Gil Hae-yeon (; born April 11, 1964) is a South Korean actress. She is best known to North American audiences for her performance in the film In Her Place, for which she garnered a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 3rd Canadian Screen Awards in 2015"Canadian Screen Awards Nominees 2015: 'Orphan Black,' Xavier Dolan's 'Mommy' Lead The Pack" . Huffington Post, January 13, 2015. and won the Wildflower Film Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 3rd Wildflower Film Awards in 2016.
In South Korea, her roles have included the television series Goodbye Mr. Black, Working Mom Parenting Daddy, Possessed, Something in the Rain, One Spring Night, Encounter (2018–19), and Woman of 9.9 Billion. She is most active as a supporting actress, playing role of main characters' mothers.
Gil also writes children's plays and children's books. She has written over 10 children's books and children's play scripts. She also wrote 'Intensive for Children' based on her experience teaching children in a children's theater class.
In 2020, Gil took office as third Chairman of The Korea Theater Welfare Foundation which was established in 2005 to support theater practitioners so that they do not give up theater even in difficult circumstances and are guaranteed basic treatment. The first Chairman Park Jeong-ja and the second Chairman Yoon Seok-hwa.
Early life and education Gil Hae-yeon was born in Paju, Gyeonggi Province on April 11, 1964 and raised in Seoul. She showed her writing talent from a young age and won many awards in elementary school. She attended Pungmoon Girls' High School, where she took literature class because of her dream of becoming a writer. During high school, she watched Jean-Paul Sartre's play , that elevated her awareness of the charm of theatre. Still, She never dreamed of acting.
In 1983, She enrolled in the Korean Literature Department at Dongduk Women's University. When she was a freshman, she chose bowling for her physical education class. She also joined a theater club. Her senior in the theater class asked her to come.
Career In 1986, during her fourth year of college, she co-founded the theater company 'Little Shinhwa' with friends from around ten university drama clubs, including Sogang University, Chung-Ang University, and Kookmin University. It marked the beginning of her career in theater. They created a theater company with the idea of just doing it for 10 years.
The theater company's motto is "With the Heart of Sprinkling a Lantern of Water in the Desert!". Gil serves as the vice president of 'Little Shinhwa.' One notable work by 'Little Shinhwa' is the play 'New Year's Day,' which premiered at the Dongsung Arts Center in 2001. 'New Year's Day' achieved significant recognition, winning the 10th Daesan Literary Award in the play category upon its premiere. It was also selected as one of the BEST3 plays by the Korea Theater Critics Association in 2001 and received the Best Picture, Best Directing (Choi Yong-hoon), and Acting Award (Hong Seong-kyung) at the 2002 Donga Theater Awards.
After graduating, she also became an acting lecturer. Since the early 1990s, she has been working with children through children's theater classes.
She made her film debut in 2003 with the film If You Were Me.
She was featured as DongA Theatre Princess of the Month in December 2010. The 47th Donga Theater Awards took place on January 24, 2011, at the Grand Theater of Daehakro Arts Theater in Daehakro, Seoul. Actress Gil Hae-yeon, known for her role in "Here Comes Love" (written by Bae Bong-gi and directed by Shim Jae-chan), received the acting award at the ceremony.
In 2011, Gil Hae-yeon was honored with the 'Theater of the Year Award' at the '16th Hiseo Theater Awards'. The awards ceremony took place on December 30 on the 3rd floor of Arko Arts Theater. This year, Gil Hae-yeon appeared in encore such as "Here Comes Love", 'Dream within a Dream', and 'New Year's Day', and was praised for creating a deeper character than when she first performed.
She made her TV debut in 2012 through director Ahn Pan-seok's series How Long I've Kissed. In the series, she portrayed the character Ha Seom-jin, a Korean-Chinese domestic helper. Her realistic acting in the role received praise, as she convincingly portrayed a native Yanbian. After that, her collaboration with Director Ahn continued. In the following years, she worked on one drama each year, including "The End of the World," "Secret Affair," and "Heard It Through the Grapevine.
In 2013, She joins forces with Lee Ho-jae and Kim Young-pil (Theater Company Alleyway) in the Strindberg's play Creditors. which commences on the 10th at the small theater of Arko Arts Theater in Daehakro. The Creditors is a poignant work reflecting the writer's personal experience of an unhappy marriage and his misogynistic beliefs. This tragicomedy follows Gustav (portrayed by Lee Ho-jae), a scholarly ex-husband who seeks revenge against his unfaithful wife, Thekla, and her new husband, the painter Adolf (played by Kim Young-pil), employing his cunning wit and eloquence. The play has been translated by Seong Su-jeong and embellished by Dong Lee-hyang.
Gil made her mark in 2015 when she appeared in director Ahn Pan-seok's drama Heard It Through the Grapevine. Her role as Yang Jae-hwa, the secretary to Han Jeong-ho (played by Yoo Jun-sang), resonated with viewers and left a lasting impression.
She left a deep impression by portraying the roles of Son Ye-jin and Han Ji-min's mother in director Ahn Pan-seok's dramas "Something in the Rain" and "Spring Night," respectively. In "Something in the Rain," she portrayed a snobbish and obnoxious villain, while in "Spring Night," she exhibited respect for her daughters' decisions, showcasing a contrasting character portrayal.
In 2023, Gil was cast in director Bae Doo-ri's independent film "Dolphin" alongside Kwon Yuri. Since its premiere at the Jeonju International Film Festival, the film has garnered attention as it was invited to prominent domestic and international film festivals, including the Seoul Independent Film Festival, the Muju Mountain Film Festival, and the Vancouver Asian Film Festival in Canada.
Personal life Gil married Cho Won-ho, a fellow founding member of the theater group Little Shinhwa, and they had a son. Gil's husband suddenly died in 2007 due to a myocardial infarction. She became a single mother to her son, who was still in middle school and dealing with an illness. She remained busy with five or six theater appearances, working as a college lecturer, and conducting acting lessons every year. As a result, she earned the nickname "Guillery," a portmanteau of her surname and "Hillary." This nickname reflected the perception that she was even busier than Hillary Clinton.
Filmography Film Year Title RoleNotes 2003 If You Were Me Jeong-hyeon2005 Mapado woman from Jeju Flowering Day Hee-jung (short film) Friendly and Harmonious (educational film) The Intimate art factory manager 2006 Art of Fighting Yeong-ae's mother2007 Mapado 2 woman from Jeju The Elephant on the Bike Dong-gyu's mother Seven Days hospital director I Need Some Sleep mother2008 Living Together, Happy Together Gyeong-mi Baby and I Ki-seok's mother2009 Breathless Yeon-hee's mother The Pot Missionary Jang Fortune Salon Seung-won's sister-in-law2011 Late Blossom Kun-bong's daughter-in-law Re-encounter Han-soo's mother Meet the In-Laws housekeeper (special appearance)2012 Choked Hee-soo Don't Cry Mommy nun2013 Pluto Joon's mother If You Were Me 6 mother Ingtoogi: The Battle of Internet Trolls Tae-Sik's mother2014 Cart Real customer (special appearance) Our Older Sister Bolero (special appearance) In Her Place mother 2015 Granny's Got Talent housemaid (special appearance)2016 Insane Kang Soo-ah's mother Missing Ji-sun's mother-in-law2017 The Mimic Kim Moo-nyeo Memoir of a Murderer Maria The First Lap Soo-hyun's mother2019 Mate Geum-hee Inseparable Bros Jung-soon Long Live The King Choon-taek's mother (special appearance) House of Hummingbird Young-ji's mother2021 Midnight Kyung-mi's mother 2023UnlockedJe-yeonUnforgivableHae-yeon2024 DolphinJeong-ok About FamilyMother superior
Television series Year Title RoleNotes 2012 How Long I've Kissed Ha Sum-jin 2013 The End of the World Jung Sang-sook2014 Secret Affair Ms. Baek Doctor Stranger Kim Eun-hee (Oh Soo-hyun's mother) 2015 Miss Mamma Mia Ma Hae-yeon Heard It Through the Grapevine Yang Jae-hwa Assembly Chun No-shim Cheer Up! Director Lee Riders: Catch Tomorrow Bae Mi-Sun 2016 Puck! Gyeong-pil's mother Moorim School: Saga of the Brave Gye Mi-sook (special appearance) Yeah, That's How It Is So-hyang Babysitter Yoo Sang-won's mother Goodbye Mr. Black Hong In-ja Working Mom Parenting Daddy Lee Hae-soon My Fair Lady Kim Young-ji 2017 Naked Fireman Jeong-soon Queen of Mystery murderer (special appearance) Hospital Ship Hwang In-kyung's mother (special appearance) The Most Beautiful Goodbye Dr. Yoon Two Cops nun 2018 Something in the Rain Kim Mi-yeon (Jin-ah's mother) What's Wrong with Secretary Kim woman at parking (special appearance) The Ghost Detective Hwang Young-hee Too Bright for Romance Pil-yong's mother KBS Drama Special (special appearance) Matrimonial Chaos Jin Yoo-young's mother (special appearance)EncounterTeacher Lee (Tea house)2019 Possessed Shin Geum-jo (Seo-jung's mother) My Fellow Citizens! Kim Kyung-ae (Sang-jin's mother) One Spring Night Shin Hyeong-seon (Jeong-in's mother) Melting Me Softly Yoo Hyang-ja (Mi-ran's mother) Woman of 9.9 Billion Jang Geum-ja2020 Find Me in Your Memory Seo Mi-hyun Do You Like Brahms? Song Jeong-hee 2021 Beyond Evil Do Hae-won Law School Oh Jung-Hee Voice Gam Jong-suk Season 4 Drama Special – Scenery of Pain old woman 2022 Cleaning Up Bo-ran If You Wish Upon Me Choi Deok-ja Mental Coach Jegal Shim Bok-ja 2023 Strangers Again Hong Yeo-rae 2025Head over HeelsOh Ok-soonThe Winning TryKang Jeong-hyo
Web series Year Title Role Notes 2021 You Me Up Do Yong-shik's mother Cameo The Silent Sea Director Choi 2023One Day Off Koo Young-sook Cameo
Theater