O Yeong-su (; born O Se-kang, October 19, 1944) is a South Korean actor. He began acting in

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

in the 1960s, and has, according to himself, appeared in over 200 productions. He later began acting in film and television, often portraying

monks A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedicat ...

due to his experience with

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

plays. In 2021, he portrayed Oh Il-nam in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

survival drama ''

Squid Game ''Squid Game'' () is a South Korean survival drama television series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. Its cast includes Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, HoYeon Jung, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-ryou ...

'', which gave rise to his worldwide popularity and won him a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film, as well as a nomination for the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre, or even gender, specific. Beginning ...

Early life

With the name O Se-kang, O was born in

Kaepung County Kaep'ung County was a county in North Hwanghae Province, North Korea. Formerly part of the Kaesong urban area, the county was merged with North Hwanghae when Kaesong was demoted in 2003. The area is the site of the royal tombs of King Kongmin and ...

Gyeonggi Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

(modern-day

Kaesong Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close t ...

) in 1944. O's grandfather was a local educator and landlord. After the 38th parallel line was drawn across

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, he and his family moved to

Paju Paju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Paju was made a city in 1997; it had previously been a county (''gun''). The city area of Paju is ,"Paju (Gyeonggi-do Province)." ''Naver Encyclopedia of Knowledge''. Naver, 2015. 4 Mar. 2016. ...

on the southern Korean side controlled by the American army. During the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

that followed shortly, his father was killed and his brother was kidnapped by North Korean forces.

Career

Theatre

O began acting in 1963 as part of a theatre crew called "The Square". He was a member of the

National Theater Company of Korea The National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK, Korean:국립극단) is a South Korean theatre company founded in 1950 as an affiliate of the National Theater of Korea. In 2010, in its 60th anniversary year, NTCK separated from the National Th ...

from 1987 to 2010, where he worked with actors such as

Jang Min-ho Jang Ho-geun ( ko, 장호근, born 11 September 1977), known professionally as Jang Minho, is a South Korean singer. He competed in the TV Chosun audition show ''Mr Trot, Mr. Trot'', placing in the top sixth. He is also a model, dancer, and TV ...

, whom he considers his mentor. Throughout his career, he has done productions of '' A Confession for a Black Prostitute'' (흑인 창녀를 위한 고백,

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

's play adaptation of the novel

Requiem for a Nun ''Requiem for a Nun'' is a work of fiction written by William Faulkner. It is a sequel to Faulkner's early novel ''Sanctuary'', which introduced the characters of Temple Drake, her friend (later husband) Gowan Stevens, and Gowan's uncle Gavin Ste ...

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most of ...

), ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pers ...

'', and ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'', among many others. According to O, he had appeared in over 200 productions by 2013. In his thirties, he played

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

in Goethe's ''Faust''. In retrospect, he said he was probably too young for the role at the time. In his fifties, he played the

titular Titular may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Title character in a narrative work, the character referred to in its title Religion * Titular (Catholicism), a cardinal who holds a titulus, one of the main churches of Rome ** Titular bisho ...

''Richard III''. He said he was never satisfied with his performance because he felt like he was too old for the role. In his sixties, he expressed an interest to play

Willy Loman William "Willy" Loman is a fictional character and the protagonist of Arthur Miller's play ''Death of a Salesman'', which debuted on Broadway with Lee J. Cobb playing Loman at the Morosco Theatre on February 10, 1949. Loman is a 63-year-old t ...

in ''

Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a montag ...

''. In 2014, O played

Prospero Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, whose usurping brother, Antonio, had put him (with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda) to sea ...

in a

National Theater of Korea The National Theater of Korea is a national theatre located in the neighborhood of Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, South Korea. It is the first nationally managed theater in Asia. Affiliation The National Theater of Korea was established in 1950 by ...

production of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's '' The Tempest'' celebrating the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth. O played a

Yeonguijeong ''Yeonguijeong'' () was a title created in 1400, during the Joseon Kingdom and the Korean Empire times (1392–1910) and given to the Chief State Councillor as the highest government position of " Uijeongbu" (State Council). Existing for over 5 ...

in the play ''Prince Yeonsangun'', and appeared in ''The Problematic Figure'' in July 2015 and as Vasíly in the play ''Fathers and Sons'', based on the novel of the same name in August 2015. In 2017, he played the titular ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

'' in a production with the

Daegu Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...

Metropolitan Theater Company. He had previously done a production of ''King Lear'' at the

Daejeon Museum of Art The Daejeon Museum of Art (also called the Daejeon Metropolitan Museum of Arts) is located at 396 Mannyeon-dong, Seo-gu, across the river from the Expo Science Park, in Daejeon, South Korea. It opened on April 15, 1998. It has featured modern art ...

in 2010. In 2021, it was revealed that he would play the role of

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies explained as originatin ...

in the play "Freud's Last Session" by

Mark St. Germain Mark St. Germain is an American playwright, author, and film and television writer. Career Plays St. Germain has written ''Camping With Henry And Tom'' (Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards), ''Out of Gas On Lover's Leap'', ''Forgiving ...

which is expected to start its first performance in

Daehangno Daehangno (Hangul:대학로 Hanja:, lit. "college street") is a neighborhood in Seoul north of the Han River within Jongno-gu and Seodaemun-gu. Formerly known as Sunggyobang (Hangul:숭교방 Hanja:), meaning "high respect for teaching", its c ...

on January 7, 2022.

Film and television

O often portrays

on-screen. He credits his experience with Buddhist plays for getting him similar roles on film and television. In 2021, he played Oh Il-nam in the

Netflix original series Netflix is an American global Internet streaming-on-demand media provider that has distributed a number of original streaming television shows, including original series, specials, miniseries, and documentaries and films. Netflix's original pro ...

''. The series, which became the most-watched show on Netflix worldwide in its first month of airing, drew newfound attention to O. In January 2022, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, Television for his role in the series. He became the first Korean actor to win a Golden Globe. In November 2021, he narrated an episode of the documentary program " Documentary Three Days."

Other activities

On the first day of the 2021 Korean Series, O threw the

first pitch The ceremonial first pitch is a longstanding ritual of baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Originally, the guest threw a ball from their seat in the grandstand to ...

. In 2022, O was appointed ambassador for Korean performance tourism by Park Bo-gyoon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Personal life

On November 25, 2022, prosecutors in

Suwon Suwon (, ) is the capital and largest city of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea's most populous province which surrounds Seoul, the national capital. Suwon lies about south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety". With a populati ...

announced that O had been indicted on sexual misconduct charges relating to an incident in 2017.

Filmography

Commercials

* "Episode 18, the relationship that grows as we stay" (제18화 머물수록 커지는 인연)(2015) (ad for

SK Telecom SK Telecom Co., Ltd. ( or ) is a South Korean wireless telecommunications operator and former film distributor and is part of the SK Group, one of the country's largest chaebols. It leads the local market with 50.5 percent share as of 2008. ...

,with

Kim Seol-hyun Kim Seol-hyun (born January 3, 1995), better known by her mononym Seolhyun, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is a former member of the South Korean girl group AOA and she has starred in television dramas ''Orange Marmalade'' (2015), ' ...

)

Theatre

Film

Television

Accolades

Awards

State honors

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:O, Yeong-su 1944 births Living people People from Gyeonggi Province People from Kaesong South Korean male stage actors South Korean male television actors South Korean male film actors Male actors from Seoul 20th-century South Korean male actors 21st-century South Korean male actors Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Best Actor Paeksang Arts Award (theatre) winners

Early life

Career

Theatre

Film and television

Other activities

Personal life

Filmography

Commercials

Theatre

Film

Television

Television

Accolades

Awards

State honors

See also

References

External links