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- KWAK Do-won
- Actor
- KWAK Do-won, born in 1973, took an interest in acting at a young age after watching a play at his church. His passion was such that he tried to start his career on stage as soon as he finished high school, instead of going to university like most people in Korea. His first years in the business proved to be particularly challenging, as he would only be hired by theaters to do manual chores and was sleeping at his workplace since he couldn’t afford a rent. To make it worse,... expand
- KWAK Do-won, born in 1973, took an interest in acting at a young age after watching a play at his church. His passion was such that he tried to start his career on stage as soon as he finished high school, instead of going to university like most people in Korea. His first years in the business proved to be particularly challenging, as he would only be hired by theaters to do manual chores and was sleeping at his workplace since he couldn’t afford a rent. To make it worse, he suffered terrible shyness that prevented him from standing on stage and tried to overcome it by acting in plays for children. His life changed when he took part in a workshop held by theatre troupe Georipae. He would eventually join them, rehearsing and performing for seven years, before he was tempted to try his luck on the silver screen. OH Dal-soo, a fellow comedian at Georipa who was also debuting in the film industry, advised him to start with parts in independent movies and short films. Making his debut in 2003 with the movie <Ogu: A Hilarious Mourning>, soon followed by the anthology film <If You Were Me>, KWAK Do-won went on with extra appearances in in <The Good, The Bad, And The Weird> (2008), <Mother> (2009) and <Handphone> (2009). He demonstrated the breadth of his acting ability with supporting roles in <Midnight F.M.>, <The Man From Nowhere>, <Mother>, <Handphone>, and <Nameless Gangster : Rules of the Time>. His reputation skyrocketed after appearing as a merciless detective in the 2013 smash hit <The Attorney>, as his electric exchanges with SONG Kang-ho in the courtroom scenes were a standout. He also impressed while playing against HWANG Jung-min in 2014’s <Man In Love>, and later that year he appeared in the crime sequel <Tazza-The Hidden Card>. His career has witnessed an upsurge in 2016 thanks to NA Hong-jin’s <THE WAILING>, which also marked the first time he was given top billing. The film having been universally acclaimed by critics after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and having scored high numbers during its theatrical run, KWAK has become a household name in Korean cinema. He has since been starring in several blockbusters such as KIM Sung-su’s thriller <Asura : The City of Madness> and YANG Woo-suk’s <Steel Rain>. close
- Nationality : South Korea
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