Biography of Han Suk-kyu
Early Life and Education
Career
Prior to Han Suk-kyu’s acting career in films and television series, he worked as a voice actor at KBS for a short time period. In 1990, Suk-kyu made his acting debut as Hyun Chul in a campus drama, ‘Our Paradise’. Next year, he played a supporting role as a young man in a South Korean television series, ‘Eyes of Dawn’ directed by Kim Jong-hak.

It took almost four years for actor Suk-kyu to rise to stardom after his acting debut. Suk-kyu gained popularity through the 1994 television series, ‘The Moon of Seoul’, where he played the lead role of a good-looking gigolo, who lived in a slum and was determined to gain wealth at all costs in the metropolitan city.
Han Suk-kyu started his lead role in a film with the 1997 South Korean movie, ‘Green Fish’, which is the first feature-length film, directed by Lee Chang-dong. Han Suk-kyu won around five awards for this film. The same year, Suk-kyu appeared in two more films with actor Choi Min-sik in a gangster comedy film, ‘No. 3’, by Song Neung-han and a romance film, and ‘The Contact’, directed by Chang Yoon-hyun, which won the Grand Bell Awards for best picture in 1997.
Han Suk-kyu played a hero role, starring opposite actor Shim Eun-ha in the South Korean romance drama film by Hur Jin-ho, ‘Christmas in August‘ in 1998.
In 1999, soon after the release of the film, ‘Shiri’, Han Suk-kyu went into an extended hiatus as he suffered from a disc problem. His health issue led him to ignore several profit-making projects with prominent directors. After four years, the brilliant actor Suk-kyu returned in 2003, with the thriller film, ‘Double Agent’, by Kim Hyeon-jeong. The film was about a North Korean intelligence officer who rebels against South Korea, however, it was a box office failure. However, there was a serious backlash from the cyber world and media, as they considered it a public disgrace of a past golden boy.
Han Suk-kyu remained self-managed until he joined KM Culture agency in 2006 due to the increased grouping of the industry. It was a busy year for the actor as he was doing multiple projects at a time. Suk-kyu starred in a South Korean period drama film, ‘Forbidden Quest’, directed by Kim Dae-woo in 2006. It was followed by ‘A Bloody Aria’ and ‘Solace’.
Stylish thrillers ensuingly, where the busy actor Han Suk-kyu starred alongside Cha Seung-won in a 2008 South Korean film, ‘Eye for an Eye’, directed by Ahn Gwon-tae and Kwak Kyung-taek. He co-starred with actor Son Ye-jin in a South Korean mystery thriller, ‘White Night’ in 2009. Suk-kyu then played the role of a suspicious novelist in the South Korean Film, ‘Villain and Widow’ with actor Kim Hye-soo.
In 2011, Han Suk-kyu returned to the limelight with his performance in a historical television series, ‘Deep Rooted Tree’, based on the novel of the same name by Lee Jung-myung. His outstanding performance as King Sejong made him earn popular awards.
Han Suk-kyu starred in an action thriller film, ‘The Berlin File’, with Ha Jung-woo, Ryoo Seung-bum, Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Seo-hyung and Kyeong yeong Lee in lead roles in 2013 as a South Korean agent. He then appeared in a South Korean musical film, ‘My Paparotti’ costarring Lee Je-hoon same year.
One of the most talented actors, Han Suk-kyu bounced back with the hit South Korean medical television series, ‘Dr. Romantic’. He played the title role in the first season of the drama with actors Yoo Yeon-seok, Seo Hyun-jin and with Ahn Hyo-seop and Lee Sung-kyung in the second and third season. Suk-kyu received positive reviews for his excellent performance, which also made him win the ‘Grand Prize (Daesang) Award’ at the 2016 ‘SBS Drama Awards’.

In 2019, the South Korean actor Han Suk-kyu appeared as a detective in a South Korean television thriller series, ‘Watcher’ with Seo Kang-joon and Kim Hyun-joo.
Achievements
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Suk-kyu won the ‘Best Leading Actor’ award at the ’18th Blue Dragon Awards’ in 1997.
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Suk-kyu won the ‘Popularity Award’ at the ’35th Grand Bell Awards’ in 1997.
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Suk-kyu won the ‘Popular Star Awards’ at the ’19th Blue Dragon Film Awards in 1998.
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Suk-kyu won the ‘Grand Prize (Daesang)’ award at the ‘SBS Drama Awards’ in 2011.
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Suk-kyu received the ‘Presidential Recommendation’ at the ‘3rd Korean Popular Culture Awards’ in 2012.
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Suk-kyu earned the ‘Best Actor Award’ at the ’23rd Fantasia International Film Festival in 2019.
Military Life
Personal Life
Net Worth and Lifestyle
Awards
- 23rd Fantasia International Film Festival (2019)
Best Actor – ‘Idol’ (2019)
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SBS Drama Awards (2016)
Grand Prize (Daesang) – ‘Dr. Romantic’ (2016)
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SBS Drama Awards (2016)
Top 10 Stars – ‘Dr. Romantic’ (2016)
- 3rd Korean Popular Culture Awards (2012)
Presidential Recommendation (2012)
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SBS Drama Awards (2011)
Grand Prize (Daesang) – ‘Deep Rooted Tree’ (2011)
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SBS Drama Awards (2011)
Top 10 Stars – ‘Deep Rooted Tree’ (2011)
- 37th Grand Bell Awards (2000)
Popularity Award – ‘Tell Me Something’ (2000)
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7th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards (1999)
Best Actor – ‘Shiri’, ‘Tell Me Something’ (1999)
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20th Blue Dragon Film Awards (1999)
Popular Star Awards – ‘Shiri’ (1999)
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36th Grand Bell Awards (1999)
Popularity Award – ‘Christmas in August’ (1999)
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1st Director’s Cut Awards (1998)
Best Actor – ‘Christmas in August’ (1998)
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3rd Women Viewers Film Awards (1998)
Best Actor – ‘Christmas in August’ (1998)
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19th Blue Dragon Film Awards (1998)
Popular Star Awards – ‘Christmas in August’ (1998)
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Cine 21 Awards – (1998)
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18th Blue Dragon Film Awards (1997)
Popular Star Award – ‘Green Fish’, ‘The Contact’, ‘No. 3’ (1997)
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35th Grand Bell Awards (1997)
Popularity Award – ‘Green Fish’, ‘The Contact’, ‘No. 3’
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17th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards (1997)
Best Actor – ‘Green Fish’ (1997)
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20th Golden Cinematography Awards (1997)
Most Popular Actor – ‘Green Fish’ (1997)
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33rd Baeksang Arts Awards (1997)
Best Actor (Film) – ‘Green Fish’ (1997)
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Cine 21 Awards (1996)
Best New Actor – ‘Doctor Bong’ (1996)
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32nd Baeksang Arts Awards (1996)
Best New Actor (Film) – ‘Doctor Bong’ (1996)
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17th Blue Dragon Film Awards (1996)
Best Leading Actor – ‘Green Fish’ (1996)
- 6th Chunsa Film Art Awards (1995)
Best New Actor – ‘Doctor Bong’ (1995)
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MBC Drama Awards (1994)
Top Excellence Award, Actor – ‘The Moon of Seoul’ (1994)
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TV Journal Star of the Year (1994)
Excellence Award – ‘The Moon of Seoul’ (1994)
- MBC Drama Awards (1993)
Best New Actor – ‘Pilot’, ‘Sons and Daughters’ (1993)
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MBC Gangbyeon Song Festival (1984)
Encouragement Award (1984)

Interesting Facts about Han Suk-kyu
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Suk-kyu used to be a voice actor.
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Suk-kyu believes that movies should compete not for publicity, but for quality.
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Suk-kyu is a voracious reader.
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Suk-kyu is interested in fishing.
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Suk-kyu sang in an amateur folk rock band.
FAQs
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What is the Instagram ID of the actor Suk-kyu?
‘@hansukkyu0311‘ is the Instagram ID of Suk-kyu.
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How old is Suk-kyu?
Suk-kyu is 59 years old as of 2023.
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What are the notable works of Suk-kyu?
Suk-kyu’s notable works are ‘Green Fish’, ‘No. 3’, ‘Christmas in August’, ‘Shiri’, ‘The Scarlet Letter’ and ‘The President’s Last Bang’.