Kim Min-hee (; born March 1, 1982) is a South Korean actress and model. She first gained recognition in the films Hellcats (2008), Helpless (2012), and Very Ordinary Couple (2013). Kim rose to international fame for her role as Lady Hideko in Park Chan-wook's 2016 film The Handmaiden. Since then, she has solely acted in the films of her partner, Hong Sang-soo. She won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for her performance in Hong's 2017 film On the Beach at Night Alone, and the Pardo for Best Performance at the 77th Locarno Film Festival in 2024 for her role in Hong's By the Stream and then again for her performance in Hong's Nowhere to Lay My Eyes at the 79th Locarno Film Festival.
In 2020, The New York Times ranked Kim sixteenth on its list of "The 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century".
Career
1999: Early career Kim Min-hee began modeling when she was in middle school, and soon appeared as a cover girl in teen magazines. In 1999, she was cast in the campus drama School 2 (1999–2000) as a rebellious high school girl, which launched her to stardom. She became a popular young star at barely 20 years old, appearing in TV dramas and movies. However, a string of poor acting performances brought her negative criticism. Critics and viewers disparagingly called her an "attractive but blank actress," more famous for being a fashion icon and actor Lee Jung-jae's then-girlfriend.
2006–present In 2006, after reading the synopsis of TV series Goodbye Solo, Kim knew that she wanted the role of Mi-ri more than anything, saying "I was ready to do anything to play her." She begged renowned screenwriter Noh Hee-kyung to cast her, and though Noh turned her down five times, Kim would not give up, and her determination eventually convinced Noh to see her hidden potential. Vowing to start over from the bottom, Kim went through strict acting training which included basic vocal and respiratory exercises; she got a hold of the script before anyone else, and continued to analyze the role and practice every day. Kim said that until Goodbye Solo, she hadn't been sure what to do with the rest of her life, but the drama made her feel that acting was her true calling, like she'd "finally opened up the first page of the textbook." She received good reviews for her performance, and despite the drama's low ratings, the role transformed her career.Shin, Hae-in (March 16, 2006). "Actress Kim Min-hee enjoys limelight again" . The Korea Herald via Hancinema. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
Her succeeding movie roles helped solidify her career reinvention, beginning with 2008's Hellcats (also known as (), a light-hearted comedy that explored the lives and loves of three women at different stages of womanhood. Kim played an aspiring screenwriter in her twenties who's agonizing over her insecure career and shaky romance with a deadbeat musician boyfriend. Reviews praised her "compelling performance," and she later won Best Actress at the Baeksang Arts Awards and the Busan Film Critics Awards.
Kim then joined the all-star cast of Actresses (2009), a semi-improvisational mockumentary directed by E J-yong (whom she had previously worked with in Asako in Ruby Shoes). Set during a Vogue Korea photo shoot, Kim gets upset in the film over a remark by a staffer that men don't find skinny women like her attractive, as compared to her more voluptuous costar Kim Ok-vin. A supporting turn as a reporter in conspiracy film Moby Dick followed in 2011.
Kim further stretched the limits of her acting range in psychological thriller Helpless (2012), adapted from Miyabe Miyuki's novel All She Was Worth (in Japanese, "one-way train/fire chariot to hell"). She said she had absolute trust in director Byun Young-joo and never even checked the monitors, and Byun was likewise complimentary, saying, "I ended up adding more scenes for her to act because she was just exceptional. She knew what she was doing, and knew she was able to pull it off. She was rarely nervous throughout the production. She's got no fear and is always confident." Kim said the role gave her a chance to show what she was capable of as an actress, adding, "I feel differently about acting now. I often feel a tremendous sense of achievement and really enjoy doing this job.""Kim Min-hee Anything But Helpless in New Movie Role" . The Chosun Ilbo. March 3, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2012. Displaying a striking screen presence as a mysterious girl who disappears without a trace while her bewildered fiancé discovers a trail of falsified information, Kim received several acting nominations and won Best Actress at the Buil Film Awards.
After her contract with Lee Byung-hun's agency BH Entertainment ended in late 2012, Kim signed with Management SOOP, which also handles the career of her friend Gong Hyo-jin.
In 2013, Kim again earned raves for her performance in Very Ordinary Couple. Unlike the typical romantic comedy, the relationship drama told a more realistic story of an on-and-off couple of three years. During her acceptance speech as Best Actress at the 2013 Baeksang Arts Awards, Kim thanked her costar Lee Min-ki and director Roh Deok, who "helped shape (her) character Young on the screen." Action-noir No Tears for the Dead followed in 2014, in which she played a grieving woman who becomes a hitman's target.
Kim next starred in Hong Sang-soo's critically acclaimed film Right Now, Wrong Then (2015), which won her Best Actress at the Busan Film Critics Awards. Kim shot to international stardom for her performance in the award-winning film The Handmaiden, Park Chan-wook's 2016 film adaptation of Fingersmith set in 1930s Korea. Park called her "the most coveted a-list actress at the moment."
In 2017, Kim became the first Korean actress to win the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival for her performance in the film On the Beach at Night Alone. In 2018, she starred in Grass and Hotel by the River.
Kim starred in The Woman Who Ran (2020) which won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival. In 2020, The New York Times ranked Kim sixteenth on its list of "The 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century".
Kim received the Best Performance Award at the 77th Locarno Film Festival for her role as university acting instructor Jeonim in the 2024 Hong Sang-soo drama By the Stream.
Personal life
In June 2016, Kim was reported to be having an affair with Hong Sang-soo, the married director of the film Right Now, Wrong Then, in which she starred as the lead actress in 2015, although it is believed Hong and his wife had been living separately for several years prior and she has rejected his request for a divorce ever since. At the Seoul premiere of On the Beach at Night Alone in March 2017, Kim and Hong openly admitted their affair.The controversy was allegedly the reason why Management SOOP decided not to renew Kim's management contract, which ended in early 2016. She also lost endorsement deals, including that with the cosmetics company Company K, and costume sponsorships, having to pay hundreds of millions of won in advertising penalties. Since then, Kim has been virtually banned from the Korean film industry and has solely appeared in Hong's movies, which are self-produced or co-produced alongside European production companies. On January 14, 2025, it was reported by news outlets that Kim and Hong were expecting their first child after the two were spotted visiting an obstetrics clinic together. Kim later gave birth to a son on April 8, 2025.
Filmography
Film YearTitleRoleNotes 2000 Asako in Ruby Shoes Mia 2002 Surprise Party Hwang Mi-ryung 2008 Hellcats Ami 2009 Actresses Kim Min-hee 2011 Moby Dick Sung Hyo-kwan 2012 Helpless Kang Sun-young 2013 Behind the Camera Very Ordinary Couple Jang Young 2014 No Tears for the Dead Mo-kyung 2015 Right Now, Wrong Then Yoon Hee-jung 2016 The Handmaiden Lady Hideko 2017 On the Beach at Night Alone Young-hee Claire's Camera Jeon Man-hee The Day After Song Ah-reum 2018 Grass A-reum Hotel by the River A-reum 2020 The Woman Who Ran Gam-hee 2021 Introduction Painter 2022 The Novelist's Film Gil-soo, actress Walk Up Production manager 2023 In Water In Our Day Sang-won 2024 By the Stream Jeonim 2026 Nowhere to Lay My Eyes Sang-hee
Television series Year Title Role Notes 1999 School 2 Shin Hye-won 2000 Look Back in Anger Lee Hye-jung Juliet's Man Bol Yeo-woo 2002 Age of Innocence Ji-yoon 2004 My 19 Year Old Sister-in-Law Choi Soo-ji 2006 Goodbye Solo Choi Mi-ri 2008 Love Marriage Lee Kang-hyun
Television shows Year Title Role Notes 2000 Inkigayo Host with Ahn Jae-mo, April 23 – December 31, 2000
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 Result Asian Film Awards 2018Best ActressThe Day After Austin Film Critics Association 2016 Best Supporting Actress The Handmaiden Baeksang Arts Awards 2008 Best Actress – Film Hellcats 2012 Helpless 2013 Very Ordinary Couple 2017 The Handmaiden Berlin International Film Festival 2017Best Actress On the Beach at Night Alone Blue Dragon Film Awards 2012 Best Actress Helpless 2013 Popular Star Award Very Ordinary Couple Best Actress 2016 The Handmaiden Buil Film Awards 2012 Best Actress Helpless 2013 Very Ordinary Couple 2016The Handmaiden 2017 On the Beach at Night Alone Busan Film Critics Awards 2008 Best Actress Hellcats 2016 Right Now, Wrong Then Chunsa Film Art Awards 2016 Best Actress Right Now, Wrong Then 2017 The Handmaiden 2018 On the Beach at Night Alone Cine21 Awards 2016 Best Actress The Handmaiden 2020The Woman Who Ran Director's Cut Awards 2016 Best Actress The Handmaiden Gijón International Film Festival 2017 Best Actress On the Beach at Night Alone 2024 By the Stream Grand Bell Awards 2001 Best Supporting Actress Asako in Ruby Shoes International Cinephile Society Awards 2017 Best Actress The Day After 2018 On the Beach at Night Alone KBS Drama Awards 1999 Best Young Actress School 2006 Best Couple Award Kim Min-hee Goodbye Solo Excellence Award, Actress Goodbye Solo 2008 Best Couple Award Kim Min-hee Love Marriage Netizen Award, Actress Love Marriage KOFRA Film Awards 2013 Best Actress Helpless Korean Film Awards 2008 Best Actress Hellcats Locarno Film Festival 2024Best Performance By the Stream 2026 Nowhere to Lay My Eyes SBS Drama Awards 2000 Best New Actress Juliet's Man 2002 Netizen Popularity Award Age of Innocence Wildflower Film Awards 2016 Best ActressRight Now, Wrong Then 2018 On the Beach at Night Alone 2019 Grass 2021 The Woman Who Ran Women in Film Korea Awards 2013 Best Actress Very Ordinary Couple
References
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