Kim Yoon-seok is a South Korean actor. Kim's theater background first led him to be cast in minor roles on film and television. His breakout role came as the villain in gambling film ', but it was his performance as an ex-cop turned pimp in surprise hit The Chaser that brought him acting awards and stardom in his forties. Kim has since become an acclaimed actor in South Korea, with notable performances in films such as Running Turtle, The Yellow Sea, Punch,The Thieves, ', Sea Fog, The Classified File, The Priests and .
Career
Kim Yoon-seok was trained on stage as a member of the renowned Theater Yeonwoo Company, and he made his acting debut in 1988 with A Streetcar Named Desire. After many years in theater, he began acting in film and television late in his career, at first appearing in minor roles. Then in 2006, Kim had his breakthrough in Choi Dong-hoon's ', with audiences praising his performance in the supporting role as ruthless gambler Agwi. A leading role followed in 2008 with The Chaser, directed by Na Hong-jin. He successfully portrayed the morally ambiguous character of a retired-cop-turned-pimp hunting down a serial killer who murdered the call girls due to his impotence. The thriller was a critical and commercial hit, becoming one of the classic films in thriller genre, and Kim's excellent performance brought him 8 awards totally, made him a major player in the Korean film industry. He transitioned from one of the finest character actors in the industry into a popular leading actor: Kim played a middle-aged man following his lifelong dream to play in a rock band in The Happy Life, a rural detective trying to capture a legendary prison breaker in Running Turtle, and a rival Taoist wizard in '. In 2010, Kim reunited with The Chaser costar Ha Jung-woo in Na's sophomore film The Yellow Sea. Kim then costarred with Yoo Ah-in in coming-of-age filmPunch, a critically and commercial hit. Kim once again triumphed in 2012, as his heist movieThe Thieves became the second best-selling Korean film of all time. In 2013, he continued working with one of Korea's leading directors, in Yim Soon-rye's family drama filmSouth Bound. He then starred in ', an action thriller directed by Jang Joon-hwan. In 2014, Kim starred in the critically acclaimed arthouse filmSea Fog directed by Shim Sung-bo. In 2015, Kim collaborated with director Kwak Kyung-taek in The Classified File., playing a detective cooperating with a shaman to find out and save a kidnapped girl. Kim then reunited with Kang Dong-won in The Priests, a supernatural mystery thriller by director Jang Jae-hyun. The Priests was a box office hit, attracting 5.44 million admissions to cinema. Kim then made a brief appearance in retro film C'est Si Bon by Kim Hyun-seok, playing a middle-aged man retrospecting his youth in 1980s. In 2016, Kim starred in romance filmWill You Be There?, directed by Hong Ji-young, based on the novel of the same name of Guillaume Musso. Kim portrayed a middle-aged pediatric whose last wish before death was to see his first love once again. In 2017, Kim starred in director Hwang Dong-hyuk's historical filmThe Fortress. He also reunited with director Jang Joon-hwan in ', another historical political film about pro-democratic movement in South Korea in 1987. In 2018, Kim starred in murder mystery filmDark Figure of Crime. He reportedly worked on the script alongside director Kwak Kyung-taek. In 2019, Kim made his directorial debut with Another Child, a family drama film.
