Jung Woo-sung Wiki, Age, Biography, Height, Wife, Family, Images, And More
Jung Woo-sung (born April 22, 1973) is a South Korean actor and the first Korean United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador.
Jung began his career as a fashion model before rising to stardom and cult status with the gangster film Beat (1997), for which he received the Best New Actor award at the 17th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards.
Jung is also well-known in other Asian countries, particularly Japan. Steel Rain (2017), The King (2017), Asura: The City of Madness (2016), The Divine Move (2014), Cold Eyes (2013); martial arts film: Reign of Assassins (2010); fantasy: The Restless (2006); dramas: Don't Forget Me (2016), City of the Rising Sun (1998), erotic thriller Scarlet Innocence (2014); romantic films: A Good Rain Knows (2009), Daisy (2006), Cold Eyes (2013); (2001). Innocent Witness (2019), his critically acclaimed film, won him Best Actor at the 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Daesang (Grand Prize) for Film at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards.
He is also a skilled television actor. He won Best New Actor at the SBS Drama Awards and the 32nd Baeksang Arts Awards for his first major TV drama role in Asphalt Man (1995). (TV). He also appeared in the high-budget espionage TV series Athena: Goddess of War (2010) and the romantic drama Padam Padam (2011).
Jung grew up in Sadang-dong, then one of Seoul's poorest neighborhoods. He dropped out of high school after one year to work and thus support the family budget. He never hid this fact or regretted doing so. He was tall in elementary school, and his height caused him to hunch constantly. When attempting to break into the film industry, he was told that he was too tall to be an actor, so he began his career as a model.
Career sFilm
Jung Woo-sung made his film debut in 1994 as the lead in The Fox with Nine Tails, one of the first Korean fantasy films to use computer-generated imagery. He made his debut alongside actress Ko So-young, with whom he later collaborated twice, including in his breakthrough 1997 film Beat. Beat, directed by Kim Sung-su, is about a high school student who is forced to join a gang. Jung rose to prominence as a result of the film, becoming Korea's A-list actor and one of the most sought-after commercial models.
In 1999, he starred in the director's City of the Rising Sun as an unsuccessful boxer who befriends an unlucky swindler. Lee Jung-jae, his co-star in the film, became a lifelong friend.
Jung went on to portray a naval lieutenant in Phantom: The Submarine and a marathon runner in Love.
Musa, released in 2001, marked his third collaboration with director Kim Sung-su. Jung starred in the epic blockbuster alongside Chinese star Zhang Ziyi and received widespread exposure both in and out of Korea. Jung took on the eccentric lead role in Mutt Boy, director Kwak Kyung-fifth taek's film, after spending time in 2002 directing a series of music videos and appearing in a large number of commercials.
Jung's subsequent roles were all highly romantic, utilizing his established screen image. In the box office smash A Moment to Remember, he played an architect whose wife (Son Ye-jin) is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, and in Daisy, set in the Netherlands, he played a hired assassin who falls in love with a street artist played by Jun Ji-hyun. In Sad Movie, he played a happily committed fireman, and in The Restless, he played a demon hunter looking for a lost love.
The Good, the Bad, and the Weird, a "kimchi western" inspired by Sergio Leone's work, would become one of Jung's most iconic roles. In The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, he used his physicality to great effect as Clint Eastwood's counterpart. The film had its world premiere at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened out of competition. Jung attended the festival alongside his co-stars. For his performance, he received Best Supporting Actor at the 3rd Asian Film Awards and Outstanding Achievement in Acting at the 2008 Hawaii International Film Festival. Jung later collaborated with Kim Jee-woon on another short film for W Korea.
Jung then appeared in Hur Jin-romance ho's film A Season of Good Rain with Chinese actress Gao Yuanyuan and Su Chao-martial pin's arts film Reign of Assassins with Michelle Yeoh.
Jung was cast in the English-language 3D remake of John Woo's The Killer in 2011. The film would be shot in Los Angeles and would reunite him with A Moment to Remember director John H. Lee and Reign of Assassins director John Woo, who would also serve as producer. The project has been paused while John Woo works on another project. However, the project has yet to take off.
In Cold Eyes, an action thriller that became a box office hit in 2013, Jung received praise for his first villain role. He played the ruthless leader of a criminal organization that specialized in bank robberies, eluding the detectives who were chasing him with uncanny dexterity.
Jung then portrayed a revenge-seeking baduk player in The Divine Move, followed by an adulterous university professor gradually losing his sight in Scarlet Innocence. Scarlet Innocence had its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received positive critical response. He then starred in the melodrama indie film Don't Forget Me, also known as Remember You, a remake of Lee Yoon-2010 jung's short film Remember O Goddess. Jung co-produced the film as well, explaining that he wanted to protect the director's original ideas, which other producers wanted to change.
Asura: The City of Madness, his fourth collaboration with director Kim Sung-su, was released in 2016. Jung portrayed a crooked detective who tries to save his terminally ill wife while also arresting the town mayor. Asura had its world premiere in September 2016 at the 41st Toronto Film Festival, where it was shown in the Special Presentations section. Han Jae-political rim's drama The King, which was shot in 2016 and released in 2017, was the actor's second film. The plot revolves around a senior prosecutor who is manipulated by an overconfident younger colleague connected to the mafia.
In 2017, Jung co-stars in Steel Rain as a former North Korean intelligence agent. In the science fiction action thriller Illang: The Wolf Brigade, he played an officer of the elite police unit. The film was his second collaboration with director Kim Jee-woon, and was based on the Japanese anime Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade.
In 2019, he will play a lawyer in the drama film Innocent Witness. At the Baeksang Arts Awards, his performance earned him the Grand Prize in Film. He appeared in the thriller Beasts that Cling to the Straw the same year.
Jung appeared in the sequel to Steel Rain, titled Steel Rain 2: Summit, in 2020. Jung co-starred in Lee Jung-directorial jae's debut, the spy action film Hunt, which premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
Television
Jung made his first major television appearance in the SBS drama series Asphalt Man in 1995, playing an aspiring race driver who travels to the United States to pursue his dream. The role not only increased his popularity, but also earned him critical acclaim, including Best New Actor at the 32nd Baeksang Arts Awards and SBS Drama Awards.
Jung appeared in the big-budget spy series Athena: Goddess of War in 2010, after a 15-year absence, as an NTS (National Anti-Terrorism Service) agent. Athena was a spin-off of the highly successful KBS2 drama IRIS, which aired in 2009. The series was shot on location in Italy, New Zealand, Japan, and the United States for a budget of 20 billion (US$17 million). The show aired on SBS, and its pilot episodes drew 22.8% of the audience. In January 2011, Jung and another actor were injured while filming, forcing one of Athena's episodes to be postponed for a week. The series was also adapted into a two-hour film, Athena: The Movie, which was released in 2011.
In episodes 6 and 7 of Good Life Arigatou, Papa. Sayonara, he made his Japanese drama debut as a guest star.
Jung was followed by another TV series, Padam Padam, which marked the launch of the new cable broadcasting station JTBC. "I decided on this drama because (he) was drawn to the way Noh Hee-kyung writes 'family drama.' Whether mother-son or father-son, the love and pain experienced by families is something (he)'d like to try portraying in a realistic way," Jung explained. He portrayed a man who had just been released from prison after serving a 16-year sentence for a crime he did not commit. The show debuted on December 5, 2011.
In December 2020, he took over as the lead in the SBS television series Delayed Justice, replacing Bae Seung-woo. In 2021, Jung served as an executive producer for the Netflix series The Silent Sea. In 2022, he will star in a remake of the Japanese drama Say Me to Love Me.
Work as a director
Jung began experimenting with directing in 2000. His first works were music videos for G.o.d, a popular South Korean pop music group. He directed and starred in a promotional commercial for cable channel XTM in 2012. A year later, Jung was one of four celebrities who directed a short film with the theme "Meet a Life Companion" using the smartphone Samsung Galaxy S4. Love, his short film about first love, received 1.8 million views on YouTube. He then directed another short film for the Samsung Galaxy S4, this time for the "Story of Me and S4" project. Choi Jin-hyuk played an ordinary office worker who dreams of leaving his mundane existence and entering a world of fantasy in Jung's short Beginning of a Dream; he is approached by a blue fish, rides a supersonic sports car, sees a boy floating past holding a balloon, hangs out with a hippie band in their van, and meets himself as a young boy at a bus stop.
In 2014, Jung directed three short films for Three Charmed Lives, an omnibus commissioned by the Hong Kong International Film Festival, alongside actors Francis Ng and Chang Chen. The Killer Behind the Old Man, Jung's short film, was praised by critics as the strongest and most stylish entry. In it, a son hires an ultra-methodical hitman (played by Andy Choi) to assassinate his father, but the killer is mesmerized by the man's slow-moving and ordered life, and thus hesitates to carry out his mission. In November 2014, Jung was invited to present The Killer Behind the Old Man at the 9th London Korean Film Festival.
A Man of Reason, his feature directorial debut starring himself, Kim Nam-gil, Park Sung-woong, and Kim Jun-han, was invited to the Special Presentations section of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere in September 2022.
Participation of the UNHCR
Jung Woo-sung was named UNHCR Korea's first celebrity supporter in May 2014. On June 17, 2015, he was officially nominated as a UNHCR National Goodwill Ambassador. In 2014, he went on his first UNHCR mission to Nepal. He then gave 50 million (US$46,000) to earthquake victims on April 25th.
He visited South Sudan in 2015 and met with Syrian refugees in Lebanon in early March 2016. In June 2017, he visited the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where he visited the Qushtapa camp for Syrian refugees and the Hasansham U3 camp, which houses mostly Iraqis displaced from the Mosul region.
Firms that specialize in talent management
In October of 2012, Jung left Taurus Films, his agent since 2009, and founded Red Brick House, naming his manager of ten years as CEO. Jung and actor Lee Jung-jae co-founded and became CEOs of the talent management agency Artist Company in May 2016. In addition to the owners, the company represents Lee Si-a, Go Ara, Ha Jung-woo, Esom, Nam Ji-hyun, and Yum Jung-ah.
Jung has not only attended various international film festivals as an actor or director, but has also served on the juries of the following festivals:
• 2012: 17th Busan International Film Festival, South Korea; • 2013: 14th Jeonju International Film Festival, South Korea; • 2014: 20th Gwangju Biennale, South Korea; • 2015: SSFF & Asia (Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia), Japan;
Private life
He is best friends with Lee Jung-jae, another actor he met while filming City of the Rising Sun. They are co-owners and co-investors in a number of companies, including management firm Artist Company.
The actor is notoriously secretive about his romantic relationships. So far, the only one he has publicly acknowledged is his brief relationship with Athena co-star Lee Ji-ah. Jung confirmed their relationship in March 2011 after they were photographed on a date in Paris. However, after Lee's previous marriages and divorces with top Korean singer-songwriter Seo Taiji were made public the following month, the Korean press reported in June that Jung and Lee had broken up. Despite this, and in contrast to some other South Korean megastars, Jung's life has been free of scandal, and he is frequently praised by fellow filmmakers for his cooperation and willingness to assist junior colleagues on the set. When eating with coworkers or ordering meals for the entire crew, he is known for picking up the tab.
Philanthropy
On March 8, 2022, Jung and Lee Jung-jae donated 100 million won to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to assist victims of the massive wildfire that began in Uljin, Gyeongbuk and has spread to Samcheok, Gangwon.
On August 3, 2022, the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association announced that Jung and Lee Jung-jae had joined the Hope Bridge Honors Club, a group of major donors with over $100 million in donations.
Filmography
Film
List of Film
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|
| English | Korean |
|---|
| 1994 | The Fox with Nine Tails | 구미호 | Hyuk |
|
| 1996 | Born to Kill | 본투킬 | Kil |
|
| Shanghai Grand | 상해탄 | Ryu So-hwang |
|
| 1997 | Beat | 비트 | Lee Min |
|
| Motel Cactus | 모텔 선인장 | Lee Mi-ku |
|
| 1998 | City of the Rising Sun | 태양은 없다 | Do-chul |
|
| 1999 | Phantom: The Submarine | 유령 | Number 431 |
|
| Love | 러브 | Myung-soo |
|
| 2001 | Musa | 무사 | Yeo-sol |
|
| 2003 | Mutt Boy | 똥개 | Cha Cheol-min |
|
| 2004 | A Moment to Remember | 내 머리속의 지우개 | Cheol-su |
|
| 2005 | Sad Movie | 새드무비 | Jin-woo |
|
| 2006 | Daisy | 데이지 | Park Yi |
|
| The Restless | 중천 | Yi-gwak |
|
| 2008 | The Good, the Bad, the Weird | 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈 | Park Do-won, the Good |
|
| 2009 | Present | 선물 | Min-woo | W Korea short film |
| A Good Rain Knows | 호우시절 | Park Dong-ha |
|
| 2010 | Reign of Assassins | 검우강호 | Jiang Ah-sheng/Zhang Renfang |
|
| 2013 | Cold Eyes | 감시자들 | James |
|
| 2014 | The Divine Move | 신의 한 수 | Tae-seok |
|
| Scarlet Innocence | 마담 뺑덕 | Shim Hak-kyu |
|
| 2016 | Don't Forget Me | 나를 잊지 말아요 | Seok-won |
|
| Asura: The City of Madness | 아수라 | Han Do-kyung |
|
| 2017 | The King | 더 킹 | Han Kang-sik |
|
| Steel Rain | 강철비 | Eom Chul-woo |
|
| 2018 | Intention | 그날, 바다 | narrator | documentary[90] |
| Illang: The Wolf Brigade | 인랑 | Jang Jin-tae |
|
| 2019 | Innocent Witness | 증인 | Soon-ho |
|
| Trade Your Love | 어쩌다, 결혼 | traffic cop | Special appearance |
| 2020 | Beasts Clawing at Straws | 지푸라기라도 잡고 싶은 짐승들 | Tae-young |
|
| Steel Rain 2: Summit | 강철비2: 정상회담 | Han Kyeong-Jae, President of South Korea |
|
| 2022 | Hunt | 헌트 | Kim Jung-do | [91][92] |
| A Man of Reason | 보호자 | Soo-hyuk | Also director and writer[62][93] |
| 2023 | Ungnami | 웅남이 |
| Special appearance[94] |
| TBA | Seoul Spring | 서울의 봄 |
| [95] |
| Cobweb | 거미집 |
| Special appearance[96] |
| Sweet Sea | 달짝지근해 |
| Special appearance[97] |
| Harbin | 하얼빈 |
| Special appearance[98] |
Television series
Television series performances
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|
| English | Korean |
|---|
| 1995 | Asphalt Man | 아스팔트 사나이 | Kang Dong-suk |
|
| 1996 | Oxtail Soup | 곰탕 |
|
|
| 1.5 | 1.5 | Lee Jang-wook |
|
| 2010 | Athena: Goddess of War | 아테나: 전쟁의 여신 | Lee Jung-woo |
|
| 2011 | Good Life ~Arigatou, Papa. Sayonara~ | 굿 라이프 | Dr. Lee | Cameo (episodes 6–7) |
| Padam Padam | 빠담빠담.... 그와 그녀의 심장박동소리 | Yang Kang-chil |
|
| 2021 | Delayed Justice | 날아라 개천용 | Park Sam-soo | [99] [note 1] |
| 2023 | Tell Me That You Love Me | 사랑한다고 말해줘 | Cha Jin-woo | [100] |
Television shows
Television shows performances
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|
| English | Korean |
|---|
| 2021 | Stars of West Gando, 3500 | 서간도의 별들, 3500 | Narrator | [note 2] |
|---|
As director
Television shows performances
| Year | Title | Role | Starring |
|---|
| English | Korean |
|---|
| 2000 | After You Left Me | 그대 날 떠난 후로 | g.o.d music video | Shin Min-ah, Kim Kwang-il |
| 2002 | You Just Don't Know | 모르죠 | Shin Min-ah, Jo In-sung |
| Sad Love | 슬픈 사랑 |
| A Fool | 바보 |
| 2012 | EGO편 | EGO편 | XTM station ID | Himself |
| 2013 | Love (4랑) | 나와 S4 이야기 | short film | Seo Ye-ji, Jo Seung-hyun |
| Beginning of a Dream |
| short film | Choi Jin-hyuk |
| 2014 | The Killer Behind the Old Man | 킬러 앞에 노인 | short film from Three Charmed Lives | Andy Choi, Woo Sang-jeon |
As producer
Television shows performances
| Year | Title |
|---|
| English | Korean |
|---|
| 2015 | Don't Forget Me | 나를 잊지 말아요 |
As executive producer
Television shows performances
| Year | Title | Starring |
|---|
| English | Korean |
|---|
| 2021 | The Silent Sea | 고요의 바다 | Gong Yoo, Doona Bae |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|
| 1995 | SBS Drama Awards | Best New Actor | Asphalt Man | Won |
| 1996 | Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actor (TV) | Won |
| 1997 | Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best New Actor | Beat | Won |
| Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actor | Nominated |
| 1999 | Blue Dragon Film Awards | Popular Star Award | Phantom: The Submarine | Won |
| 2001 | Blue Dragon Film Awards | Musa | Won |
| 2002 | Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | Nominated |
| 2003 | Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actor | Mutt Boy | Nominated |
| 2005 | Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actor | A Moment to Remember | Nominated |
| 2006 | Korea World Youth Film Festival | Favorite Actor | — | Won |
| 2007 | Korea World Youth Film Festival | — | Won |
| 2008 | Hawaii International Film Festival | Outstanding Achievement in Acting | — | Won |
| Korea Fashion & Design Awards | Best Dressed of the Year | — | Won |
| Buil Film Awards | Best Actor | The Good, the Bad, the Weird | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | Popular Star Award | Won |
| 2009 | Asian Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Won |
| Style Icon Awards | Style Icon Actor | — | Won |
| 2011 | Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism | Distinguished Korean Wave Entertainer Award for Film | — | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Planning Drama | Athena: Goddess of War | Nominated |
| 2013 | Style Icon Awards | Top 10 Style Icon | — | Won |
| Korean Swan Best Dresser Awards | Best Dresser Award (Actor) | — | Won |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Cold Eyes | Nominated |
| 2014 | Asian Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (Film) | Nominated |
| Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | The Divine Move | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actor | Nominated |
| 2016 | Blue Dragon Film Awards | Asura: The City of Madness | Nominated |
| Popular Star Award | Won |
| Busan Film Critics Awards | Best Actor | Won |
| 2017 | Buil Film Awards | Nominated |
| Marie Claire Film Awards | Pioneer Award | Won |
| The Seoul Awards | Best Actor (Film) | The King | Nominated |
| 2018 | Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (Film) | Steel Rain | Nominated |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actor | Won |
| 2019 | Baeksang Arts Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) for Film | Innocent Witness | Won |
| Best Actor (Film) | Nominated |
| Golden Cinema Film Festival | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Won |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actor | Won |
| Korean Film Producers Association Awards | Best Actor | Won |
| 2020 | Grand Bell Awards | Nominated |
| Buil Film Awards | Beasts Clawing at Straws | Nominated |
| 2021 | Blue Dragon Film Awards[114][115] | Best Leading Actor | Steel Rain 2: Summit | Nominated |
| Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Rookie Critic Award | — | Won |
Beautiful Artist Award
(Shin Young-kyun Arts and Culture Foundation) | Achievement Artist Award | Won |
| 2022 | 31st Buil Film Awards | Best Actor | Hunt | Nominated |
| 58th Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | Nominated |
| 42nd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Actor | Won |
| 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actor | Nominated |
| 42nd Hawaiʻi International Film Festival | Halekulani Career Achievement Award | A Man of Reason | Won |
State honors
Name of country, year given, and name of honor
| Country | Year | Honor |
|---|
| South Korea[note 3] | 2021 | Presidential Commendation |
|---|
Listicles
Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement |
|---|
| Forbes | 2015 | Korea Power Celebrity | 16th |
|---|
| 2017 | 21st |
| 2018 | 17th |
Jung Woo-sung Biography
| Name | Jung Woo-sung |
| Nickname | None |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of Birth | 22-Apr-1973 |
| Age in 2023 | 50 |
| Birth Place | Seoul, South Korea |
| Country | South Korea |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Height | 1.86 (m) |
| Weight | Unknown (KGs) |
| Profession | South Korean Actor |
| Height | In Centimeters: 186 cm.
In Meters: 1.86 m.
In Feet Inches: 6'1" |
| Weight | In KG: Not known
In Pound: Not known |
| Eye Color | - |
| Hair Color | - |
| Marital Status | Yet to update |
Some FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) about Jung Woo-sung.
- What is the Net Worth of Jung Woo-sung?
The Net Worth of Jung Woo-sung is $1.5 Million.
- What is the Height of Jung Woo-sung?
The height of Jung Woo-sung is 1.86.
- Where is the birthplace of Jung Woo-sung?
The birthplace of Jung Woo-sung is Seoul, South Korea
- What is the Date of Birth of Jung Woo-sung?
The birthday of Jung Woo-sung is on 22-Apr-1973.
- Is Jung Woo-sung Married?
The marital status of Jung Woo-sung is: Yet to update.
