Born KIM Bong-soo in 1947, JANG Hang-seon had just been released from the military service in 1969 when he decided to make a living as taxi driver. While travelling to every corner of Seoul to learn the layout of the city, he suddenly passed in front of a renowned theater and spotted film actors. He followed them, and they eventually led him to a coffee shop that was a favorite hangout of movie people. As he visited the place again the following days, he became friend with a ...More

Born KIM Bong-soo in 1947, JANG Hang-seon had just been released from the military service in 1969 when he decided to make a living as taxi driver. While travelling to every corner of Seoul to learn the layout of the city, he suddenly passed in front of a renowned theater and spotted film actors. He followed them, and they eventually led him to a coffee shop that was a favorite hangout of movie people. As he visited the place again the following days, he became friend with a first assistant director who then invited him to play a small role, quite ironically as a chauffeur, in <Always Stranger> (1969), which starred SHIN Seong-il and MOON Hee. Encouraged by this first experience, he set his mind on a career in acting but could only get extra parts in a handle of movies. He tried his chance on television, but two successive rejections seriously affected his morale, to the point where he even considered stowing away on a ship to Japan. He eventually passed a public audition held by public network KBS in 1970 and made his small screen debut a few years later in the Korean war drama series <Comrades> (1975). He remained largely unnoticed until he reached his forties and started getting more prominent roles as he became typecast as an authority figure. He portrayed police officers of various ranks in series such as <The Fifth Column> (1989), <Police> (1994) and <Sandglass> (1995), and later stood out as a military officer in the epic period drama series <Tears of the Dragon> (1996-1998), which follows the birth of the Joseon Kingdom, still considered today in Korea as one of the best historical series. Having been cast soon after in a similar role for period drama series <Taejo Wang Geon> (2000), he became somewhat of a fixture in this particular genre. His film career too benefitted from this typecasting. He gave a notable performance as a police officer in the commercially successful and widely acclaimed thriller <Tell Me Something> (1999), which was invited to many festivals across the globe, but also in the hit horror-comedy film <Ghost House> (2004). He also worked with internationally recognized directors KIM Ki-duk and KIM Jee-woon, on <Birdcage Inn> (1998) and <The Foul King> (2000) respectively. In 2005, his interpretation of a counselor in LEE Joon-ik’s historical court drama <King And The Clown> (2005) earned him Best Supporting Actor at the Chunsa Film Art Awards. It wasn’t until black comedy <Chaw> (2008) that he was given a main role. He is the father of actor KIM Hyuk. Less