Bae Hae-sun

Bae Hae-sun (; born May 8, 1974) is a South Korean film, television, musical, and stage actress. Bae made her debut in 1995 as an understudy in the play Gone with the Wind. She gradually built her acting career by alternating between small and large theaters, musicals, and plays.

In 2015, she made her television debut with a supporting role as Nurse Hwang in the SBS drama Yong-pal. Bae has since become known for her supporting roles in various television dramas, including Don't Dare to Dream, Judge vs. Judge, A Pledge to God, Hi Bye, Mama!, Hotel del Luna, Happiness, All of Us Are Dead, as well as her lead role in Political Fever.

Early years Bae Hae-sun was born on May 8, 1974, in Seoul. She grew up in a challenging family environment but showed singing talent from a young age. She would often gather the women in her neighborhood and perform for them, receiving payment in return.

After completing high school, she followed a friend's recommendation and applied to the Seoul Institute of the Arts. During her entrance examination, a professor recognized Bae's singing abilities and encouraged her to pursue this path. One day, while in a car, Bae heard the song "Miss Saigon," which introduced her to the world of musicals. "I had never seen a musical before," Bae recalled, "but the moment I heard the song, I felt excited. I was glad to have discovered a genre that allowed me to combine music and acting and share it with others." Bae did not perform in any shows, as Park Sang-ah appeared for all performances.

Following her understudy debut, Bae pursued an acting career by joining the You Theater troupe (극단 "유 you"). Her first significant professional stage role came in February 1997 in the play Taxi Driver, written and directed by Jang Jin. In the play, Bae portrayed Hwa-yi, a former lover of Deok-bae (played by Choi Min-sik) who becomes a taxi passenger.

Subsequently, Bae performed a chorus role in Leo Tolstoy's play Holstomer - The Story of a Horse, presented at Hoam Art Hall from May 10 to June 1, 1997. In October of the same year, she reprised her role as Hwa-yi in the (21st) Seoul Theater Festival's Taxi Driver - Where Are You Going?. Her next role was in 1998, playing Marianne A in Molière's L'Avare at Culture and Art Hall Small Theater, which ran from February 21 to March 13, 1998. Also in 1998, Bae took on the role of Gannan in the musical Sworn Brother, directed by Kim Min-ki. At age 25, she portrayed a housemaid who discovers she is pregnant with twins and faces challenges raising multiple children.

Career as Musical and Stage Actress (2000 to 2014) In 2000, Bae joined the theater company Hakjeon (CEO Kim Min-ki) and began her career as a musical actress. She started as an ensemble cast member in the musical , which earned her a nomination for the Best Rookie Award at the 2001 Korean Musical Awards. Later that year, Bae played Serena in the musical Fame at LG Arts Center from September 29 to October 15, 2000.

In 2001, Bae acted as Bae Jang-hwa in Jeong Bok-geun's play Bae Jang-hwa Bae Hong-ryeon (directed by Han Tae-sook), performed at the small theater of the Dongsung-dong Literature Center in Seoul. She also collaborated with the You Troupe again in the play A Midsummer Night's Dream, where she played Puck.

In 2002, Bae performed in the musical The Rehearsal, held at the Mesa Popcorn Hall in Namdaemun from January 26 to February 17. Bae won the Best Rookie Actress Award at the 8th Korean Musical Awards for this performance. She then played a role in the musical Cheoyoung. In the middle of 2002, Bae was selected as Annette in musical Saturday Night Fever. During practice, she sustained a right ankle ligament injury. Despite the injury, she participated in practice with a cast for over two months, focusing on singing and acting. Bae said, "Six months ago, it was hell. I like to dance in this work, but I might never be able to dance again. I was so painful because of anxiety. But the role of Annette is better than dancing. Yoon Seok-hwa's encouragement and rebuke that singing and acting are more important. I put it out." She overcame her injury and subsequently performed in lead roles on larger stages.

The following year, Bae joined the 20th-anniversary production of the rock musical by the theater company Hakjeon. Hakjeon had a reputation as an "Actor's Academy," having launched the careers of many actors, including Sul Kyung-gu, Bang Eun-jin, Cho Seung-woo, Jang Hyun-sung, and Hwang Jung-min. The production ran from November 5 to 8, 2003, at the Grand Theater of the Seoul Daehak-ro Literature Promotion Agency. Also in 2003, Bae was cast as Sophie in the musical Mamma Mia! She initially auditioned for a different role but was given the lead role by the directors due to her acting. This role became significant in her career as a lead actress in major musical productions. The Korean premiere of Mamma Mia! was held at the Seoul Arts Center Opera Theater from January to April 2003, attracting a total audience of 200,000 and earning 14 billion won.

In 2004, Bae starred in the encore performance of Saturday Night Fever. In December 2004, Bae reprised her role as Sophie in Mamma Mia!. This production opened at the Daegu Opera House on January 15, 2005, and ran for approximately six weeks, with around 50 shows.

Bae, alongside Moon Hye-young, was double-cast as Susan in the Korean production of the musical Tick, Tick... Boom!. Directed by Shim Jae-chan, the production ran from May 23 to 29, 2005. This was the first in the "Musical Favorites" series by Shinshi Musical Company to commemorate the opening of the New City Musical Theater in Daehak-ro. Bae received praise for her acting. Later in 2005, Bae initially auditioned for the role of Aida but was cast as Amneris in the first Korean premiere of the musical Aida. Her performance in this production earned her the Best Actress Award at the 11th Korean Musical Awards in 2005.

In 2006, Bae played Camille Claudel in the musical Camille Claudel. This musical depicted Camille Claudel, a 19th-century French sculptor and associate of Rodin, who experienced personal and artistic struggles before spending 30 years in a psychiatric hospital. The Korean premiere, the fifth work in the "Musical Favorites" series by Sinsie, began its open run on July 7, 2006, at the Daehakuro Shinshi Musical Theater.

In 2007, Bae was appointed as an ambassador for The Musical Awards with actor Oh Man-seok. Also in 2007, Bae was triple-cast as Shinda, the lead role in the musical Dancing Shadow, with Kim Bo-kyung and Kim Sung-jo. Shin Sung-rok played the male protagonist, Solomon. Produced by Shinshi Musical Company, Dancing Shadowwas based on a play by Cha Beom-seok and was initially planned in 1999. The musical script was written by Ariel Dorfman, with music commissioned from Eric Woolfson, and directed by Paul Gerington. The production held a workshop in England in September 2006. Later, Bae and Ock Joo-hyun played Roxie Hart in the first South Korean production of the Broadway musical Chicago. Shinshi Musical Company produced the musical, which ran at the Sejong Center for two weeks from September 18 to September 30, 2007.

In 2008, Bae reprised her role as Roxy Hart in an encore performance of the South Korean production of the Broadway musical Chicago. This was followed by a role as a Casino showgirl in Eric Woolfson musical Gambler. In winter 2008, Bae acted as Catholic actress Catherine in the musical The Last 5 Years. The play opened on November 28, 2008, at Chungmu Art Hall in Sindang-dong, Seoul, and ran until February 22, 2009.

Bae returned to the play stage for the first time in eight years in the opening play of the Seoul Theater Festival, Women of Picasso. The play is an omnibus featuring monologues of four women associated with Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), including Bae's character, Francoise, a painter 40 years Picasso's junior. Unlike other women in the play, Francoise is depicted as an independent figure who leaves with her children when Picasso is unfaithful. Women of Picasso was performed at the Towol Theater of the Seoul Arts Center on April 16 and 26, 2009.

In 2009, Bae and Baek Min-jung both played Milady in the musical adaptation of The Three Musketeers. The musical was performed from May 12 to June 21 at the Grand Theater of Chungmu Art Hall.

In 2010, Bae played Nannell Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's older sister, in the Austrian musical Mozart. The musical was performed at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul from February 19 to 21, 2010. It was the first Austrian musical introduced in Korea and portrayed Mozart's musical journey and his relationships with individuals such as his father Leopold, his guardian Archbishop, and Constance.

In 2011, Bae acted the role of Jang Mi-joo in the play Chrysanthemum Fragrance. In 2012, Bae played the role of the daughter-in-law in the Korean production of Bob Goepfert's musical The Memory Show. The musical, which centers on family recovery and the mother-daughter relationship, was performed at Elim Hall in Daehangno, Seoul, from August 28 to November 25, 2012.

Bae acted opposite Park Ho-san in the Kim Min-jung musical Eric Satie. Park Ho-san played Eric Satie, while Bae played Susan. Directed by Park Hye-sun, the musical ran from November 22 to December 1, 2013, at the Grand Theater of Daehak-ro Arts Theater in Dongsung-dong, Seoul.

Asia Bridge Contents Co., Ltd., the performance production company, announced on November 26, 2013, that Agatha would be performed at Dongguk University's Lee Hae-rang Arts Theater starting on December 31, 2013, and running until March 2, 2014.

Debut in television (2015 to present) After approximately two decades as a stage actress, Bae made her television debut in 2015. She had received television role offers since her early 30s but had declined them due to her theater performance schedule. However, a postponement of a performance due to the MERS outbreak created an opening in her schedule. The SBS drama Yong-pal, written by Jang Hyuk-rin and directed by Oh Jin-seok, sought an actress with strong acting skills who was not widely recognized. Bae was offered a role based on a crew member's recommendation, who had previously seen her acting in the play Scorched Love. Bae's initial on-screen role was Nurse Hwang, a nurse in charge of the 12th-floor VVIP ward, where Han Yeo-jin (played by Kim Tae-hee), the heiress of Hanshin Group, was a patient. Nurse Hwang was characterized by her distinctive behavior, treating the comatose Han Yeo-jin as her exclusive responsibility.

Following her television debut, Bae returned to the stage, performing as Liz in the play Tabasco. This project reunited her with director Park Hye-sun, with whom she had previously collaborated on the musical Eric Satie.

In 2016, Bae and Seo Yi-sook shared the role of Juliet's nurse in the play Romeo and Juliet. That same year, Bae portrayed Sophie in Terrence McNally's play Master Class, which is based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas (1923-1977). She performed opposite Yoon Seok-hwa. In autumn 2016, Bae played Dr. Geum Seok-ho in Don't Dare to Dream.

Bae was cast as Dorothy Brock in the 2017 season of the musica 42nd Street. The production presentation for the musical was held at the Millennium Seoul Hilton Grand Ballroom in Jung District, Seoul, on July 17, 2017. Also in 2017, to mark the 20th anniversary of her debut, Bae and two other actors participated in the musical Tick, Tick... Boom! The 2017 Korean production opened at Daehak-ro TOM on August 29 and ran until October 15, 2017.

In 2018, she appeared in two feature films, On Your Wedding Day and Dark Figure of Crime. Bae then reprised her role as Dorothy Brock in the 2018 season of the Broadway musical 42nd Street. This season concluded on August 19, recording an average seat occupancy rate of 95% and a total of 38 sold-out performances, setting a new record for sold-outs. The production also toured, with performances at the Daejeon Arts Center on August 25, followed by the Sohyang Art Center in Busan, Gumi Culture and Arts Center, and Ulsan Hyundai Arts Center.

In 2019, Bae reunited with Hwang Jung-min after 20 years, starring as Jocasta in the play Oedipus. Her television roles in 2019 included Choi Seo-hee, the room service manager in the drama Hotel del Luna and Lee Gil-ja, a wealthy customer in the drama VIP. Towards the end of 2019, Bae returned to theater, taking on the role of Allan in the play The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared. In addition to the 100-year-old Alan, Bae also portrayed other characters, including Franco, Stalin, Song Mei-rin (wife of Chiang Kai-shek), Dr. Eklund (Swedish Institute of Nuclear Physics), and Kim Jong Il.

In 2020, Bae was double-cast with Jung Jae-eun as the wife in Ronald Harwood's 1980 West End and Broadway play, The Dresser. Bae appeared in two consecutive dramas: KBS's drama Memorials and tvN's drama It's Okay to Not Be Okay. In Memorials, Bae played Won Won-jeong, a politician who had served as a spokesperson for the Seoul Metropolitan Government, head of the administrative bureau, head of the Planning and Coordination Office, and deputy mayor. In It's Okay to Not Be Okay, she portrayed Kang Eun-ja, a patient with psychotic depression. In May 2020, it was announced that Bae would reprise her role as Dorothy Brock in the Broadway musical 42nd Street, running from June 20 to August 23, 2020. The 2020 season of 42nd Street garnered increased attention as it was staged at the Charlotte Theater for the first time in ten years. In the SBS drama Alice, Bae played Kim In-sook, a character traumatized by the loss of her son, who had a congenital heart defect, but who raises Jin-gyeom (played by Joo Won) as her own son after her husband brings him home. Also in 2021, Bae starred as the title character Cha Jeong-won, a former prosecutor and conservative opposition lawmaker, in the drama Political Fever.

In 2022, Bae was cast as Park Eun-hee, a member of the National Assembly, in Netflix Original Series All of Us Are Dead. In September 2022, Bae signed an exclusive contract with Lead Entertainment.

Filmography

Film

Television series +Television works of Bae Hae-sunYearTitleRole NoteEnglishKorean2015 Yong-pal 용팔이 Ms. Hwang Debut (supporting role) 2016 Don't Dare to Dream 질투의 화신 Doctor Geum Suk-ho 2017 Man Who Dies to Live 죽어야 사는 남자 Wang Mi-ran Distorted 조작 Choi Su-yeon While You Were Sleeping 당신이 잠든 사이에 Son Woo-joo Judge vs. Judge 이판사판 Moon Yoo-seon 2018 Wok of Love 기름진 멜로 Nurse Exit엑시트Woo Jae-hee Come and Hug Me 이리와 안아줘 Jeon Yoo-ra A Pledge to God 신과의 약속 Oh Seon-joo The Hymn of Death 사의찬미 Professor Ueno 2019 The Secret Life of My Secretary 초면에 사랑합니다 Dr.Park Hotel del Luna 호텔 델루나 Choi Hee-seo VIP 브이아이피 Gil-ja 2020 Hi Bye, Mama! 하이바이, 마마! Sung Mi-ja SF8 시네마틱드라마 SF8 - 일주일 만에 사랑할 순 없다 News anchor (Episode: "Baby It's Over Outside") Twenty-Twenty 트웬티 트웬티 Chae Yoon-jung Alice앨리스 Kim In-sook's wife It's Okay to Not Be Okay 사이코지만 괜찮아 Kang Eun-ja (ep. 5-7) Memorials 출사표 Won So-jung Start-Up 스타트업 Lee Hye-won 2021 Drama Stage:"Park Seong Shil's Industrial Revolution" 드라마 스테이지 2021 - 박성실 씨의 사차 산업혁명 Lee Hye-young Main Lead Oh My Ladylord 오! 주인님 Jung Sang-eun The Penthouse: War in Life 3 펜트하우스 3 Yoon Kyung-eun Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha갯마을 차차차 Head doctor at a dental clinic Cameo, Ep. 1 Happiness해피니스 Oh Yeon-ok 2022Why Her왜 오수재인가 Ji Soon-ok Trolley 트롤리 Su-bin's mother Love in Contract월수금화목토Kim Seong-mi Curtain Call커튼콜Yoon Jung-sook 2023Crash Course in Romance일타 스캔들Nam Haeng-jaCameo, Ep. 14-16 Joseon Attorney조선변호사Lady YeonCameo Numbers넘버스: 빌딩숲의 감시자들Ahn Seung-yeon See You in My 19th Life이번 생도 잘 부탁해Jang Yeon-ok 2024 Bad Memory Eraser 나쁜 기억 지우개 Jo Yeon-il Hierarchy 하이라키 Principal Park Hui-Seon Miss Night and Day낮과 밤이 다른 그녀Na Ok-hee O'PENing: The Nerd's Daughter 덕후의 딸 Lee Mi-suk 2025For Eagle Brothers독수리 5형제를 부탁해!Jang Mi-ae Second Shot at Love금주를 부탁해Baek Hye-mi Pig Pen 돼지우리 The Owner's wife

Web series +List of Web Series Year Title Role Note English Korean 2021 The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim 우수무당 가두심 Hyo-shimKakao TV Original Series Political Fever 이렇게 된 이상 청와대로 간다 Cha Jeong-wonMain Role (Wavve Original Series) 2022 All of Us Are Dead 지금 우리 학교는 Park Eun-hee Netflix Original Series Big Bet카지노Lee Sook-jaDisney+ Original Series

Television shows Year Title Role 2023 Big Brother Era Regular Member

Stage

Musical Concert

Theater

Discography Audiobook

Ensemble recording

Title Year Peak chart positions Album KOR"That Person" 2010—Intermission "Sleep, sleep, my baby" 2020—2020 Children's Hospital Healing Play"Sleep, sleep, my baby Instrumental" ( Inst.) "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Cast recording TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbumKOR"The prince is gone" 2010—Mozart cast recording"Reminiscene" With Hwang Seong-hyeon, Kim Ji-hwi2017—Agatha cast recording"Labyrinth" With Park Han-geun"Into the Dream" With Hwang Seong-hyeon, Park Han-geun"When I See You at First" With Hwang Seong-hyeon, Han Se-ra, Jin Seon-gyu"I Want to Kill You" With Kim Soo-young, Yoon Na-mu"I Want to Kill You" With Kim Ji-hwi, Park In-bae"I Want to Kill You Vari." (널 죽이고 싶어 Vari.) With Kim Park In-bae"What is fear" With Park Han-geun"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Television soundtracks Title Year Peak chart positions Album KOR "Longing" 2009 —The Return of Iljimae OST "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Ambassadorship Title Year Ambassador of The Musical Awards 2007

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominee / Work Result 2001 7th Korea Musical Awards Female Rookie Award Subway Line 2004 10th Korea Musical Awards Best Actress Mamma Mia! 2005 11th Korea Musical Awards Best Actress Aida 2006 International Musical Festival Awards Popular Star Award Mamma Mia! 12th Korea Musical Awards Best Actress Camille Claudel 2007 13th Korea Musical Awards Best Supporting Actress Dancing Shadow 2008 14th Korea Musical Awards Best Actress Chicago 2009 3rd Daegu International Music Festival Awards Best Supporting Actress Three Musketeers 2015 2015 SBS Drama Awards Special Actress Award for Mini Series Yong-pal 2016 SBS Drama Awards Special Acting Award, Actress in a Romantic Comedy Drama Don't Dare to Dream Stage Talk Audience's Choice Awards (SACA)Supporting actress in a play 2022 1st Blue Dragon Series Awards Best Supporting Actress Happiness 2023 MBC Drama Awards Best Supporting Actress Numbers