HJ
Hwang Jung-min
ActorBorn September 1, 1970 (54 years)
Hwang Jung-min (황정민) is a South Korean actor. He was born on September 1, 1970 and began his career in musical theatre, making his acting debut in Line 1 in 1995. He then starred in various musicals and plays in Daehangno such as "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Cats".
Despite a career on stage, Hwang had difficulty transitioning to film. He went through a long struggle for recognition, with people saying he "didn’t have the right face for film." He even considered giving up his dream, but stuck to his conviction about walking the path of acting. Hwang said, "After becoming interested about the stage and how it feels to be that person on stage, I've never thought of anything else. That I never swayed -- that is one thing I can say with confidence." His big break came when he was cast in Waikiki Brothers, a 2001 film that was a sleeper hit in Korea. In his role as a hopeless drummer, Hwang left a strong impression and earned favorable reviews, with director Im Soon-rye calling him "an uncut gemstone."
It was in 2005 that Hwang became a household name, portraying a naive farmer in love with an AIDS-stricken prostitute in the hit melodrama "You Are My Sunshine". Hwang explains that he was "moved by the tale of the genuine love between two people. I agreed with the director's idea of showing it as pure love, like an uncut gem, without sloppily adding to it or embellishing it." When he accepted the best actor award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for his performance in You Are My Sunshine, many were moved by his now-famous speech: "All I did was add a spoon to a dinner table that had already been prepared by others."
Despite a career on stage, Hwang had difficulty transitioning to film. He went through a long struggle for recognition, with people saying he "didn’t have the right face for film." He even considered giving up his dream, but stuck to his conviction about walking the path of acting. Hwang said, "After becoming interested about the stage and how it feels to be that person on stage, I've never thought of anything else. That I never swayed -- that is one thing I can say with confidence." His big break came when he was cast in Waikiki Brothers, a 2001 film that was a sleeper hit in Korea. In his role as a hopeless drummer, Hwang left a strong impression and earned favorable reviews, with director Im Soon-rye calling him "an uncut gemstone."
It was in 2005 that Hwang became a household name, portraying a naive farmer in love with an AIDS-stricken prostitute in the hit melodrama "You Are My Sunshine". Hwang explains that he was "moved by the tale of the genuine love between two people. I agreed with the director's idea of showing it as pure love, like an uncut gem, without sloppily adding to it or embellishing it." When he accepted the best actor award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for his performance in You Are My Sunshine, many were moved by his now-famous speech: "All I did was add a spoon to a dinner table that had already been prepared by others."
Known For
Filmography
| 2024 | I, the Executioner · as Seo Do-Cheol |
| 2024 | Mission: Cross · as Kang-Mu |
| 2023 | 12.12: The Day · as Chun Doo-Gwang |
| 2023 | Kill Boksoon · as Kim Gwang-Il / Shinichiro Oda |
| 2023 | The Point Men · as Jung Jae-Ho |
| 2023 | The Point Men · as Cast |
| 2022 | Narco-Saints (TV Series) · as Jeon Yo-Hwan |
| 2022 | Hunt · as Lieutenant Ri |
| 2020 | Hush (2020) (TV Series) · as Han Joon-Hyuk |
| 2020 | Deliver Us from Evil · as Kim In-Nam |
| 2019 | Money · as Investor (voice) |
| 2018 | The Spy Gone North · as Heuk Geum-Seong / Park Seok-Yeong |
| 2017 | The Battleship Island · as Lee Kang-Ok |
| 2016 | Asura · as Park Sung-Bae |
| 2016 | The Wailing · as Il-Gwang |
| 2016 | A Violent Prosecutor · as Byun Jae-Wook |
| 2015 | The Himalayas · as Um Hong-Gil |
| 2015 | Veteran · as Seo Do-Cheol |
| 2014 | Ode to My Father · as Yoon Deok-Soo |
| 2014 | Man in Love · as Han Tae-Il |
| 2013 | Fists of Legend · as Lim Deok-Gyu |
| 2013 | New World · as Jung Chung |
| 2012 | Korean Peninsula (TV Series) · as Seo Myung-Joon |
| 2011 | Moby Dick · as Lee Bang-Woo |
| 2011 | Battlefield Heroes · as Silla King |
| 2010 | The Unjust · as Choi Cheol-Gi |
| 2010 | Blades of Blood · as Hwang Jung-Hak |
| 2009 | The Chase · as Min Jae-In |
| 2009 | Five Senses of Eros · as Min Jae-In |
| 2009 | The Accidental Couple (TV Series) |
| 2009 | Private Eye · as Hong Jin-Ho |
| 2008 | A Man Who Was Superman · as Superman / Lee Hyun-Suk |
| 2007 | My 11th Mother · as Baek-Joong |
| 2007 | Happiness · as Young-Su |
| 2007 | Black House · as Jun-Oh |
| 2006 | Bloody Tie · as Lieutenant Do Jin-Gwang |
| 2005 | All for Love · as Na Do-Chul |
| 2005 | You Are My Sunshine · as Seok-Joong |
| 2005 | Heaven's Soldiers · as Park Jung-Woo |
| 2005 | A Bittersweet Life · as Mr. Baek |
| 2004 | This Charming Girl · as Writer |
| 2004 | |
| 2003 | A Good Lawyer's Wife · as Joo Young-Jak |
| 2002 | Road Movie · as Dae-Shik |
| 2002 | YMCA Baseball Team · as Ryu Kwang-Tae |
| 2001 | Waikiki Brothers · as Kang-Soo |
| 1999 | Shiri · as Special Investigation Team (cameo) |
| 1997 | Push! Push! · as Cast |
| 1990 | The General's Son · as Umigwan Manager |