Jang Young-nam

Jang Young-nam (; born November 25, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She is skilled in both comedic and dramatic roles and easily transitions between different genres and mediums, including theater, television, and film. Her notable supporting film roles include A Werewolf Boy and Hello Ghost. In 2013, she took on her first leading film role in the crime thriller Azooma. Her performance in the film earned her the Best Actress Award from the Director's Guild at the 17th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).

Jang began her career in theater before moving to supporting roles in television and film. She was a member of the Korean theater troupe Mokhwa Repertory Company. She is also a member of "Jang Jin's Division" (장진사단), a term used to describe actors who frequently appear in the works of director Jang Jin. She was also an original cast member of the live sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live Korea.

Education Jang was born on November 25, 1973, in Seoul. During middle school, she decided to further her studies at , after being captivated by its distinctive orange school bus and student uniform. Despite her shy personality, she had been too shy to volunteer to read in class in middle school, after studying theater and film at Kaywon Arts High School, she discovered a passion for performing. She subsequently enrolled in the Department of Theater and Film at Seoul Institute of the Arts. As part of her graduation project, she participated in the musical West Side Story.

Career

Beginning Upon graduating from the Seoul Institute of the Arts, Jang Young-nam began her career in 1995 with the Mokhwa theater company in 1995, following a recommendation from her senior, Seong Ji-ru. Soon was cast as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet but was dismissed by CEO Oh Tae-seok three weeks before the performance for "inability to act." This incident caused her great distress and led her to leave the theater for 18 months to work as a clothing store clerk. She later said she deeply missed acting during this time, reflecting that "What I wanted to do most and what I was good at was theater," which ultimately led her back to Mokhwa. Her first collaboration with director Jang Jin was for the 2002 play Welcome to Dongmakgol. She subsequently took on major roles in other Jang Jin plays like Taxi Driver and appeared in notable productions such as Hwanand Ophelia.4 The same year, she was awarded the Dong-A Theater Award for Best Actress for her performance as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. The couple has a son, born in 2014.

Filmography

Film +Film acting appearance Year Title RoleNotes 1997 Push! Push! 2003 Runaway Jung-sook Short film 2004 Someone Special Woman in accident 2005 Murder, Take One Yoo Jin-ju Hero Lady Kim Ah-ryeoSpecial appearance 2023 Cobweb Chairman Baek 4:00 PM Hyeon-suk 2024 The Firefighters Do-sun 4:44 : Time Of Fear It Has to Be a Secret Jeong-ha Main lead

TV movies Year Title Role 2015 I'm After You Nam Kyung-hee

Television series

Web series + Year Title Role Note 2019 IN SEOUL Song Young-ju2024 The Tyrant Madam Kwan Cameo (episode 1) 2026 The East Palace Queen Dowager

Variety shows Year TitleRole 2011 Saturday Night Live Korea Season 1 Cast member 2012 Saturday Night Live Korea Season 2

Theater

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work ResultRef. 2001 37th Baeksang Arts Awards Best New Actress in Theater Dressing Room 2013 Irvine International Film Festival 50th Grand Bell Awards Best Supporting Actress A Werewolf Boy 22nd Buil Film Awards 34th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Supporting Actress 2nd APAN Star Awards Acting Award, Actress Goddess of Marriage Jang Ok-jung, Living by Love The Birth of a Family SBS Drama Awards Special Acting Award, Actress in a Weekend/Daily Drama Goddess of Marriage 201535th MBC Drama Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Special Project DramaFlower of Queen, Glamorous Temptation 36th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Supporting Actress The Classified File 2016 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards Best Supporting Actress 2016 Scene Stealer Festival Bonsang Award 36th MBC Drama Awards Golden Acting Award, Actress in a Miniseries Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo 2017 37th MBC Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actress in a Monday-Tuesday Drama The King in Love 2019 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Supporting Actress Metamorphosis 8th Korea Best Star Award (Korean Film Actors Association) Best Supporting Actress 2020 39th MBC Drama Awards Find Me in Your Memory 28th SBS Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Genre/Action Drama Nobody Knows 2021 57th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Supporting Actress (TV) It's Okay to Not Be Okay 40th MBC Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries The Veil 35th KBS Drama Awards Best Actress in Drama Special/TV Cinema Drama Special – F20 2025 Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards Best Supporting Actress Our Unwritten Soul