Ji Jin-hee

Ji Jin-hee
Born (1971-06-24) June 24, 1971 (age 52)
EducationMyongji University - Visual Design
OccupationActor
Years active1999–present
AgentEkkeul Entertainment
Spouse
Lee Su-yon
(m. 2004)
Children2
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationJi Jin-hui
McCune–ReischauerChi Chinhŭi

Ji Jin-hee (born June 24, 1971) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the TV shows Dae Jang Geum (2003), "Spotlight" (2008), He Who Can't Marry (2009), Dong Yi (2010), "Second to Last Love (2016), Misty (2018) and Designated Survivor: 60 Days (2019).

Career

Ji Jin-hee graduated from Myongji University with a degree in visual design. He was working as a photographer at an advertising agency when a talent agent from SidusHQ approached him about pursuing a career in entertainment. Content at his present job and doubtful that he had any acting talent, Ji refused the offers for a year, but finally agreed when the ad agency downsized during the IMF financial crisis and he got laid off.

In 1999, Ji appeared in the music video for Jo Sung-bin's "Like a Third-rate Movie," and he made his acting debut in 2000 with the television drama Female Secretary. In the next few years, he continued his television career with Juliet's Man (2000), Four Sisters (2001), and the Korean-Japanese co-production Afternoon After the Passing Rain (2002) with Ryoko Yonekura.

Ji made his big screen debut in 2002, playing a detective in the thriller H. This was followed by If You Were Me, a human rights-themed omnibus where he starred in Park Kwang-su's short film Face Value.

He had drawn positive reviews for his portrayal of a surgeon caught up in a love triangle with a priest in the melodrama Love Letter, but Ji's breakthrough came in late 2003 with period drama Dae Jang Geum (also known as Jewel in the Palace). As a Joseon-era government official who falls in love with a female chef turned royal physician (played by Lee Young-ae), Ji's gentlemanly and integrity-filled character attracted female fans across Asia, for not only did Dae Jang Geum receive high viewership ratings domestically (reaching a peak of 57.8%), it also became popular overseas and became one of the proponents of the Korean Wave.

Ji later parlayed his pan-Asian stardom into roles in the Chinese musical film Perhaps Love and the Taiwanese drama The 100th Bride, both in 2005. He next played an amnesiac in Spring Day, the Korean remake of Japanese drama Hoshi no Kinka ("Heaven's Coins").

Fighting against being typecast in "nice" roles after Dae Jang Geum, Ji also played a playboy slacker in romantic comedy series Miss Kim's Million Dollar Quest (2004), for which he received his first acting award. And in black comedy Bewitching Attraction (2006), he was cast as a cartoonist who shares a past with a promiscuous professor.

In 2007, Ji starred in Im Sang-soo's The Old Garden, adapted from Hwang Sok-yong's novel about a couple who meet during the turbulent 1980s surrounding the Gwangju Uprising; he played an anti-government activist who gets released from prison after serving 17 years for his political activities. This was followed by Ji's first action film, Yoichi Sai's Soo, in which he played dual roles as a hired killer who avenges the death of his twin brother.

Ji returned to television in 2008, as a veteran news reporter in Spotlight. In 2009, he played a fussy, 40-year-old bachelor architect in He Who Can't Marry, the Korean remake of Japanese drama Kekkon Dekinai Otoko ("The Man Who Can't Get Married"). Ji next appeared in the Korean-Japanese "telecinema" Paradise, which both received a theatrical release and aired on SBS and TV Asahi.

He also published Ji Jin-hee in Italy: A Walk in the Clouds, which featured photos and essays about his travels in Rome, Florence and Milan, as well as Ji's recommendations and tips about wine.

In 2010, Ji starred in Parallel Life, playing Korea's youngest ever chief presiding judge, who upon his wife's murder discovers that his life may exactly replicate that of someone who died 30 years ago. He was next cast as a music critic and radio show host who goes in search of his missing spouse in the road trip comedy Looking for My Wife (also known as Runaway from Home).

Then Ji reunited with Dae Jang Geum television director Lee Byung-hoon in another period drama Dong Yi, which also proved popular with audiences. As King Sukjong, who falls for a palace maid (played by Han Hyo-joo) and makes her his royal concubine, Ji said he wanted to show a monarch who had "weak spots that show through his charismatic exterior. Rather than being a dignified king, he is an outgoing and adventurous character."

Ji continued playing leading roles in television, as an airline pilot in Take Care of Us, Captain (2012), general and Joseon dynasty founder Yi Seong-gye in The Great Seer (2012), an adulterous husband in One Warm Word (2013), and a villainous doctor in Blood (2015). He also wrote the original draft of the screenplay of horror-comedy Ghost Sweepers (2012), for which he received a story by credit.

From 2014 to 2015, Ji starred in three Chinese films, namely: On the Way opposite Eva Huang, in which a recently divorced Korean man meets a Chinese woman on a train while traveling in China; Bad Sister opposite Ivy Chen, a romantic comedy where a father who wants to stop his daughter's wedding teams up with the groom's equally disapproving older sister; and Helios, a crime thriller about the theft of nuclear weapons by a group of terrorists.

Philanthropy

In 2008 Ji Jin-hee attended a charity event in China (Beijing), where he put his and his wife's wedding rings up at an auction to help the victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2002 H Detective Kang Tae-hyun
2003 If You Were Me Driver segment: "Face Value"
2005 Perhaps Love Monty Chinese film
2006 Bewitching Attraction Park Seok-gyu
2007 The Old Garden Oh Hyun-woo
Soo Jang Tae-soo
Meet Mr. Daddy Ha Sun-young's husband (cameo)
2009 Paradise Il-ho telecinema
2010 Parallel Life Kim Seok-hyun
Looking for My Wife Ji Sung-hee
2011 Thomas & Friends: Misty Island Rescue The Narrator (Korean dubbed) animated film
2012 Love Fiction Joo-ro
Ghost Sweepers story by credit
2014 On the Way Park Jun-ho Chinese film
Bad Sister Chinese film
2015 Helios Choi Min-ho Hong Kong film
Summer Snow Myung-hwan

Television series

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2000 Female Secretary
MBC Best Theater Episode "Beautiful Man"
Juliet's Man Choi Seung-woo
2001 MBC Best Theater Episode "Seongju Puri"
Four Sisters Han Tae-suk
2002 Afternoon After the Passing Rain Hong Dae-jin Korean-Japanese co-production
2003 Love Letter Jung Woo-jin
MBC Best Theater Episode "Our Writing Class"
MBC Best Theater Episode "Farewell Waltz"
Dae Jang Geum Min Jeong-ho
Hanppyeom Drama Episode "What's in Her Refrigerator?"
2004 Ms. Kim's Million Dollar Quest Park Moo-yeol
MBC Best Theater Episode "Big Brother Is Back"
2005 Spring Days Go Eun-ho
Hanppyeom Drama Cafe owner Episode "Rosy Life"
The 100th Bride Han Wei Taiwanese drama
2008 Spotlight Oh Tae-suk
Star's Lover Ma-ri's actor ex-boyfriend
Cameo (episode 8)
2009 He Who Can't Marry Jo Jae-hee
2010 Dong Yi King Sukjong
2012 Take Care of Us, Captain Kim Yoon-sung
My Husband Got a Family Pastor Cameo (episode 19)
The Great Seer Yi Seong-gye
2013 Dating Agency: Cyrano Seon Jung-nam Cameo (episode 1)
One Warm Word Yoo Jae-hak
2015 Blood Lee Jae-wook
Late Night Restaurant Young-shik Cameo (episode 4–5)
I Have a Lover Choi Jin-eon
Snow Lotus Flower Lee Soo Hyun One-act play
2016 Second to Last Love Go Sang-sik
2018 Misty Kang Tae-wook
2019 Designated Survivor: 60 Days Park Moo-jin
2021 Undercover Han Jeong-hyeon / Lee Suk-kyu
Move to Heaven Han Jung-woo Special appearance
The Road: Tragedy of One Baek Soo-hyeon
2023 D.P. 2 Gu Ja-woon

Variety shows

Year Title Network Role Ref
2018 Where on Earth?? KBS2 Cast member
2021 Golvengers tvN

Music videos

Year Song Title Artist
1999 "Like a Third-rate Movie" Jo Sung-bin
2000 "Once Upon a Day" Kim Bum-soo
2001 "Never" Jo Sung-mo

Discography

Year Title Artist Notes
2002 "Maria's Bath" Cho Seung-woo, Yum Jung-ah, Ji Jin-hee H OST
2005 "The Pain and Even the Sadness" Ji Jin-hee track 5 from Spring Day OST
"Fate" Jacky Cheung, Ji Jin-hee tracks 2, 3, 6 from Perhaps Love OST
"Life's Montage" Ji Jin-hee
"A Beautiful Story" Ji Jin-hee, Takeshi Kaneshiro
2009 "Difficult to Love You" Ji Jin-hee track 4 from He Who Can't Marry OST
2010 "We" Jang Dong-gun, Kim Seung-woo,
Hwang Jung-min, Ji Jin-hee
Gong Hyung-jin, Lee Ha-na
Actors Choice single
"In Life We Are Alone" Ji Jin-hee track 3 of Looking for My Wife OST

Book

Year Title Publisher ISBN
2009 Ji Jin-hee in Italy: A Walk in the Clouds Seed Paper ISBN 9788996187615

Awards and nominations

Year presented, Name of the award ceremony, category, nominated work, and the result of the nomination
Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2003 MBC Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actor Love Letter, Dae Jang Geum Nominated
2004 SBS Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actor in a Drama Special Miss Kim's Million Dollar Quest Won
2009 KBS Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor He Who Can't Marry Nominated
Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Won
2010 MBC Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor Dong Yi Won
Popularity Award, Actor Nominated
Best Couple Award with Han Hyo-joo Nominated
2011 Hong Kong Cable TV Awards Best Actor Won
CETV Awards Top 10 Hottest Asia Award Won
2012 SBS Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Drama Special The Great Seer Nominated
Netizen Popularity Award, Actor Nominated
2014 SBS Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actor in a Drama Special One Warm Word Nominated
2015 4th APAN Star Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial Drama I Have a Lover Nominated
KBS Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama Blood Nominated
SBS Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial Drama I Have a Lover Nominated
Best Couple Award Won
Top 10 Star Award Won
2016 SBS Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actor in a Romantic-Comedy Drama Second to Last Love Nominated

This page was last updated at 2023-12-12 09:34 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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