Shim Eun-kyung (; born May 31, 1994) is a South Korean

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. She starred in the box office hits '' Sunny'' (2011), ''

Miss Granny ''Miss Granny'' () is a 2014 South Korean fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. Na Moon-hee stars as a woman in her 70s who magically finds herself in the body of her 20-year-old self ( Shim Eun-kyung) after having her picture ...

'' (2014) and '' Fabricated City'' (2017), as well as television series '' Naeil's Cantabile'' (2014). She has starred in both Korean and Japanese language entertainment. In 2020, she became the first Korean to win Best Actress at the

Japanese Academy Awards The , often called the Japan Academy Prize, the Japan Academy Awards, and the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association (日本アカデミー賞協会, ''Nippon Akademii- ...

(Japan's equivalent of the

Oscars The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence i ...

Career

Shim made her acting debut at age 9 in the 2004 TV series ''The Woman Who Wants to Marry'', and subsequently made a career as one of the best child actresses of her generation. She first gained attention for her role as a sexually abused girl in the horror fairytale ''

Hansel and Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). Hansel and Gretel are siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch ...

'', and also starred in TV series such as '' Hwang Jini'', '' The Legend'', '' Women of the Sun'', and '' The Great Merchant''; critics say at times she even outshined her adult counterparts. In 2011, she successfully transitioned to a lead actress via the

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from the past, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. It has been argued that there is a nostalgia cycle in popular culture. Definition The term ...

dramedy Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

'' Sunny'', which tells the story of seven women, crosscutting between their lives in the present and the experiences that first brought them together as teenagers in the 1980s. Distinguished for its period detail, witty dialogue and the performances of its ensemble cast, the film shattered the common belief that women-centered pictures can't achieve blockbuster-level success. By appealing to a wide range of age groups, ''Sunnys box office total stood at more than 7 million admissions at the end of its long run. Director Kang Hyeong-cheol described Shim as someone "who is already complete as an actress." Shim's other notable roles include a girl caught amidst the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

''Kyung-sook, Kyung-sook's Father'' (also known as ''My Dad Loves Trouble''), a sister with seemingly supernatural abilities in ''

Possessed Possessed may refer to: Possession * Possession (disambiguation), having some degree of control over something else ** Spirit possession, whereby gods, demons, animas, or other disincarnate entities may temporarily take control of a human body *** ...

'', a depressive in '' The Quiz Show Scandal'', and a court taster in '' Masquerade''. In the 2014 comedy ''

'', Shim played a woman in her 70s who miraculously finds herself back in her 20-year-old body. She said, "This film is quite close to my heart as it is the first film for me to star in not as a child actor, but as full-fledged actress." With 8.65 million admissions, its box office success surpassed ''Sunnys, proving Shim's ability to carry a film. She also won Best Actress at the

Chunsa Film Art Awards The Chunsa Film Art Awards (also known as the Icheon Chunsa Film Festival) have been presented in South Korea since the founding of the prize by the Korea Film Directors' Society in 1990. The awards take their name from the pen name of the earl ...

, the

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the newspaper ''Hankook Ilbo'', ...

, the

Director's Cut Awards The Director's Cut Awards () is an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film in South Korea. It is presented by the Korea Film Director's Network (KFDN), a group of approximately 300 Korean filmmakers. The KFDN selects winners in the Korean ...

, and the

Buil Film Awards The Buil Film Awards () is a South Korean film awards ceremony hosted by the '' Busan Ilbo'' newspaper. It began in 1958 as one of the earliest film awards in the country. During the 1950s and 1960s, it was the biggest film awards event in the ...

. Shim next starred as the eccentric

savant Savant syndrome ( , ) is a phenomenon where someone demonstrates exceptional aptitude in one domain, such as art or mathematics, despite significant social or intellectual impairment. Those with the condition generally have a neurodevel ...

pianist heroine in '' Naeil's Cantabile'', a

Korean drama Korean drama (), also known as K-drama or Koreanovela, refers to Korean language, Korean-language television shows made in South Korea. These shows began to be produced around the early 1960s, but were mostly consumed domestically until the rise ...

adaptation of Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

Nodame Cantabile is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tomoko Ninomiya. It was serialized by Kodansha in the manga magazine ''Kiss'' from July 2001 to October 2009. A short series, ''Nodame Cantabile: Encore Opera Chapter'', was ser ...

''. However, the series was a critical and commercial flop, and Shim was criticized for her acting in the series. Shim returned to film, starring in ''

Seoul Station Seoul Station () is a major railway station in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The station is served by the Korail Intercity Lines and the commuter trains of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. Services KTX Seoul Station is the terminus of m ...

'' directed by Yeon Sang-ho, who also directed ''

Train to Busan ''Train to Busan'' () is a 2016 South Korean action horror film directed by Yeon Sang-ho, written by Park Joo-suk, and starring Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an, Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee, and Kim Eui-sung. The film mostly t ...

'' (in which she also makes a cameo appearance), revenge thriller '' Missing You'', and ''Queen of Walking'', which Shim calls a turning point in her career. In 2017, she starred alongside Ji Chang-wook in the action thriller '' Fabricated City'' and alongside Choi Min-shik in the election film '' The Mayor''. In 2018, she starred in '' The Princess and the Matchmaker'', the second installment of the "divining art trilogy" after '' The Face Reader''; and black comedy film ''

Psychokinesis Telekinesis () (alternatively called psychokinesis) is a purported psychic ability allowing an individual to influence a physical system without physical interaction. Experiments to prove the existence of telekinesis have historically been cri ...

''. In 2019, Shim made her Japanese film debut in '' The Journalist'' and gained good reviews for her performance as a Japanese reporter who delves into a government corruption scandal targeting the Abe administration. She won the Best Actress award at the

Mainichi Film Awards The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by '' Mainichi Shimbun'' (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of ...

, and subsequently the Best Actress award at 43rd Japanese Academy Awards in the following year after. She also starred in the film ''Blue Hour'', a story of an unusual friendship. She won the Best Actress award at the Takasaki Film Festival for her performance. In 2020, Shim returned to Korean entertainment with the finance drama ''Money Game''. In 2022, Shim was invited sit on the jury bench of the 35th

Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. According to the FIAPF, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals and the second largest film festival in Asia behind the ...

. In May 2023, Shim Eun-kyung signs an exclusive contract with Fanfare.

Personal life

Shim is the youngest daughter in her family. Her hobbies are listening to music, reading

science fiction comics Publication of comic strips and comic books focusing on science fiction became increasingly common during the early 1930s in newspapers published in the United States. They have since spread to many countries around the world. History The first ...

, and doing

taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

. She is the drummer of a band she formed with friends, Chick and Candy. After graduating from Eonbuk Elementary School and Cheongdam Middle School, in 2010 Shim temporarily quit acting to move to the U.S., explaining, "I chose a place where there aren't a lot of Korean people and decided on a high school in Pittsburgh. Studying is a goal, but I also chose this because I've grown tired mentally and physically after having acted since a young age." She finished her high school at the

Professional Children's School The Professional Children's School (PCS) is a not-for-profit, college-preparatory school geared toward working and aspiring child actors and dancers in grades four through twelve. The school was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an ac ...

in 2013. She shot a commercial with rocker Seo Taiji in 2008 and played the younger version of Lee Ji-ah's character Sujini in '' The Legend'', but she didn't know that Lee and Seo were secretly married until 2011 when Shim was implicated in rumors that she was Seo and Lee's daughter, which she denied. Originally nominated for the Best Actress award at the 2011 Grand Bell Awards for her role in '' Sunny'', Shim complained publicly through her

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

account when the awards committee removed her name from the official list of the nominees after she notified them she could not attend the event because she was currently studying in the U.S. She was one of four actors and actresses removed from the initial nomination. Shim ended up winning Best Supporting Actress for her role in '' Romantic Heaven''; Chun Woo-hee, her castmate in ''Sunny'', accepted the honor on Shim's behalf.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Web series

Hosting

Discography

Awards and nominations

Listicles

Other

In September 2022, she was appointed to the committee at the 35th Tokyo International Film Festival.

References

External links

Shim Eun-kyung
at A.N.D Entertainment * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shim, Eun-kyung 1994 births Living people 21st-century South Korean actresses South Korean film actresses South Korean television actresses South Korean child actresses Best Actress Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners Actors from Gangneung Actresses from Gangwon Province, South Korea