Han Ji-min is a South Korean actress. After minor roles in All In and Dae Jang Geum, Han had her breakout role in revenge series Resurrection in 2005. This was followed by leading roles in period dramasCapital Scandal and Yi San, contemporary dramas Cain and Abel and Padam Padam, romantic dramas Rooftop Prince, Familiar Wife as well as drama filmMiss Baek.
Career
2003–2010: Beginnings and breakthrough
Han Ji-min started her career in show business while still a high school student. She did various commercial films and music videos before gaining wider attention in 2003, when she appeared in hit Korean television dramas All In and Dae Jang Geum. Han said she hadn't dreamed of becoming a serious actress, but changed her mind after starring in All In, where she played the teenage counterpart of the drama's main character, played by popular actress Song Hye-kyo. Han achieved breakthrough with her performance in the critically acclaimed mania dramaResurrection in 2005. She then challenged herself by playing a cute yet ambitious tomboy who dreams of becoming a pilot in her first movie Blue Swallow. A car accident on the set of Wolf seriously injured Han and her co-star Eric Mun, causing the drama to be delayed repeatedly until the decision was finally made to discontinue it with only three episodes aired. After a long recovery for Mun, the two actors reunited instead in the drama Super Rookie Ranger. Han continued to act in TV dramas, with memorable turns as a straitlaced resistance fighter in Capital Scandal and a royal concubine in the historical dramaYi San. Known for her sweet, innocent and fragile image and her depictions of good girls, Han surprised audiences with her performance as a sexy femme fatale in .
2011–2017: Diverse genres
Han played a cynical veterinarian in Padam Padam, written by famous drama writer Noh Hee-kyung, which aired on newly launched cable channeljTBC. She then starred in Rooftop Prince, about a Joseon-era prince who time-travels to the 21st century where he meets his dead beloved's doppelgänger. The popularity of Rooftop Prince garnered Han several awards, and increased her international profile, notably in Japan. In October 2013, Han left her talent agency S.M. Entertainment's SM C&C and joined Lee Byung-hun's BH Entertainment. In 2014, she starred in the opposites-attract romantic comedy filmThe Plan Man, about a methodical, mysophobic librarian who falls for a spontaneous, adventurous musician. Following that, she played the dowager Queen Jeongsun in period film The Fatal Encounter, who is the fierce political rival of her step-grandson King Jeongjo. Han next reunited with The Fatal Encounter co-star Hyun Bin in the 2015 suspense series Hyde, Jekyll, Me, in the role of a circus master who falls for a theme park owner with split personality disorder. In 2016, Han starred in action thriller The Age of Shadows, based on the 1920s about anti-Japanese independence workers' plots and betrayals. In 2017, Han was cast in romantic short film titled Two Rays of Light alongside Park Hyung-sik.
2018–present: Critical acclaim
In 2018, Han starred in the film Miss Baek, playing the titular protagonist; an ex-convict who is emotionally closed up due to the social stigma. Han's performance in the film won her the Best Actress award at the prestigious Blue Dragon Film Awards and Baeksang Arts Awards as well as other major award ceremonies. The same year, she returned to the small screen with romance fantasy drama Familiar Wife, taking on the role of an ordinary wife with anger management issues. In 2019, Han starred in two television series; fantasy melodrama Dazzling and romance melodrama One Spring Night. In 2020, Han is set to star in the drama Here written by Noh Hee-kyung, revolving around NGO volunteers.
