Kim Tae-hee is a well-known South Korean actress who is known for her beauty as well as her acting abilities. Kim, a fashion design graduate from the famous ‘Seoul National University,’ stumbled into modelling after she was seen and offered a contract by an advertising executive in 2000. This led to her being featured in various print and television advertisements, and her exposure eventually led to a cameo role in the South Korean film ‘Last Present.’ Her breakthrough part in the popular SBS TV series ‘Stairway to Heaven’ came after she continued with other film and TV productions. She not only rose to fame as a result of the performance, receiving critical praise and honors, but she also went on to star in a number of other important television programs. Among them were ‘Forbidden Love,’ ‘Love Story in Harvard,’ ‘Iris, My Princess,’ and ‘Yong Pal.’ In the meantime, she became one of the most sought-after TV commercial stars. Her big-screen ventures, such as ‘The Restless’ and ‘Venus and Mars,’ were considerably less successful, while she thrived to become a household figure with her renowned TV depictions.
Childhood and Adolescence
Kim was born in Busan, South Korea, on March 29, 1980. Kim Yoo Moon has three children, the second of whom is her. Kim Yoo Moon founded Hankook Union Transportation Company in 1984, and he currently serves as Chairman.
Kim Hee-won is her older sister, while Lee Wan is her younger brother. Lee is also a performer.
Kim was born and raised in the Ulsan Metropolitan City of South Korea, where her family moved when she was a child. She attended ‘Samshin Elementary School,’ ‘Daehyun Middle School,’ and ‘Ulsan Girls’ High School’ there.
In 1999, she moved to Seoul to study at the prestigious ‘Seoul National University.’ She remained the head of the university’s Women’s Ski Club until 2005, when she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fashion design.
Career of Kim Tae-hee
In the year 2000, she was seen by an advertising executive while riding the train. Following the executive’s offer of a modeling position, she began appearing in print and television advertising.
In 2001, she made her acting debut in the South Korean film ‘Last Present,’ which was released on March 24. In the film, she played the young Park Jung-yeon in a minor role.
She played Ji-soo in the short film ‘Living in New Town,’ which was released in 2002. That year, she made her television debut in the SBS sitcom ‘Let’s Go.’
She appeared in two SBS series in 2003, namely ‘Screen’ and ‘A Problem at My Younger Brother’s House,’ before gaining her big break in ‘Stairway to Heaven,’ which aired on SBS for 20 episodes from December 3, 2003 to February 5, 2004.
Han Yoo-ri, the envious stepsister of Han Jung-suh, one of the primary characters in ‘Stairway to Heaven,’ performed by Park Shin-hye, was one of her main characters. Her outstanding performance gained her not just fame and popularity, but also the SBS Drama Awards’ New Star Award in 2003.
She landed another lead role in the South Korean supernatural series ‘Forbidden Love,’ which aired on KBS2 for 16 episodes from July 19, 2004, to September 7, 2004, after the success of ‘Stairway to Heaven.’ In 2004, she won the KBS Drama Awards for Best New Actress for her work as Yoon Shi-yeon in the series.
The other South Korean TV series she watched in 2004 was ‘Love Story in Harvard,’ a campus romance. Kim’s major part as Lee Soo-in, a Harvard Medical School student, not only drew a lot of attention in her native country but also drew some attention in Japan, boosting her fame in both nations.
In 2004, she won the Top 10 Stars award and the Netizen Popularity Award at the SBS Drama Awards, and the Most Popular Actress (TV) award at the 41st Paeksang Arts Awards in 2005 for her outstanding performance in “Love Story in Harvard.”
Her great television acting career paved the way for her to become one of the most sought-after models for television ads.
She later starred as So-hwa/Yon-hwa in the South Korean fantasy film ‘The Restless,’ which was released on December 20, 2006, but failed to make an impact at the box office.
Her next film, a romantic comedy called ‘Venus and Mars,’ was released on December 12, 2007. She starred as Yoon Jin-ah in the film, which debuted at #4 in the box office and grossed a total of $2,316,750 as of January 27, 2008.
After being named the top ad model of the year by Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation in 2008, she was dubbed the “CF Queen.”
Kim made a comeback on television with the South Korean espionage drama series ‘Iris.’ ‘Iris,’ which was one of the most expensive dramas ever produced in Korean television history, was a critical and financial hit. From October 14, 2009 until December 17, 2009, it aired on KBS2 for 20 episodes.
In ‘Iris,’ Kim played Choi Seung-hee, a NIS profiler, which earned her a Best Couple Award shared with Lee Byung-hun as well as an Excellence Award for Actress in a Mid-Length Drama at the 2009 KBS Drama Awards.
She quit the Seoul-based talent management agency Namoo Actors Co. Ltd. in January 2010 to join Lua Entertainment, which was created by her brother-in-law. That year, she starred as Seo Ju-hee, a horse rider in the South Korean sports film ‘Grand Prix,’ which was released on September 16, 2010.
‘My Princess,’ a South Korean romantic comedy television series that aired on MBC for 16 episodes from January 5, 2011 to February 24, 2011, was her second television effort.
In 2011, she made her first appearance on Japanese television as Han Yoo-na, a top Korean actress, in ‘Boku to Star no 99 Nichi.’ Her popularity in Japan grew thanks to a series that ran on Fuji TV from October to December 2011.
She played one of the key parts of an infamous royal concubine Hui-bin Jang in the South Korean historical period drama ‘Jang Ok-jung, Living by Love.’ From April 8, 2013 until June 25, 2013, the series aired on SBS for 24 episodes.
From August 5, 2015 to October 1, 2015, this gorgeous beauty starred as Han Yeo-jin, a chaebol heiress in the popular South Korean TV drama series ‘Yong-pal,’ which aired on SBS for 18 episodes.
She won three SBS Drama Awards in 2015 for her role in ‘Yong-pal,’ including the Best Couple Award, which she shared with Joo Won, the Top 10 Stars Award, and the Top Excellence Award, Miniseries, Actress.
Personal Experiences of Kim Tae-hee
She married Rain, a South Korean singer-actor, on January 19, 2017, after dating him since September 2012. The couple is expecting their first child, according to an announcement released by Kim’s agency, ‘Lua Entertainment,’ on May 23, 2017.
She participates in a variety of charitable initiatives.