Hong Kwang-ho

Hong Kwang-ho
Born	(1982-04-06) April 6, 1982 Seoul, South Korea
Occupation	Musical theater actor
Years active	2002–present
Korean name
Hangul	홍광호
Revised Romanization	Hong Gwangho
McCune–Reischauer	Hong Kwangho

Hong Kwang-ho is South Korean actor mainly known for his works in musical theater. Hong is best known worldwide for his portrayal of Thuy in the 2014 West End revival of the musical Miss Saigon.

Life and career

Hong was born on Seoul in 1982. He was first introduced to musical theatre through his sister who was planning to be an actor, and with this in mind he entered Kaywon School of Art and Design after her. Later he graduated from Chung-Ang University with Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. He made a debut on stage as an ensemble member of the musical The Last Empress. After travelling to London for West End run of the show he was motivated to be a leading actor, but was unable to win a role for years after returning from the military service.

In 2006 Hong appeared on the Korean production of Miss Saigon as an understudy for Chris. With this experience he landed a role a year later as Haesoo, main character of the musical Cheotsarang (First Love), starring alongside Jo Jung-suk. In the same year he also starred in Korean production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as Tobias.

Hong became the center of attention in 2009 for his portrayal of the titular characters in the musical Jekyll & Hyde, one of the best-selling shows in Korean theatre. He was especially noted for being the youngest actor to portray the main character. After his run on Jekyll & Hyde, he starred in a new musical Bballae (Laundry) as Solongo, the Mongolian immigrant worker.

The same year Hong appeared in The Phantom of the Opera as Viscount Raoul de Chagny. A year after he was chosen to portray the titular character of the show, making him one of the youngest actors in the world to portray The Phantom. In 2012, Hong portrayed Yuri Zhivago in the Korean production of the show Doctor Zhivago after reprising his role as Doctor Jekyll. After Zhivago he played the main character (Miguel de Cervantes/Don Quixote) on The Man of La Mancha, and the male lead Bae Bijang on the show Saljjaki Opseoye (Sweet, Come to Me Stealthily). A year after he also starred in Notre-Dame de Paris as Quasimodo.

In 2014, it was revealed that Cameron Mackintosh had chosen Hong to portray Thuy in the new West End revival of Miss Saigon. During his year-long run as Thuy, he was critically acclaimed and lauded by audiences and critics alike, and was awarded WhatsOnStage award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. After Miss Saigon and his return to Korea, Hong starred as Light Yagami in the 2015 musical adaptation of Death Note along with Kim Junsu as L.