Jung Woo-sung
Jung Woo-sung | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1994–present |
Agent | Red Brick House |
Korean name | |
Hangul | |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Jeong U-seong |
McCune–Reischauer | Chǒng U-sǒng |
Jung Woo-sung (born March 20, 1973) is a South Korean actor.
Career
After first finding work as a model, Jung Woo-sung made his film debut in the 1994 movie The Fox with Nine Tails, together with Ko So-young. He and Ko would go on to act in two more films together.[1]
Jung found widespread fame in Kim Sung-su's 1997 film Beat, in which he played a high school student who becomes caught up in gang life against his will. Since this film, he became known as one of Korea's top commercial stars. In the subsequent years he portrayed a young boxer in City of the Rising Sun, a naval lieutenant in Phantom: The Submarine, and a marathoner in Love.[1]
In 2001, Jung took on one of his most high-profile roles in Kim Sung-su's epic blockbuster Musa. Playing a long-haired slave, he acted opposite Chinese superstar Zhang Ziyi and received wide exposure abroad as well as in Korea. After spending time in 2002 directing a series of music videos and appearing in a large number of commercials, Jung took on the eccentric lead role in Mutt Boy, the fifth film by director Kwak Kyung-taek.[1]
Jung's next roles would be in highly romantic roles that played off his established screen image. In the box office hit A Moment to Remember he plays an architect whose wife (played by Son Ye-jin) is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease and in the Netherlands-set Daisy, he plays a hired assassin who falls in love with a street artist played by Jun Ji-hyun.[1] He portrays a happily committed fireman in Sad Movie, and rekindles a romance with an old friend in A Good Rain Knows.[2][3][4] His big-budget martial arts films The Restless and Reign of Assassins would also have romantic elements.[5]
Kim Jee-woon's "kimchi western" The Good, the Bad, the Weird would give Jung one of his most iconic roles, using his physicality to great effect as the Clint Eastwood counterpart in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Shortly after he would work again with the director in a short film for W Korea.[6]
Given the hype regarding his return to the small screen after 15 years, Jung's spy genre drama Athena: Goddess of War (spin-off to 2009's IRIS)[7] was a disappointment, failing to duplicate its predecessor's ratings. He made his Japanese drama debut with a guest appearance in episodes 6 and 7 of Good Life ~Arigatou, Papa. Sayonara~.[8]
He followed that with another TV series Padam Padam... The Sound of His and Her Heartbeats which marked the establishment of new cable broadcasting station jTBC. Jung said he "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."[9] He played a man who has recently been released from jail after serving a 16-year sentence for a crime he didn’t commit.[10][11]
Jung was cast in the English-language 3D remake of John Woo's The Killer.[12] The film will be shot in Los Angeles, and reunites him with A Moment to Remember director John H. Lee and Reign of Assassins director John Woo who will be producing.[13]
In 2012, he directed and starred in the commercial for cable channel XTM.[14][15][16] And a year later, Jung was among four celebrities who directed a short film using smartphone Samsung Galaxy S4 with the theme "Meet a Life Companion." His short Love explored the feelings of first love, and recorded 1.8 million views on YouTube.[17]
Jung drew praise in his first villain role in Cold Eyes, an action thriller that became a box office hit in 2013.[18][19][20][21][22]
He then directed another short film for Samsung Galaxy S4, this time for the project "Story of Me and S4." In Jung's short Beginning of a Dream, Choi Jin-hyuk starred as an ordinary office worker who dreams of leaving his mundane existence and entering a world of fantasy; he is approached by a blue fish, rides a sports car at supersonic speed, 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.[23]
In 2014, Jung along with Chinese actors Francis Ng and Chang Chen, directed three short films for Three Charmed Lives, an omnibus commissioned by the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Critics praised Jung's short The Killer Behind the Old Man as the strongest and most stylish entry; in it, an ultra-methodical hitman (played by Andy Choi) is hired to assassinate an elderly man, but finds himself transfixed by the man's slow-moving and ordered life, and thus hesitates to carry through with his mission.[24][25]
Jung next played a baduk player out for revenge in The Divine Move,[26][27][28] followed by an adulterous university professor gradually losing his eyesight in Scarlet Innocence.[29][30] He is set to star in and produce the Memento-esque indie feature Don't Forget Me, and has been cast in the Joseon-era monster movie Jakseoui Byeon - Attack of the Water Monster and the thriller Asura (the latter is his fourth collaboration with Kim Sung-su).[31][32] [33] [34]
Personal life
Jung grew up in Sadang-dong, then one of the poorest towns in Seoul.[35]
He gave up studying to pursue his dream of becoming an actor, dropping out of high school after one year. It was controversial at the time that he did not conceal this fact but rather claimed that he did not regret his decision.[36]
Jung is best friends with fellow actor Lee Jung-jae, whom he met while filming City of the Rising Sun. They are co-owners and co-investors of several businesses.[15][16]
After they were photographed on a date in Paris,[37] Jung confirmed in March 2011 that he was dating Athena co-star Lee Ji-ah.[38][39][40] But after Lee's married and divorced past with top Korean singer-songwriter Seo Taiji became exposed to the public the following month, the Korean press reported in June that Jung and Lee had broken up.[41][42]
Filmography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Jung_Woo-sung_Sydney_2008.jpg/220px-Jung_Woo-sung_Sydney_2008.jpg)
Film
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1994 | The Fox with Nine Tails | Hyuk |
1996 | Born to Kill | Kil |
Shanghai Grand | Ryu So-hwang | |
1997 | Beat | Min |
Motel Cactus | Lee Mi-ku | |
1998 | City of the Rising Sun | Do-chul |
1999 | Phantom: The Submarine | Number 431 |
Love | Myung-soo | |
2001 | Musa | Yeo-sol |
2003 | Mutt Boy | Cha Cheol-min |
2004 | A Moment to Remember | Cheol-su |
2005 | Sad Movie | Jin-woo |
2006 | Daisy | Park Yi |
The Restless | Yi-gwak | |
2007 | Close to You (short film) | cameo |
2008 | The Good, the Bad, the Weird | Park Do-won, the Good |
2009 | Present (W Korea short film) | Min-woo |
A Good Rain Knows | Park Dong-ha | |
2010 | Reign of Assassins | Jiang Ah-sheng/Zhang Renfang |
2011 | Friends & Love (Giordano short film) | |
2013 | Cold Eyes | James |
2014 | The Divine Move | Tae-seok |
Scarlet Innocence | Shim Hak-kyu | |
2015 | Don't Forget Me | Seok-won |
Jakseoui Byeon | Yoon Gyeom | |
2016 | Asura |
Television series
Year | Title | Role | Network |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | Asphalt Man | Kang Dong-suk | SBS |
1996 | Oxtail Soup | SBS | |
1.5 | Lee Jang-wook | MBC | |
2010 | Athena: Goddess of War | Lee Jung-woo | SBS |
2011 | Good Life ~Arigatou, Papa. Sayonara~ | Dr. Lee (episodes 6-7) | Fuji TV |
Padam Padam... The Sound of His and Her Heartbeats | Yang Kang-chil | jTBC |
As Director
Year | Title | Notes | Starring |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | "After You Left Me" | g.o.d music video | Shin Min-ah, Kim Kwang-il |
2002 | "You Just Don't Know" | Shin Min-ah, Jo In-sung | |
"Sad Love" | |||
"A Fool" | |||
2012 | EGO편 | XTM station ID | himself |
2013 | Love (4랑) | short film | Seo Ye-ji, Jo Seung-hyun |
Beginning of a Dream | short film | Choi Jin-hyuk | |
2014 | The Killer Behind the Old Man | short film from Three Charmed Lives | Andy Choi, Woo Sang-jeon |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | SBS Drama Awards | Best New Actor | Asphalt Man | Won |
1996 | 32nd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actor (TV) | Won | |
1997 | 17th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best New Actor | Beat | Won |
35th Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
18th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
1999 | 20th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Popular Star Award | Phantom: The Submarine | Won |
2001 | 22nd Blue Dragon Film Awards | Popular Star Award | Musa | Won |
2002 | 39th Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | |
2003 | 24th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actor | Mutt Boy | Nominated |
2008 | Hawaii International Film Festival | Outstanding Achievement in Acting | — | Won |
17th Buil Film Awards | Best Actor | The Good, the Bad, the Weird | Won | |
29th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Popular Star Award | Won | ||
Korea Fashion & Design Awards | Best Dressed of the Year | — | Won | |
2009 | 3rd Asian Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | The Good, the Bad, the Weird | Won |
2nd 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 | 6th Style Icon Awards | Top 10 Style Icon | — | Won |
34th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Cold Eyes | Nominated | |
2014 | 8th Asian Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | |
50th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (Film) | Nominated | ||
51st Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | The Divine Move | Nominated | |
35th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actor | Nominated |
References
- ^ a b c d "Actors and Actresses of Korean Cinema: Jung Woo-sung". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- ^ Wee, Geun-woo (October 23, 2009). "INTERVIEW: Actor Jung Woo-sung - 1". 10Asia.
- ^ Wee, Geun-woo (October 23, 2009). "INTERVIEW: Actor Jung Woo-sung - 2". 10Asia.
- ^ "All That Star: Jung Woo-sung". Arirang News. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- ^ Lee, Ji-hye (October 25, 2010). "Actor Jung Woo-sung's Movie Picks". 10Asia.
- ^ Yi, Chang-ho (February 6, 2009). "JUNG Woo-sung and KIM A-jung join KIM Jee-woon". Korean Film Biz Zone.
- ^ Kang, Hye-ran (January 4, 2011). "Jung Woo-sung is one cool character, at work and in life". Korea JoongAng Daily.
- ^ Kim, Jessica (April 5, 2011). "Jung Woo-sung to appear in Japanese drama". 10Asia.
- ^ Hong, Lucia (August 9, 2011). "Jung Woo-sung to play male lead in new mini-series". 10Asia.
- ^ Oh, Jean (December 1, 2011). "Jung Woo-sung opens up about first Korean drama after scandal". The Korea Herald.
- ^ Kim, Hyo-eun (December 14, 2011). "Actor Jung trades dashing for dirty". Korea JoongAng Daily.
- ^ McNary, Dave (January 31, 2011). "John Woo to remake his own Killer". Variety.
- ^ Yoon, Hee-seong (July 11, 2011). "Jung Woo-sung nails Hong Kong pic The Killer remake". 10Asia.
- ^ Lee, In-kyung (September 17, 2012). "Jung Woo Sung Directs New Commercial for Channel XTM". enewsWorld.
- ^ a b "Jung Woo Sung hope to star in a romantic comedy". Korea Star Daily via Yahoo!. October 8, 2012.
- ^ a b Lesia, Algie (November 4, 2012). "Jung Woo Sung Gets Personal For 1st Look". 24-7 Kpop.
- ^ Jang, Sung-ran (May 9, 2013). "4 Celebrities Make Smartphone Shorts". Korean Film Biz Zone.
- ^ Sunwoo, Carla (October 12, 2012). "Jung Woo-sung preps for bad guy role". Korea JoongAng Daily.
- ^ Sunwoo, Carla (June 6, 2013). "Cold Eyes is a story of firsts for the cast". Korea JoongAng Daily.
- ^ Lim, Ju-ri (June 28, 2013). "Jung Woo-sung turns bad". Korea JoongAng Daily.
- ^ "Jung Woo-sung Turns His Back on Nice-Guy Image in New Film". The Chosun Ilbo. June 29, 2013.
- ^ Lee, Hye-ji (July 15, 2013). "INTERVIEW: Actor Jung Woo-sung: Confessions of a Top Star". 10Asia.
- ^ Jeon, Su-mi (July 31, 2013). "Choi Jin Hyuk Stars in a Short Piece Directed by Jung Woo Sung". enewsWorld.
- ^ Adams, Mark (March 24, 2014). "Three Charmed Lives". Screen International.
- ^ Kerr, Elizabeth (March 31, 2014). "Three Charmed Lives Filmart Review: Three of Asia's most prominent actors step behind the camera". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Jin, Eun-soo (May 30, 2014). "The Divine Move an action twist on baduk". Korea JoongAng Daily.
- ^ Sunwoo, Carla (June 27, 2014). "High stakes set in risky baduk flick". Korea JoongAng Daily.
- ^ Jang, Sung-ran (July 10, 2014). "Jung muses latest move". Korea JoongAng Daily.
- ^ Lee, Eun-sun (October 14, 2014). "Jung is red hot in Scarlet Innocence". Korea JoongAng Daily.
- ^ Choi, Song-hee (October 22, 2014). "Scarlet Innocence A Classic Man, Jung Woo Sung". BNTNews.
- ^ Conran, Pierce (January 19, 2015). "Jung Woo-sung To Hunt Monsters In New Period Film". Twitch Film.
- ^ Conran, Pierce. "JUNG Woo-sung and HWANG Jung-min Team Up for New Thriller". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^ 정남, 조 (2015-11-21). "아수라, 박명수 이마때리기로 '12만원' 낙찰 "젊은 애한테 맞아보긴 오랜만이야" 폭소".
- ^ https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2015/12/201_192853.html
- ^ Kang, Hye-in (November 30, 2012). "Jeong Woo Sung talks about his poor family background". StarN News.
- ^ "내 선택엔 후회가 없다…당당한 학력 연예인들 주목". Chosun.com (in Korean). August 24, 2007.
- ^ Lee, Woo-young (March 11, 2011). "Co-stars in ATHENA spotted dating in Paris: report". The Korea Herald.
- ^ Kwon, Mee-yoo (March 21, 2011). "Jung admits dating E Ji-ah". The Korea Times.
- ^ "Jung Woo-sung Admits Romance with Lee Ji-ah". The Chosun Ilbo. March 21, 2011.
- ^ Kim, Jessica (April 26, 2011). "Jung Woo-sung: E Ji-ah not a defensive person". 10Asia.
- ^ Ko, Kyoung-seok (June 9, 2011). "Jung Woo-sung, E Ji-ah believed to have broken up". 10Asia.
- ^ Sunwoo, Carla (November 30, 2012). "Jung Woo-sung talks about E Jiah relationship". Korea JoongAng Daily.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official website
- Jung Woo-sung at HanCinema
- Jung Woo-sung at the Korean Movie Database
- Jung Woo-sung at IMDb