Sol Kyung-gu

Sol Kyung-gu
Born	(1968-05-01) May 1, 1968 Seocheon, South Chungcheong, South Korea
Education	Hanyang University - Theater and Film
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1993–present
Agent	C-JeS Entertainment
Spouse(s)	unnamed (m. 1996; div. 2006) Song Yun-ah (m. 2009)
Korean name
Hangul	설경구
Hanja	薛耿求
Revised Romanization	Seol Gyeong-gu
McCune–Reischauer	Sŏl Kyŏnggu

Sol Kyung-gu (born May 1, 1968) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the popular Public Enemy film series, as well as Peppermint Candy, Oasis, Silmido, Hope and The Merciless.

Career

Sol was born in Seocheon on May 1, 1968, and studied Theater and Film at Hanyang University (Class of '86). Upon his graduation in 1994, he appeared in numerous theatrical productions, such as the hit Korean adaptation of the German rock musical Subway Line 1, and productions of Sam Shepard's True West and A. R. Gurney's Love Letters.^[1]

In the mid-1990s, he began taking on minor roles in feature films, but it was not until 1999 that he made his breakthrough, with major roles in The Bird That Stops in the Air, Rainbow Trout, and above all else, Peppermint Candy in which he played a suicidal man devastated by the two-decades of historical change his country undergoes.^[2] The critical acclaim and larger-than-expected popular appeal of this film instantly transformed Sol into one of the most respected young actors in Korea.

After the rather heavy-themed work of his early career, Sol then appeared in a mix of genre movies and more serious work. He starring in the romantic comedy I Wish I Had a Wife with Jeon Do-yeon in 2001, and then acted in a Japanese TV drama produced by NHK.

The year 2002 was huge for Sol, starring in three major films which effectively made him into one of the most popular actors in Korea. As a violent and unscrupulous police detective in Public Enemy he won both local acting awards and many new fans as the film drew close to 3 million viewers. In August, he starred in Lee Chang-dong's highly acclaimed third film Oasis, which won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival. Sol's portrayal of mildly mentally disabled outcast with sociopathic inclinations won him yet more acting awards in Korea. Finally in November, he acted together with Cha Seung-won in the smash hit Jail Breakers by popular director Kim Sang-jin.^[3]

Sol continued his hot streak in 2003, when he starred in Silmido directed by Cinema Service founder Kang Woo-suk, which became the first Korean film in history to gross 10 million admissions.^[4][5] His next role was as the title character in Rikidōzan, about the legendary ethnic Korean pro wrestler who became a national hero in Japan in the 1950s. Sol gained 20 kilograms for the role and also delivered 95% of his lines in Japanese. Despite winning great praise for his performance, however, the film vastly underperformed on its local release.^[6][7]

In 2005, Sol starred in the sequel Another Public Enemy, which ended up outgrossing the original.^[8] This was followed by a second sequel, Public Enemy Returns in 2008. His other films Haeundae (2009), The Tower (2012) and Cold Eyes (2013) have also been box office hits.^{[9][10][11][12][13][14]}

Sol also began teaching acting in 2014, at his alma mater Hanyang University, as an adjunct professor in the College of Performing Arts.^[15][16][17]

Personal life

Sol married the younger sister of actor Ahn Nae-sang in 1996; they have one daughter. After being separated for four years, Sol and his wife divorced on July 21, 2006.^[18]

He married actress Song Yun-ah on May 28, 2009; their son was born on August 3, 2010. Sol and Song previously worked together in the films Jail Breakers (2002) and Lost in Love (2006).^[19][20]

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Sol Kyung-gu on IMDb
• Sol Kyung-gu at the Korean Movie Database
• Sol Kyung-gu at HanCinema