born 9 April 1957) is a Belgian fashion designer, artist, and Organizational founder, founder of French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house Maison Margiela. Throughout his career, Margiela has maintained a low profile, refusing ...

. In 2022, Kim stars alongside

Krystal Jung Chrystal Soo Jung (born October 24, 1994), professionally known as Krystal, Krystal Jung or Jung Soo-jung (), is a Korean-American singer and actress based in South Korea. She debuted in 2009 as a member of the South Korean girl group f(x) and ...

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...

television series '' Crazy Love'', playing a maths instructor and CEO of a top math institute.

Personal life

In May 2011, along with fashion models

Jang Yoon-ju Jang Yoon-ju (born November 7, 1980) is a South Korean model, television personality, singer-songwriter and actress. Yoon-ju began modeling in 1997 when she was 17 years old, and became one of the most successful Korean fashion models, with a c ...

, Ji Hyun-jung, Han Hye-jin and Song Kyung-ah, he co-authored ''Top Model'', a book based on their experiences in the industry. He then enlisted for

on July 5, 2011 for 21 months of active duty after five weeks of basic military training. In June 2015, Kim signed an exclusive contract with management agency Better ENT. In June 2017, he left Better ENT and signed with new management agency Management SOOP.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theater

Awards

References

External links

Kim Jae Wook
on HanCinema * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Jae-wook Living people 1983 births South Korean male models South Korean male television actors South Korean male film actors