Moon So-ri (born July 2, 1974) is a South Korean actress, film director and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. She is best known for her acclaimed leading roles in ''

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

'' (2002) and ''

A Good Lawyer's Wife ''A Good Lawyer's Wife'' () is a 2003 South Korean film written and directed by Im Sang-soo. The film is about the various affairs of members of a dysfunctional South Korean family. Plot Ju Yeong-jak (Hwang Jung-min) is a successful lawyer who wor ...

'' (2003).

Career

After graduating with a degree in Education from

Sungkyunkwan University Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU or simply ''Seongdae'', Hangul: 성균관대학교; Hanja: 成均館大學校) is a private comprehensive research university in South Korea. The institution traces its origins to the historic Sungkyunkwan, founde ...

, Moon So-ri became part of the theater group ''Hangang'' (" Han River") from 1995 to 1997, and debuted in the play ''Classroom Idea'' (she also collaborated in its creation). She appeared in plays and

short films A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

such as ''Black Cut'' and ''To the Spring Mountain'' before finding fame as a leading actress. Her first film role was in Lee Chang-dong's acclaimed ''

Peppermint Candy ''Peppermint Candy'' () is a 1999 South Korean drama film by Lee Chang-dong, his second. The film opens with the implied suicide of the protagonist and uses reverse chronology to depict some of the key events of the past 20 years of his life th ...

'', however her acting skills were not really showcased until she appeared in her second film ''

'', also by Lee Chang-dong. Her powerful portrayal of a woman with

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...

earned her strong praise as well as the

Marcello Mastroianni Award The Marcello Mastroianni Award (Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian la ...

for Emerging Actor or Actress at the 2002 Venice Film Festival (Moon is only the second Korean to win a prize there, after

Kang Soo-yeon Kang Soo-yeon (; August 18, 1966 – May 7, 2022) was a South Korean actress. An internationally acclaimed star from the mid-1980s to the end of the 1990s, she is often honorifically nicknamed as Korea's "first world star". Kang began her ac ...

in 1985 for '' The Surrogate Woman''). She was also named Best Actress at the 2003

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...

. The following year she again found fame in

Im Sang-soo Im Sang-soo (born April 27, 1962) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He has twice been invited to compete for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, with '' The Housemaid'' in 2010 and ''The Taste of Money'' in 2012. Early li ...

's third film ''

''. A 180-degree turn from her previous screen image, this film featured her as a free thinking woman in a decaying marriage who starts an affair with the teenage boy next door. This film was also invited to the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

, and she later won the Best Actress award from the

Stockholm International Film Festival The Stockholm International Film Festival ( sv, Stockholms filmfestival, italic=no) is an annual film festival held in Stockholm, Sweden. It was launched in 1990 and has been held every year since then during the second half of November. The w ...

. Similar to the case with ''Oasis'', Best Actress honors at many domestic awards ceremonies followed. Moon starred opposite

Song Kang-ho Song Kang-ho (born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Song made his film debut in '' The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), and came to national prominence with a series of critically acclaimed performances, including ''No. 3'' (1997 ...

in 2004's ''

The President's Barber ''The President's Barber'' () is a 2004 South Korean comedy drama film directed by Im Chan-sang. It follows a barber, his wife, and their only son through four decades of tumultuous Korean history. Much as in '' Forrest Gump'', we see important ...

'', a film that illustrates 20 years of modern Korean history through the eyes of president

Park Chung-hee Park Chung-hee (, ; 14 November 1917 – 26 October 1979) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the dictator of South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979; ruling as an unelected military strongman from 1961 ...

's personal barber. She took a more central role in her next feature ''

Sa-kwa ''Sa-kwa'' () is the debut film of South Korean director Kang Yi-kwan. Premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, although not released in South Korea until late 2008. This subtle, introspective drama of shifting moods—with acute ...

'', an introspective relationship drama about a woman who embarks on a new relationship after being dumped by her long-time boyfriend. Also from 2005, ''

Bravo, My Life! ''Bravo, My Life'' (; lit. "I Love You, Mal-soon"), also known as ''Mommy, Dearest'', is a 2005 South Korean film directed by Park Heung-sik about an adolescent boy who starts to come of age in the late 70s and early 80s, largely oblivious to th ...

'' saw her return to the historical era of the late 70s/early 80s in a family drama set against the political upheaval of those times. In 2006, she played a sexually promiscuous professor in ''

Bewitching Attraction ''Bewitching Attraction'' (; lit. "The Discreet Charm of Female Professors") is a 2006 South Korean black comedy film. The debut film by South Korean director Lee Ha, the plot revolves around a troubled professor ( Moon So-ri) and her sexual es ...

'', then a disapproving sister in ''

Family Ties ''Family Ties'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the move in the United States f ...

'' (for which she shared Best Actress honors with three castmates at the 2006

Thessaloniki Film Festival The Thessaloniki Film Festival is a Thessaloniki-based cultural institution focusing on cinema. The Institution organizes the Thessaloniki International Film Festival every November and the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival every March, while its y ...

, where their film also swept

Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

and Best Screenplay). Moon starred in her first ever television series in 2007, the big-budget fusion

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

'' The Legend''. She then narrated ''My Heart Is Not Broken Yet'', a documentary on Song Sin-do and her decade-long lawsuit against the Japanese government for an official apology towards her fellow

comfort women Comfort women or comfort girls were women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied countries and territories before and during World War II. The term "comfort women" is a translation of the Japanese '' ia ...

. She followed that with sports movie ''

Forever the Moment ''Forever the Moment'' () is a 2008 South Korean drama film. It is a fictionalized account of the South Korea women's handball team which competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics. The Korean title translates as "The Best Moment in Our Lives," and it ...

'' (a

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit is a film, television series, music release, video game, or some other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release but became a success later on. A sleeper hit may have little promo ...

in 2008), another

TV drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-ge ...

(about a family of grown-up siblings), and the human rights-themed ''Fly, Penguin'' in 2009. To promote the 2009 Green Film Festival in Seoul,

Kim Tae-yong Kim Tae-yong (born December 9, 1969) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. After his feature directorial debut '' Memento Mori'' (1999), he helmed the critically acclaimed ''Family Ties'' (2006), and the English-language remake '' ...

directed Moon in the short film ''Take Action, Now or Never!'' about power saving, cycling, and handkerchief use (her husband

Jang Joon-hwan Jang Joon-hwan (born January 18, 1970) is a South Korean film director. Life and career A graduate of Sungkyunkwan University, Jang's first directing job was on the 1994 short film ''2001 Imagine''. His feature-length debut was the science fict ...

appeared in a cameo). She was also one of the four characters in Baik Hyun-jhin's short film ''The End''. After appearing in ''

A Little Pond ''A Little Pond'' () is a 2009 South Korean feature film written and directed by Lee Saang-woo depicting the massacre of South Korean refugees by American soldiers at No Gun Ri in late July 1950, early in the Korean War. The ensemble cast, who do ...

'', the 2010 dramatization of the

No Gun Ri Massacre The No Gun Ri massacre () occurred on July 26–29, 1950, early in the Korean War, when an undetermined number of South Korean refugees were killed in a U.S. air attack and by small- and heavy-weapons fire of the American 7th Cavalry Regiment a ...

, Moon joined the ensemble cast of

Hong Sang-soo Hong Sang-soo (홍상수, born 25 October 1960) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Early life Hong's parents owned the film production company Cinetel Soul. Hong took the entrance exam and entered the theater department at Chun ...

's '' Ha Ha Ha''. ''Ha Ha Ha'' won the top prize in the

Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films w ...

section of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. Having always expressed a desire to return to her stage roots, Moon did so in 2006 in ''Sulpun Yonguk'' ("Sad Play") and again in the 2010 Korean production of '' The Pitmen Painters''. Her

voice acting Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...

for ''

Leafie, A Hen into the Wild ''Leafie, A Hen into the Wild'' (), also called ''Daisy, A Hen into the Wild'' in English-speaking countries, is a 2011 South Korean animated drama film which depicts the freedom, will and instinctive motherly love of a hen as she raises an adopted ...

'' was praised as "superb ..instantly recognizable and articulating the gumption and touching naivete of the eponymous hen with great conviction," and in 2011 ''Leafie'' became the most successful Korean animated film of the modern era, with over 2 million admissions. That same year, Moon joined

Konkuk University Konkuk University () is a South Korean private university founded in 1946. The university was founded based on three virtues: sincerity, fidelity, and righteousness. Konkuk University gives comprehensive education in agricultural and life scien ...

's Faculty of Arts as a professor of

film studies Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to cinema as an art form and a medium. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies. ...

. In 2012, she worked again with Hong Sang-soo in ''

In Another Country "In Another Country" is a short story by American author Ernest Hemingway. It was published in Hemingway's 1927 short story collection, ''Men Without Women''. The story deals with WWI soldiers receiving treatment in Italy during the war. Summa ...

'', which was headlined by French actress

Isabelle Huppert Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert (; born 16 March 1953) is a French actress. Described as "one of the best actresses in the world", she is known for her portrayals of cold and disdainful characters devoid of morality. She is the recipient of sev ...

, of whom Moon is a fan. Because she found his script "unique and creative," Moon took a risk on newbie director Park Myung-rang and joined the cast of his 2013 crime thriller ''

An Ethics Lesson ''An Ethics Lesson'' (; lit. "The Ethics of Anger") is a 2013 South Korean film starring Lee Je-hoon, Cho Jin-woong, Kim Tae-hoon, Kwak Do-won and Moon So-ri. Written and directed by Park Myoung-rang, the crime thriller centers on four suspicious ...

''. She then reunited with

Sol Kyung-gu Sol Kyung-gu (born May 14, 1967) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Public Enemy (2002 film), Public Enemy'' film series, ''Peppermint Candy'', ''Oasis (2002 film), Oasis'', ''Silmido (film), Silmido'', ''Hope (2013 film ...

in the spy comedy '' The Spy: Undercover Operation''. In 2014, Moon starred in ''

Venus Talk ''Venus Talk'' (; lit. "The Laws of Pleasures") is a 2014 South Korean film about the sex and love lives of three women in their forties, played by Uhm Jung-hwa, Moon So-ri and Jo Min-su. The romantic dramedy is directed by Kwon Chil-in. The scr ...

'', about the romantic and sex lives of three women in their forties. She also appeared in Park Chan-kyong's fantasy/documentary ''Manshin: Ten Thousand Spirits'' that looked at Korean modern history through the checkered past and

exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...

-based imagination of a

shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...

. Another Hong Sang-soo feature, ''

Hill of Freedom ''Hill of Freedom'' () is a 2014 South Korean arthouse film written and directed by Hong Sang-soo. It premiered in the ''Orizzonti'' ("Horizons") section of the 71st Venice International Film Festival, and won Best Film at the 34th Korean Associa ...

'', followed. On television, she was designated as one of the co-hosts of a new

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...

, ''

Magic Eye ''Magic Eye'' is a series of books that feature autostereograms. After creating its first images in 1991, creator Tom Baccei worked with Tenyo, a Japanese company that sells magic supplies. Tenyo published its first book in late 1991 titled ''M ...

''; this was the first time Moon had been involved in variety programming. Moon then made her directorial debut with the short film ''The Actress'', in which she played the title character who goes mountain climbing with friends then meets up for drinks with a group of male acquaintances; once alcohol has loosened the tongues of her companions, she learns their prejudices against her. It premiered at the 19th Busan International Film Festival, where she also co-hosted the opening ceremony with

Ken Watanabe is a Japanese actor. To English-speaking audiences, he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in '' Letters from Iwo Jima'' and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in ''The Last Samurai'', for which he was nomi ...

. Along with two other short films ''The Running Actress'' and ''The Best Director'', the feature-length film premiered in 2017. Moon has cited Lee Chang-dong as a key influence on her directorial work, saying that she thought about her experience with Lee a lot while making these three shorts. In 2015, Moon became the first Korean actor invited as a jury member of the

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, sh ...

; festival artistic director

Carlo Chatrian Carlo Chatrian is an Italian journalist and the artistic director of the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale). Biography Carlo Chatrian graduated in Literature and Philosophy from Turin University in 1994. As a film critic he works re ...

lauded her "brave choices (in selecting projects)" and called Moon "the jewel of the Korean movie industry". The following year, she was invited to the

Venice International Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

, where she became the first South Korean actor to serve as a juror on the Orizzonti section. In 2017, Moon featured as a political journalist in the election film '' The Mayor''. In 2018, Moon starred in the Korean film adaptation of the Japanese manga series '' Little Forest'', playing the main character (

Kim Tae-ri Kim Tae-ri (born April 24, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She is known for starring in the films ''The Handmaiden'' (2016), ''Little Forest (film), Little Forest'' (2018), ''Space Sweepers'' (2020) and in the historical drama ''Mr. Sunshine ( ...

)'s mom. Among Moon's upcoming films are romance film ''Good Day'' by Zhang Lu, legal film ''

Juror 8 ''Juror 8'' is a 2019 South Korean legal film, based on the 1957 US film 12 Angry Men. It was released on May 15, 2019. Plot The story takes place in 2008 during South Korea's first jury trial. Eight ordinary citizens from different backgrounds ...

'', and school bullying drama ''

I Want to See Your Parents' Face Kim Ji-hoon (born 1971), also spelled Kim Ji-hun, is a South Korean film director. Life and career Kim Ji-hoon was born in Daegu. After graduating from Hanyang University's Theater and Film Art Department, he worked as an assistant director o ...

'', Moon also voiced '' The Underdog'', which was directed by ''Leafie, A Hen into the Wild'' director. In 2021, Moon appeared in the film ''Three Sisters,'' in which she earned two Best Actress awards at the prestigious

42nd Blue Dragon Film Awards The 42nd Blue Dragon Film Awards () ceremony was held on November 26, 2021 at KBS Hall in Yeouido, Seoul. Organized by Sports Chosun (a sister brand of Chosun Ilbo). It was aired live on KBS2 at 20:30 ( KST). 18 categories were awarded at the 4 ...

and 41st

Korean Association of Film Critics Awards The Korean Association of Film Critics Awards (), also known as the Critics Choice Awards (), is an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film in South Korea. It was established in 1980 by the Korean Association of Film Critics (KAFC). The c ...

, and a nomination at the

57th Baeksang Arts Awards The 57th Baeksang Arts Awards () ceremony, organised by ''Ilgan Sports'' and JTBC Plus, was held on May 13, 2021, at Korea International Exhibition Center, KINTEX, Ilsanseo-gu, Gyeonggi Province, beginning at 9:00 p.m. Time in South Korea, KST. ...

category in the Best Actress – Film. In June 2021, Moon appeared in the MBC drama '' On the Verge of Insanity'' aired on MBC with

Jung Jae-young Jeong Jae-yeong (born Jeong Ji-hyeon; November 21, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He's best known for his roles in the critically acclaimed films '' Silmido'' (2003), ''Right Now, Wrong Then'' (2015), and '' On the Beach at Night Alone'' (2017). ...

and

Lee Sang-yeob Lee Sang-yeob (born May 8, 1983) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for starring in the sitcom ''Living Among the Rich'' (2011–12), the melodrama '' The Innocent Man'' (2012), the period drama ''Jang Ok-jung, Living by Love'' (2013), an ...

. Moon has confirmed that she will appear in the Netflix film ''Seoul Vibe'' with actor

Yoo Ah-in Yoo may refer to: * Yoo (Korean surname), also spelled Ryu or Yu, a Korean family name * YOO, the IATA code for Oshawa Airport See also * You, a pronoun {{Disambig ...

, and Netflix drama ''Queen Maker'' with actress

Kim Hee-ae Kim Hee-ae (born April 23, 1967) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading roles in Korean dramas such as ''Sons and Daughters'' (1992), ''Perfect Love'' (2003), ''My Husband's Woman'' (2007), ''How Long I've Kissed'' (2012), ...

, which are both expected to be released around 2022.

Personal life

According to Moon, she had a strict upbringing; she was not allowed to go to the theater, and she was also forced to read classical literary works. During her childhood, she had to learn to perform

pansori ' () is a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer. The term ''pansori'' is derived from the Korean words ''pan'' (Hangul: 판) and ''sori'' (Hangul: 소리), the latter of which means "sound." However, ''pan ...

, and play the violin and the

gayageum The ''gayageum'' or ''kayagum'' (in Korean 가야금, 伽倻琴 in Chinese characters) is a traditional Korean plucked zither with 12 strings, though some more recent variants have 18, 21 or 25 strings. It is probably the best known traditional ...

. On December 24, 2006 Moon married

, director of

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...

Save the Green Planet! ''Save the Green Planet!'' (Korean title: 지구를 지켜라!, ''Jigureul Jikyeora!'') is a South Korean science fiction comedy film written and directed by Jang Joon-hwan, released on 4 April 2003. The basic story begins when the main character, ...

''. Both

alumni, the two reportedly met when Jang directed her in the 2003

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for Jung Jae-il's 눈물꽃 ("Flower of Tears"). After suffering a

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is defined by ESHRE as biochemical lo ...

in 2010, Moon gave birth to a daughter on August 4, 2011.

Filmography

Film

As actress

As director and screenwriter

Television series

Television shows

Web shows

Theater

Awards and nominations

The list below is sourced.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moon, So-ri South Korean television actresses South Korean film actresses South Korean stage actresses People from Busan 1974 births Living people Best Supporting Actress Asian Film Award winners Marcello Mastroianni Award winners 20th-century South Korean actresses 21st-century South Korean actresses South Korean women film directors South Korean screenwriters Recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit (Korea)