Kim Min-hee is a South Korean actress.
Career Kim Min-hee began modeling when she was in
middle school, and soon appeared as a cover girl in teen magazines.
Thanks to her unique facial features and slender figure, in 1999 she was cast in the campus
drama School 2 as a rebellious high school girl, which launched her to stardom.
She became a popular young star at barely 20 years old, appearing on TV dramas and movies.
However, a string of poor acting performances brought her negative criticism.
Critics and viewers disparagingly called her an "attractive but blank actress," more famous
for being a fashion icon and actor Lee Jung-jae's then-girlfriend.
In 2006, after reading the synopsis of TV series Goodbye Solo, Kim knew that she wanted
the role of Mi-ri more than anything, saying "I was ready to do anything to play her."
She begged renowned screenwriter Noh Hee-kyung to cast her, and though Noh turned her down
five times, Kim would not give up, and her determination eventually convinced Noh to
see her hidden potential.
Vowing to start over from the bottom, Kim went through strict acting training which
included basic vocal and respiratory exercises, she got a hold of the script before anyone
else, and continued to analyze the role and practice everyday.
Kim said that until Goodbye Solo, she hadn't been sure what to do with the rest of her
life, but the drama made her feel that acting was her true calling, like she'd "finally
opened up the first page of the textbook."
She received good reviews for her performance, and despite the drama's low ratings, the role
transformed her career.
Her succeeding movie roles helped solidify her career reinvention, beginning with 2008's
Hellcats, a light-hearted comedy that explored the lives and loves of three women at different
stages of womanhood.
Kim played an aspiring screenwriter in her twenties who's agonizing over her insecure
career and shaky romance with a deadbeat musician boyfriend.
Reviews praised her "compelling performance," and she later won Best Actress at the Baeksang
Arts Awards and the Busan Film Critics Awards.
Kim then joined the all-star cast of Actresses, a semi-improvisational mockumentary directed
by E J-yong.
Set during a Vogue Korea photo shoot, Kim gets upset in the film over a remark by a
staffer that men don't find skinny women like her attractive, as compared to her more voluptuous
costar Kim Ok-bin.
A supporting turn as a reporter in conspiracy film Moby Dick followed in 2011.
Kim further stretched the limits of her acting range in psychological thriller Helpless,
adapted from Miyabe Miyuki's novel All She Was Worth.
She said she had absolute trust in director Byun Young-joo and never even checked the
monitors, and Byun was likewise complimentary, saying, "I ended up adding more scenes for
her to act because she was just exceptional.
She knew what she was doing, and knew she was able to pull it off.
She was rarely nervous throughout the production.
She's got no fear and is always confident."
Kim said the role gave her a chance to show what she was capable of as an actress, adding,
"I feel differently about acting now.
I often feel a tremendous sense of achievement and really enjoy doing this job."
Displaying a striking screen presence as a mysterious girl who disappears without a trace
while her bewildered fiance discovers a trail of falsified information, Kim received several
acting nominations and won Best Actress at the Buil Film Awards.
After her contract with Lee Byung-hun's agency BH Entertainment ended in late 2012, Kim signed
with Management Soop, which also handles the career of her friend Gong Hyo-jin.
In 2013, Kim again earned raves for her performance in Very Ordinary Couple.
Unlike the typical romantic comedy, the relationship drama told a more realistic story of an on-and-off
couple of three years.
During her acceptance speech as Best Actress at the 2013 Baeksang Arts Awards, Kim thanked
her costar Lee Min-ki and director Roh Deok, who "helped shape character Young on the screen."
Personal life Kim dated actor Lee Jung-jae from 2003 to
2006, model-actor Lee Soo-hyuk from 2008 to 2010, and actor Jo In-sung from 2013 to 2014.
Filmography Film
No Tears for the Dead Very Ordinary Couple
Behind the Camera Helpless
Moby Dick Actresses
Hellcats Surprise Party
Asako in Ruby Shoes Television series
Love Marriage Goodbye Solo
My 19 Year Old Sister-in-Law Dal-joong's Cinderella
Age of Innocence Short Meeting, Long Goodbye
Juliet's Man Look Back in Anger
Oh!
Happy Day School 2
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Awards 2013 Blue Dragon Film Awards: Popular Star
Award 2013 Baeksang Arts Awards: Best Film Actress
2012 Buil Film Awards: Best Actress 2008 Mnet 20's Choice Awards: Hot Female Movie
Star 2008 Baeksang Arts Awards: Best Film Actress
2008 Pusan Film Critics Awards: Best Actress 2002 SBS Drama Awards: Popularity Award
2000 SBS Drama Awards: Best New Actress 1999 KBS Drama Awards: Best Young Actress
References
External links Kim Min-hee on Cyworld
Kim Min-hee at Soop Management Kim Min-hee at HanCinema
Kim Min-hee at the Korean Movie Database Kim Min-hie at the Internet Movie Database