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Kwak Dong-yeon (; born 19 March 1997), is a South Korean actor and musician. He made his acting debut in the television series ''
My Husband Got a Family ''My Husband Got a Family'' (, also known as ''Unexpected You'') is a 2012 South Korean television series starring Kim Nam-joo, Yoo Jun-sang, and Youn Yuh-jung. It aired on KBS2 from February 25 to September 9, 2012 on Saturdays and Sundays at ...
'' in 2012 for which he received Best Young Actor Award at the
Korea Drama Awards The Korea Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony for excellence in television in South Korea. It was established in 2007, and is held annually in October in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province as the official main event of the annual Korea Drama Fes ...
. He then starred in ''
Adolescence Medley ''Puberty Medley'' () is a 2013 South Korean television miniseries starring Kwak Dong-yeon, Lee Se-young, Kwak Jung-wook, Choi Tae-joon, Park Jeong-min, Bae Noo-ri and Yoon Park. A coming-of-age teen drama about students at a village high scho ...
'' (2013), '' Modern Farmer'' (2014) and in 2016, gained recognition with historical drama ''
Love in the Moonlight ''Love in the Moonlight'' () is a South Korean television series starring Park Bo-gum, Kim Yoo-jung, Jung Jinyoung, Chae Soo-bin, and Kwak Dong-yeon. It is a coming-of-age story and youth romance set during 19th-century Joseon Dynasty based on ...
''. He is also well known for his roles in ''
Gangnam Beauty ''Gangnam Beauty'' () is a 2018 South Korean television series starring Im Soo-hyang, Cha Eun-woo, Jo Woo-ri and Kwak Dong-yeon. Based on the webtoon of the same name published in 2016 by Naver, it centers on the life of a college student who w ...
'' (2018), ''
My Strange Hero ''My Strange Hero'' () is a South Korean television series starring Yoo Seung-ho, Jo Bo-ah, and Kwak Dong-yeon. It aired on SBS's Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 ( KST) from December 10, 2018 to February 4, 2019. Synopsis In 2009, Kang Bok-soo i ...
'' (2018), ''
Never Twice ''Never Twice'' () is a 2019 South Korean television series starring Park Se-wan, Kwak Dong-yeon, Youn Yuh-jung, Oh Ji-ho, Ye Ji-won, Park Ah-in and Song Won-seok. It aired on MBC TV from November 2, 2019 to March 7, 2020. Synopsis The series ...
'' (2019), ''Vincenzo'' (2021), and ''Big Mouth'' (2022).


Early life and education

Kwak was born on 19 March 1997 in
Daejeon Daejeon () is South Korea's fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of 1.5 million as of 2019. Located in the central-west region of South Korea alongside forested hills and the Geum River, the city is known both for its technology an ...
, South Korea, the younger of two siblings. At 13, he permanently moved to
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
by himself to pursue his dream to be an artist. He has been studying music at
FNC Academy FNC may refer to: Entertainment * Festival du nouveau cinéma, a Canadian film festival * ''Fight Night Champion'', a video game * Fnatic, a European professional esports organization * FNC Entertainment, a South Korean record label Televisio ...
since 2010, and also took acting lessons. In February 2013, he graduated from Munrae Junior High School and graduated from
School of Performing Arts Seoul School of Performing Arts Seoul ( ko, 서울공연예술고등학교), colloquially known as (SOPA) in South Korea, is an arts high school in Gung-dong, Guro District, Seoul. History SOPA was founded on March 6, 1966 as Jeonghui High Schoo ...
in February 2016.


Career


2012–2015: Beginnings

Kwak was originally a lead guitarist and vocalist of Kokoma Band (literally, "Little Kids' Band"), a trainee band managed by
FNC Entertainment FNC Entertainment (; stands for "fish and cake") is a South Korean entertainment company established in 2006 by South Korean singer and record producer Han Seong-ho. The label operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, ev ...
. He made his acting debut in 2012, appearing in the KBS television series ''
My Husband Got a Family ''My Husband Got a Family'' (, also known as ''Unexpected You'') is a 2012 South Korean television series starring Kim Nam-joo, Yoo Jun-sang, and Youn Yuh-jung. It aired on KBS2 from February 25 to September 9, 2012 on Saturdays and Sundays at ...
''. The drama reached a peak audience rating of 49.6%, thereby earning the "national drama" status. The series ranked number one overall on the 2012 yearly TV ratings chart. For his performance, Kwak won the Best Young Actor Award at the 2012
Korea Drama Awards The Korea Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony for excellence in television in South Korea. It was established in 2007, and is held annually in October in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province as the official main event of the annual Korea Drama Fes ...
. In 2013, he featured as young Prince Dong-pyung in the SBS historical drama ''
Jang Ok-jung, Living by Love ''Jang Ok-jung, Living by Love'' () is a 2013 South Korean historical television series, starring Kim Tae-hee, Yoo Ah-in, Hong Soo-hyun and Jae Hee. Based on the 2008 novel by Choi Jung-mi, it is a reinterpretation of Jang Hui-bin's life, as a wom ...
''. He then starred in the KBS Drama Special ''
Adolescence Medley ''Puberty Medley'' () is a 2013 South Korean television miniseries starring Kwak Dong-yeon, Lee Se-young, Kwak Jung-wook, Choi Tae-joon, Park Jeong-min, Bae Noo-ri and Yoon Park. A coming-of-age teen drama about students at a village high scho ...
'', a coming-of-age drama based on the webtoon of the same name. The same year, Kwak featured in the KBS period 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 ma ...
'' playing the younger version of
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, Ki ...
's character. His portrayal of a boy who struggled as the head of the family from an early age to fill the father's vacancy, garnered him a nomination at the 16th
Seoul International Youth Film Festival The Seoul International Youth Film Festival (SIYFF) is the biggest youth film festival in Korea and has provided a venue for youths to share their culture via films and media education since 1999. It aims to promote broader international exchang ...
for the Best Young Actor Award. In March 2014, he took on the lead role in
KBS Drama Special ''KBS Drama Special'' () is a South Korean anthology series created and broadcast by KBS2, with each episode having a different story, cast, director and scriptwriter. The format is based on its predecessor ''Drama City'' and MBC's Best Theater. ...
''Middle School Girl A'' where he portrayed a smart transfer student who got bullied in his new school. He then starred in SBS weekend drama ''Modern Farmer'', playing a drummer of a rock band who later moved to a village to be a farmer. In December 2014, Kwak's performances in the drama ''Inspiring Generation'' and the drama special ''Middle School Student A'' won him the Best Young Actor Award in the
2014 KBS Drama Awards The 2014 KBS Drama Awards (), presented by Korean Broadcasting System 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 broad ...
. In 2015, Kwak starred alongside
Sistar Sistar (, often stylized as SISTAR) was a South Korean girl group formed in 2010 by Starship Entertainment. The group consisted of Hyolyn, Bora, Soyou and Dasom. They made their official debut with the song " Push Push" on 3 June 2010. The ...
's Bora in the web series ''The Flatterer'', based on a webtoon of the same name. He portrayed Park Gun, an underdog high school student struggling to survive among the strong in a realistic and comical way. He also starred in a KBS2 Drama Special ''Avici'', playing the role of a model student from an elite high school, but lacks the ability to empathize with others' pain, who tried his best to cover up his mom's murder.


2016–present: Rising popularity

In 2016, he gained more recognition after co-starring in the hit KBS2 historical series ''
Love in the Moonlight ''Love in the Moonlight'' () is a South Korean television series starring Park Bo-gum, Kim Yoo-jung, Jung Jinyoung, Chae Soo-bin, and Kwak Dong-yeon. It is a coming-of-age story and youth romance set during 19th-century Joseon Dynasty based on ...
'' as a skilled swordsman known as Kim Byung-yeon. The role earned him a nomination for the Best New Actor at the
2016 KBS Drama Awards The 2016 KBS Drama Awards (), presented by Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), was held on December 31, 2016 at KBS Hall in Yeouido, Seoul. It was hosted by Jun Hyun-moo, Park Bo-gum and Kim Ji-won. Winners and nominees ''(Winners denoted in bol ...
, and the 10th Korea Drama Awards. In 2017, Kwak made a guest appearance in drama ''
Fight for my way ''Fight For My Way'' (; lit. ''Fight My Way'') is a South Korean television series starring Park Seo-joon and Kim Ji-won, with Ahn Jae-hong and Song Ha-yoon. It premiered on May 22, 2017, every Monday and Tuesday at 22:00 ( KST) on KBS2. The se ...
'', as Kim Ji-won's ex-boyfriend, and played a supporting role in SBS fantasy romance drama ''
Reunited Worlds ''Reunited Worlds'' () is a South Korean television series starring Yeo Jin-goo, Ahn Jae-Hyun, and Lee Yeon-hee. It aired on SBS from July 19 to September 21, 2017, for 40 episodes. Synopsis Sung Hae-sung (Yeo Jin-goo) is a senior high school ...
''. In July 2017, Kwak was cast as Michael, the main protagonist in the Korean adaptation of ''
The Elephant Song ''The Elephant Song'' is a Canadian stage play by Nicolas Billon, first presented in 2002 and since performed across Canada and around the world. There is also a film adaptation of the play, released in 2014. History ''The Elephant Song'', by Ca ...
'' play, which ran from September 6 to November 26 at the former Suhyeonjae Theater in Seoul. In 2017, Kwak starred as the main protagonist in a KBS2 drama special ''Slow''. His portrayal of a frustrated baseball player "who fell into a slump, and was anxious about an uncertain future", garnered him a nomination for the Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama Award at the
2017 KBS Drama Awards The 2017 KBS Drama Awards (), presented by Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), was held on December 31, 2017 at KBS Hall in Yeouido, Seoul. It was hosted by Park Soo-hong, Lee Yoo-ri and Namkoong Min. Winners and nominees Presenters Spe ...
. On 27 November 2017, Kwak carried the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
flame for the 2018 Pyeongchang Games in
Gokseong Gokseong County (''Gokseong-gun'') is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Climate Attractions * Taeansa TempleCin Woo Le"Simply stunning: 33 incredible Korean temples" ''CNN Go''. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-12 * Neungpa Towe ...
,
South Jeolla province South Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollanam-do''; ), also known as Jeonnam, is a province of South Korea. South Jeolla has a population of 1,902,324 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Honam region at the southwestern tip of the Korean ...
as part of the torch relay. In 2018, he joined the cast of KBS romance drama '' Radio Romance'', playing the role of a psychiatrist who is Ji Soo-ho (
Yoon Doo-joon Yoon Doo-joon (born July 4, 1989), better known mononymously as Doojoon, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is the leader of the South Korean boy group Highlight. Early life Yoon Doo-joon was born in Goyang, South Korea on July 4, 1989. ...
)'s high school classmate and personal doctor. He also starred in JTBC's romantic comedy series ''
Gangnam Beauty ''Gangnam Beauty'' () is a 2018 South Korean television series starring Im Soo-hyang, Cha Eun-woo, Jo Woo-ri and Kwak Dong-yeon. Based on the webtoon of the same name published in 2016 by Naver, it centers on the life of a college student who w ...
'', which was a hit and gained renewed recognition for Kwak. He then starred in SBS's romantic comedy drama ''
My Strange Hero ''My Strange Hero'' () is a South Korean television series starring Yoo Seung-ho, Jo Bo-ah, and Kwak Dong-yeon. It aired on SBS's Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 ( KST) from December 10, 2018 to February 4, 2019. Synopsis In 2009, Kang Bok-soo i ...
'', which is Kwak's first villain role following his debut. The role earned him a nomination for the Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries at the
2019 SBS Drama Awards The 2019 SBS Drama Awards (), presented by Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), took place on December 31, 2019 at SBS Prism Tower, Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It was hosted by Shin Dong-yup and Jang Na-ra Jang Na-ra (; born March 18, 1981) is a ...
. In December 2018, he won the Actor Award at the 2019 Korea First Brand Awards. In 2019, Kwak made a special appearance in SBS drama ''
Doctor Detective ''Doctor Detective'' () is a 2019 South Korean television series Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, esp ...
'', portraying Jung Ha-rang, a screen door service engineer from a vocational high school, who was destroyed by an industrial accident. Later in the same year, Kwak starred in the family drama ''
Never Twice ''Never Twice'' () is a 2019 South Korean television series starring Park Se-wan, Kwak Dong-yeon, Youn Yuh-jung, Oh Ji-ho, Ye Ji-won, Park Ah-in and Song Won-seok. It aired on MBC TV from November 2, 2019 to March 7, 2020. Synopsis The series ...
''. He acted as the lead male role there with actress
Park Se-wan Park Se-wan (born September 24, 1994) is a South Korean actress. Career In 2016, Park made her television acting debut in KBS2's short drama special '' The Red Teacher''. She started gaining more attention in 2017 with her supporting roles in ...
. He played the role of Na Hae-jun, the heir of a five-star hotel. The performance earned him a nomination for the Excellence Award, Actor in a Weekend Drama at the
2019 MBC Drama Awards The 2019 MBC Drama Awards (), presented by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) took place on December 30, 2019. It was hosted by Kim Sung-joo and Han Hye-jin. Winners and nominees *Winners denoted in bold. Presenters Special performance ...
, and for the Excellent Award, Actor in Serial Drama at the
7th APAN Star Awards The 7th APAN Star Awards () ceremony was held on January 23, 2021 at Kyung Hee University Peace Hall, Seoul, and was hosted by Kim Seung-woo. It was broadcast exclusively on online platforms Olleh TV and Seezn. First held in 2012, the annual aw ...
. In October 2019, Kwak reprised his role in ''The Elephant Song'', from 22 November 2019 to 16 February 2020. In 2020, he appeared in sports film ''
Baseball Girl ''Baseball Girl'' () is a 2019 South Korean drama sports film written and directed by Choi Yoon-tae, starring Lee Joo-young, Lee Joon-hyuk, Yeom Hye-ran, Song Young-kyu and Kwak Dong-yeon. It was released in theaters on June 18, 2020. The fil ...
''. He also made a special appearance in the tvN drama ''
It's Okay to Not Be Okay ''It's Okay to Not Be Okay'' () is a 2020 South Korean television series written by Jo Yong and directed by Park Shin-woo. It stars Kim Soo-hyun, Seo Yea-ji, Oh Jung-se and Park Gyu-young. The series follows a psych ward caretaker and an ant ...
''. Kwak takes on the role of a manic patient with exhibitionism in the drama. In June 2020, it was announced that Kwak would be a part of the cast in the Korean adaptation of the musical comedy ''
Something Rotten! ''Something Rotten!'' is a musical comedy with a book by John O'Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick and music and lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick. Set in 1595, the story follows the Bottom brothers, Nick and Nigel, who struggle to find success ...
''. He played the role of Nigel Bottom, a genius playwright who is also pure and passionate. The performance earned him a nomination for the Rookie of the Year Award, Male category at the 5th Korea Musical Awards. The play ran from August 7 to October 18 at the Chungmu Art Center Grand Theater. In August 2020, Kwak signed with new agency H& Entertainment after leaving
FNC Entertainment FNC Entertainment (; stands for "fish and cake") is a South Korean entertainment company established in 2006 by South Korean singer and record producer Han Seong-ho. The label operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, ev ...
. In February 2021, Kwak starred in tvN television series ''
Vincenzo Vincenzo is an Italian male given name, derived from the Latin name Vincentius (the verb ''vincere'' means to win or to conquer). Notable people with the name include: Art *Vincenzo Amato (born 1966), Italian actor and sculptor * Vincenzo Bell ...
''. He played the role of Jang Han-seo, the half-brother of Jang Jun-woo portrayed by
Taecyeon Ok Taec-yeon (; born December 27, 1988), known mononymously as Taecyeon, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, actor and entrepreneur. He is the main rapper of the South Korean boy band 2PM. In 2010, Ok debuted as an actor in the Kor ...
, who publicly acts as chairman in his brother's place. In May 2021, Kwak joined SBS variety show ''
Delicious Rendezvous ''Delicious Rendezvous'' () is a South Korean show. It aired on SBS TV on Thursdays at 21:00 ( KST). The show ended on September 9, 2021, after 90 episodes. Audience rating Broadcast timeline Format ''Delicious Rendezvous'' is a progra ...
'' along with
Choi Won-young Choi Won-young (; born Choi Seong-wook on January 10, 1976) is a South Korean actor. Career Choi Won-young made his acting debut in 2002's ''Sex Is Zero'', and has since appeared in both film and television. But his most notable roles have be ...
and
Choi Ye-bin Choi Ye-bin (, born September 2, 1998) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for role in '' The Penthouse: War in Life'' (2020–2021), where she rose to prominence for playing the villainous soprano student Ha Eun-byeol. Filmography ...
. In 2022, Kwak appeared in the movie '' 6/45'' as an observer in the South Korean front force and in the MBC drama '' Big Mouth'' as a convicted scammer called Jerry.


Personal life

On 26 February 2014, not long after Kwak finished his ''
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 ma ...
'' drama promotion, his mother died of an illness.


Filmography


Film


Television series


Web series


Television show


Web shows


Music video


Radio Shows


Theatre


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kwak, Dong-yeon 1997 births Living people People from Daejeon 21st-century South Korean singers South Korean male film actors South Korean male television actors South Korean musicians South Korean guitarists School of Performing Arts Seoul alumni 21st-century guitarists