Kim Woo-bin

Kim Woo-bin
At Uncontrollably Fond press conference, July 2016
Native name	김우빈
Born	Kim Hyun-joong (1989-07-16) July 16, 1989 Seoul, South Korea
Education	Jeonju University
Occupation	Actor, model
Years active	2009–present
Agent	SidusHQ
Height	188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Religion	Roman Catholic
Korean name
Hangul	김우빈
Hanja	金宇彬
Revised Romanization	Gim U-bin
McCune–Reischauer	Kim U-bin
Birth name
Hangul	김현중
Hanja	金賢中
Revised Romanization	Gim Hyeon-jung
McCune–Reischauer	Kim Hyŏn-chung

Kim Woo-bin (born Kim Hyun-joong^[1] on July 16, 1989) is a South Korean model and actor.^[2] He began his career as a runway model and made his acting debut playing supporting roles in dramas including A Gentleman's Dignity (2012). He made his breakthrough with dramas School 2013 (2013-2013) and The Heirs (2013). He later starred in box office hits Friend: The Great Legacy (2013), The Con Artists (2014) and Twenty (2015). In 2016, he took on his first leading role on television in Uncontrollably Fond.

Career

2009–2012: Beginnings

Kim wanted to pursue a modeling career since he was a high school student. He debuted as a runway model in 2009 at the age of 20 and began appearing in prêt-à-porter and Seoul Fashion Week collections.^[3]

As his modeling career progressed, he started doing commercial films and began studying acting, under the guidance of acting coach Moon Won-joo.^[4] Kim fell in love with acting, saying, "In the course of doing so, I found myself feeling the same thrill and enthusiasm that I felt the first time I came to walk on the runway."^[2]

Under the stage name Kim Woo-bin, he made his acting debut in 2011, starring in mystery drama White Christmas and the low-rated cable sitcom Vampire Idol.^[5][6][7]

In 2012, he had a supporting role in the romantic comedy drama A Gentleman's Dignity, written by famed screenwriter Kim Eun-sook.^[8][9][10] Next came a two-episode guest appearance in drama adaptation of the popular manga To the Beautiful You.^[11]

2013: Rising popularity

In January 2013

Kim's breakout year came in 2013 when he featured in the teen drama School 2013. He received his first acting award for the role at the 2nd APAN Star Awards under the category Best New Actor.^[12][13]

The same year, he was cast in Kim Eun-sook's drama The Heirs which became popular domestically and internationally with a peak audience rating of 28.6%.^{[14][15] [16][17]} Kim experienced a surge in popularity overseas.^[18] This led to increased advertising contracts and acting offers for the actor.^[19][20][21]

Later that year, Kim appeared in his first major film role in Friend: The Great Legacy, the blockbuster sequel to Kwak Kyung-taek's 2001 box office hit.^{[22][23][24][25][26]} He also became the host of cable music program M! Countdown from August 15, 2013, to February 13, 2014.^[27][28][29]

2014–present: Mainstream success

After his rise in popularity in 2013, Kim continued appearing in big screen projects. In January 2014, he was cast in the heist movie The Con Artists, in which he played a top safe-cracker alongside rising star Lee Hyun-woo.^[30] He then took on a comedic character in indie director Lee Byung-heon's sophomore effort Twenty in 2015.^[31]

Kim then appeared in an ad campaign for Calvin Klein Watches + Jewelry, making him the first East Asian model for the brand.^[32] Kim took on his first leading role in drama Uncontrollably Fond written by screenwriter Lee Kyung-hee. The drama premiered on July 6, 2016.^[33][34]

He will star in the film Master (2016) alongside top actors Lee Byung-hun and Kang Dong-won.^[35]

Personal life

Kim is best friends with fellow model-actor and School 2013 co-star Lee Jong-suk, whom he has known since their modeling days. Their real-life friendship has led to various collaborations; they played estranged best friends in teen drama School 2013, and have filmed commercials and photo shoots together.^{[36][37][38][39]}

Filmography

Films

Television series

In July 2014

Web series

Music video

Variety shows

In August 2014

Discography

Songs

Soundtrack appearances

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Kim Woo-bin at SidusHQ
• Kim Woo-bin at HanCinema
  
• Kim Woo-bin at the Internet Movie Database