Biography of Kim Tae-ri
Kim Tae-ri is a well-known South Korean actress. She began her career by performing in theatre and modelling for TV commercials. She made her debut in Park Chan-2016 Wook’s feature film The Handmaiden, where she was picked for the part out of 1,500 applicants. Her other prominent works include the movies ‘Little Forest’ (2018), and ‘Space Sweepers’ (2020), as well as the TV shows ‘Mr Sunshine’ (2018) and ‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’ (2022).
She is a talented and accomplished actress who has received numerous awards and nominations for her performances. She won the Best Actress Award for Television at the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards and also won the Best New Actress award at the 25th’ Building Film Awards’, the 17th ‘Busan Film Critics Awards’, and the 16th ‘Director’s Cut Awards’. Additionally, she has been recognized and nominated as ‘Best New Actress’ at the ‘Chunsa Film Art Awards’ and the ‘Baeksang Arts Awards’, further showcasing her talents and achievements in the entertainment industry
Early Life & Education
Kim Tae-ri was born on 24 April 1990, in Seoul, South Korea. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Youngshin Nursing Business High School and her master’s at Kyung Hee University in the Department of Journalism and Communication.
Tae-ri used to work a lot of part-time jobs whilst in school. She worked at KFC, a newspaper company, a multiplex, etc. After joining a college theatre club in her second year of college, she was motivated to pursue acting.
Career and Achievements
Then she appeared in Tafka Buddha’s music video ‘Spring Is Coming’. Later, she continued to star in similar music videos by artists including Bitnara Yang and Number Nine.
She made her stage debut in the play ‘Spoonface Steinberg’ by British writer Lee Hall in 2013, which was initially released on BBC as a monologue in 1997. However, due to its success, it was later presented on stage.
In 2015, she made appearances in the short films ‘Who Is It?’, ‘ Lock Out’, and ‘Moon Young’.
In 2016, Kim Tae-ri earned the role of ‘Sook-hee’ in Park Chan-wook’s film ‘The Handmaiden’ after outclassing almost 1500 other applicants in an audition. It was a sensual psychological thriller and was based on Sarah Waters’ book ‘Fingersmith’. The film received good reviews from critics and enjoyed success at the box office. ‘The Handmaiden’ was nominated for the prestigious ‘Palme d’Or prize’ at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. A few controversial episodes involving ‘Sook-hee’ (played by Kim Tae-ri) and ‘Lady Hideko’ (played by Kim Min-hee) sparked debate at the film festival. Her acting abilities in the movie gave her praise, honours, and recognition. She established that she was the ideal candidate for the role by giving an incredible performance in the film.
After the success of ‘The Handmaiden’, she was given the opportunity to make a cameo appearance in the 2016 season of the popular American television show ‘Entourage’.
Then she made an appearance in the historical drama titled ‘1987: When the Day Comes’. The film was inspired by South Korean politics, specifically the June Democracy Movement. When the film was released in 2017, it was a financial success.
She was then persuaded to take on a significant part in the movie ‘Little Forest‘, which is based on the well-known manga series. The movie was a box office hit and gained wide audience attention.
She agreed to appear in the lead role of the South Korean TV show ‘Mr Sunshine’ in 2018. The protagonist of the series is a soldier who, after a long break, goes home. Upon his return, he falls in love with Kim Tae-ri’s character, who plays the daughter of an aristocrat. The show became the third highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history.
Her recent drama is ‘Twenty-five Twenty-one‘, streaming on Netflix. The drama represents the ambitions and challenges that young people frequently experience while attempting to define who they are and what they want in their life, and the pressure to have desired goals and a planned life.
Kim Tae-ri was fantastic as the main character ‘Hee-Do’ in that drama. Her character is humorous yet mature at times, cheerful yet serious about her ambition. It’s a well-written character in the drama. She also appeared in ‘Revenant’ in 2023.
‘The Demon’, an upcoming mystery-thriller by SBS, is her next project.
Personal Life
Kim Tae-ri is not yet married, and she has revealed that she has never liked someone. She described herself as someone who isn’t romantic because she had never experienced a first love, which is very different from the romantic plays she appeared in.
She admitted that she felt envious of ‘Na Hee-do’, her role in the drama ‘Twenty-Five, Twenty-One,’ because of that character’s nature of loving passionately. She desires to have the same experience as her characters. She is eager to find someone with whom she feels such emotions
Despite her confession, there are still rumours regarding her relationship with co-stars Nam Joo-hyuk and Lee Byung-hun.
Awards
Kim Tae-ri’s performance in ‘The Handmaiden’ earned her a variety of honours and nominations for a number of significant awards.
She earned the title of ‘Best New Actress’ in 2016 on various Award shows, including the 25th ‘Building Film Awards’, the 17th ‘Busan Film Critics Awards’, and the 16th ‘Director’s Cut Awards’.
She was recognised as the Best Newcomer in 2017. She also received nominations for Best New Actress at the ‘Chunsa Film Art Awards’ and the ‘Baeksang Arts Awards’ in the same year.
Interesting Facts About Kim Tae-ri
-
Kim Tae-ri was a theatre artist before she made it into the industry. While attending college, she participated in the theatre club. She eventually began performing in plays before taking the lead in the short film Moon Young. She had already joined J-Wide Company at that point and had appeared in television ads and short films. Before making her breakthrough, Tae Ri underwent a number of film auditions and experienced a number of rejections.
-
She used to work a lot of part-time jobs while studying in school. She worked at KFC, a newspaper company, a multiplex, etc.
-
Kim Tae-ri learned fencing for her drama ‘Twenty Five, Twenty One’. It was taught to her by a gold medalist. She started practising it five to six months before filming her drama.
-
She enjoys birdwatching. In an interview, she said, “In the past, I didn’t know there were so many birds in Seoul. Now, when I hear the sound of birds, I look around first. Small happiness has been added to my daily life.”
-
Kim Tae-ri made an audiobook during quarantine. The audiobook includes her readings of Classic literature such as ‘The Old Man And The Sea’ by Ernest Hemingway, ‘Stranger’ by Albert Camus, and ‘1984’ by George Orwell.
-
She is a cat person. She has three cats and she enjoys spending time with her kitties even between her busy schedules of filming and modelling.
FAQs
- How old is Kim Tae-ri?
As of 2023, she is 33 years old. She was born on April 24, 1990 - Which is Kim Tae-ri’s upcoming drama?
‘The Demon’, an upcoming mystery-thriller by SBS, is her next project. - Is Kim Tae-ri single?
Kim Tae-ri is not yet married, and she has revealed that she has never liked someone. - What is Kim Tae-ri’s favourite hobby?
Her current hobby is birdwatching. - What is Kim Tae-ri’s Instagram Id?
@kimtaeri_official
