Kim Won-hae

Kim Won-hae (; born April 6, 1969) is a South Korean actor. Since his debut in musical in 1991, Kim Won-hae worked on stage in plays and musicals before joining the non-verbal performance Nanta as an original member in 1997. He is best known as a former cast member of SNL Korea (season 1–4).

Early life Kim Won-hae was born on May 21, 1969, in Busan, South Korea. He was known as an extrovert who loved grabbing the mic at gatherings from a young age. In school, he was nicknamed "Rascal." He realized, "Oh, there's something this fun in the world," when he started the drama club in high school.

In 1988, he enrolled at the Seoul Institute of the Arts. There, he met Director Jang Jin and Jung Jae-young. They got to know each other through the Dongrang Youth Theater Festival and became close while working together in the same university theater club. After graduating from the Seoul Institute of the Arts, he enrolled in the first class of the dance department at the Korea National University of Arts. However, he was unable to graduate because he was busy performing in the Nanta show.

Career 1991 to 2008: Early career as a theater and musical actor, non-verbal performance Nanta Kim Won-hae made his debut in the musical Iron Kids (철부지들). In 1994 he joined musical , where he met Sul Kyung-gu, Hwang Jung-min, and Jang Hyun-sung.

After participating in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1999, Nanta toured over 20 countries around the world, including Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia, and North America, and has recorded an audience occupancy rate of over 90% to date. It continues to attract 70% of foreign tourists and was gaining great popularity. The performance featured 10 actors, including Kim Kang-il, Kim Won-hae, Seo Chu-ja, Seol Ho-yeol, and Lee Beom-chan. It completed a month-long invitational performance at the New Victory Theater on 42nd Street, which is famous for not performing one performance for a long period of time.

Premiering in 2004, Jjamppong follows the story of the Chunraewon Chinese restaurant family, who mistakenly believe that the Gwangju Uprising was triggered by a jjamppong delivery mishap. As they pursue their modest dreams, the family encounters unexpected challenges. In the 2007 encore performance from April 5 to June 10, 2007, at Shotick Theater 2, Kim played the role of Shin Jak-ro, the head of the Chunraewon Chinese restaurant family. He showed an "insane presence" in the plays.

Kim Won-hae then joined the cast of the third encore performance of The Story of the Neulgeun Thief, which includes existing members such as Park Cheol-min, Hyeong Hyeong-gwan, Park Gil-soo, Jeong Kyung-ho, and Min Seong-wook, as well as Seo Hyeon-cheol, Lee Jun-hyuk, Lee Sang-hong, and Choi Deok-moon. The performance took place at Daehakro Wonder Space Circle Theater from August 8 to January 4, 2009. His performance in the play The Story of the Neulgeun Thief earned him the 1st Young Drama Award, with a prize of 3 million won. This award was established by the cultural arts support forum "Alpha," which is composed of around 60 domestic CEOs, including Samsung Electronics CEO Kwun Oh-hyun. The award ceremony was held on September 19, 2008, at Shinhan Art Hall in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

his film debut in 2009 in Jang Jin's Good Morning, President, followed by another of Jang Jin's films, The Quiz Show Scandal (2010).

In 2010, Kim and Seo Hyun-chul were double cast in the lead role of Lee Bong-jo in the play "My Brother Came Back", which was part of The Best Play Festival 3. The play ran from March 6 to July 18, 2010, at the Dongsung Arts Center Small Theater. It explored the disintegration of family in Korean society through black comedy, with the actors alternating in the role of Lee Bong-jo, the authoritarian and violent father. Seo, with his large kind eyes and excellent comic timing, made audiences laugh even in predictable situations, while Kim's serious and deep immersion in the role also drew continuous laughter from the audience.

In their previous collaboration "The Story of Two Old Thieves", the older Seo Hyun-chul played the younger thief, who leads the comic situations, while the younger Kim played the older thief, delivering laughs a half-beat later. Kim said, "I tried really hard to learn the art of comedy acting from my senior, but it's really something you're born with, and I can't catch up." Kim, whose comedic instincts are stronger, also said, "I've tried various things, but there's no weapon like sincere acting."

Jang Jin selected Kim as one of the 16 members of tvN's "Saturday Night Live Korea" in 2011, where he began to gain popularity.

In 2012, Kim starred in the film "As One" and the South Korean TV series "Queen and I." In 2013, he had minor roles in several films and dramas. His growing popularity led to a role in tvN's series "High School King of Savvy" (2014). In the drama "Misaeng: Incomplete Life" (2014), he received acclaim for his role as the new head of the Sales Team, portraying a realistic and strict boss.

In 2014, Jang Jin Man starred in "High Heels." His breakthrough came through notable performances in films like "The Admiral: Roaring Currents," "Himalaya," and "The Pirates." In the movie "Roaring Currents," released on July 30, he plays a realistic character, while in the movie "The Pirates," released on August 6, he portrays the comical and cheerful character Chun-seop, showcasing different charms.

In subsequent years, Kim showcased his versatility in roles like Detective Kim Gye Chul in Signal, a neighborhood thug in Asura, and a school director in Drinking Solo. He received critical acclaim for his roles in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon and While You Were Sleeping, winning awards for his performances. In 2018, he won the Best Supporting Actor award at the KBS Drama Awards and delivered a remarkable performance in Clean with Passion for Now. He continued to appear in various dramas and movies, showcasing his acting skills and versatility.

In the drama Good Manager, Kim Won-hae's dazzling sword performance appeared. In the drama, he played Manager Chu of the accounting department and was shown making fried rice with knife skills that were almost acrobatic. This scene was made possible thanks to his experience at Nanta for over 10 years.

Kim Won-hae and other original members of Nanta, Kim Moon-soo, Ryu Seung-ryong, and Jang Hyuk-jin, celebrated the show's 20th anniversary with a special event in 2017. The gathering took place at the Nanta Theater in Chungjeong-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul on October 13.

Personal life

At the 2009 Theater Festival Awards, he made headlines with his acceptance speech, saying, "Since I had no roles and was just swinging a baseball bat at home, my elementary school daughter wrote down that my job was a baseball player."

Known for his close friendship with actor Hwang Jung Min, Kim has collaborated with him in several projects. Their strong bond, both personally and professionally, has contributed to Kim's success in the industry.

In August 2020, it was reported that Kim tested positive for COVID-19 and was receiving treatment. He had recovered since September 2020.

Filmography Film

Television series Year Title RoleNotes 2007–2008 Beautiful Days Mr. Jin 2012 Queen and I Eunuch Hong 2013 Nine Park Chang-min at 1992/2012 Reply 1994 Sseureki's father 2014 High School King of Savvy Han Young-seok Plus Nine Boys Jo Won-hae Modern Farmer Doksa Misaeng: Incomplete Life Park Young-ho 2015 KBS Drama Special – "Fake Family" Lee Myung-gook 2015–2016 Sweet, Savage Family Son Se-woon 2016 Signal Kim Kye-cheol Monster Min Byung-ho Drinking Solo Kim Won-hae Woman with a Suitcase Director Shim cameo KBS Drama Special – "Disqualified Laughter" Air Force's rising captain 2016–2017 Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth Woo-reuk 2017 Good Manager Choo Nam-ho Tomorrow, with You Yoo So-joon's father cameo Strong Girl Bong-soon Kim Kwang-bok / Oh Dol-ppyeo The Bride of Habaek Taxi driver cameo Criminal Minds Kim Yong-cheol KBS Drama Special – "You're Closer than I Think" cameo While You Were Sleeping Choi Dam-dong Black Na Gwang-gyeon Drama Stage – "Today I Grab the Tambourine Again" Tambourine instructor cameo 2018 Queen of Mystery 2 Jo In-ho A Poem a Day Kim Jung-soo cameo The Miracle We Met Mortician Are You Human? Kang Jae-sik Life Lee Dong-soo The Ghost Detective Han Sang-seop Where Stars Land Park Tae-hee KBS Drama Special – "Dreamers" Crime department chief cameo Feel Good To Die Subway train driver Clean with Passion for Now Gil Gong-tae The Hymn of Death Yoon Suk-ho 2018–2024 Player Jang In-gyu Seasons 1–2 2019 He Is Psychometric Math teacher Hotel del Luna Park Gyu-ho cameo When the Devil Calls Your Name Kong Soo-rae Miss Lee Sr. Park cameo Melting Me Softly Ma Pil-gu / Ma Dong-sik Chocolate Kwon Hyun-seok 2019–2024 The Fiery Priest Vladimir Gojayev / Ko Dok-sung Seasons 1–2 2020 How to Buy a Friend Park Choong-chae Graceful Friends Cheon Man-shik Stranger Director Noh Start-Up Nam Do-san's father Awaken Hwang Byeong-cheol Hush Jung Se-joon 2021 Run On Bartender cameo Youth of May Kim Hyun-cheol Monthly Magazine Home Choi Go One the Woman Ryu Seung-deok 2022 Through the Darkness Hao Gil-pyo From Now On, Showtime! Park Soo-moodang / Cha Sa-geum Link: Eat, Love, Kill cameo The Law Cafe CEO Hwang The Empire Do-pil / Ji Joon-gi Behind Every Star Cho Ki-bong 2023 The Good Bad Mother Son Yong-rak Revenant Seo Mun-chun Strong Girl Nam-soon Polearm seller cameo 2023–2024 Death's Game Homeless man 2024 Lovely Runner Ryu Guen-Deok Serendipity's Embrace Kim Bok-Nam A Virtuous Business Choi Won-bong 2025 The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call Hong Jae-hun The Divorce Insurance Na Dae-bok Trigger Cho Hyun-sik As You Stood By Jo Jung-nam Idol I 2026 Can This Love Be Translated? Kim Young-hwan Undercover Miss Hong Yoon Jae-beom

Variety show

Theater

Awards and nominations + Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work(s) Result KBS Drama Awards 2017 Best Supporting Actor Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth, Good Manager 2018 The Ghost Detective, Are You Human? SBS Drama Awards 2017 While You Were Sleeping 2021 Best Supporting Actor in a Mini-Series Romance/Comedy Drama One the Woman 2022Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries Genre/Fantasy Drama Through the Darkness 2023 Revenant Scene Stealer Festival 2016 Bonsang Kim Won-hae Young Drama Awards 2008 Best Actor The Story of an Old Thief