HYUN Bin, known for his finely chiseled features, started his career in 2003 with a minor part in the TV rom-com series <Bodyguard>. He gained recognition playing a laconic bodyguard in <Ireland> (2004) and an ego-centric restaurant owner in <My Lovely Sam-soon> (2004-2005), thus gaining the nickname “prince of melodramas” and becoming the embodiment of urban chic to the eyes of many. After his movie debut in the martial arts comedy <Spin Kick> (20...
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HYUN Bin, known for his finely chiseled features, started his career in 2003 with a minor part in the TV rom-com series <Bodyguard>. He gained recognition playing a laconic bodyguard in <Ireland> (2004) and an ego-centric restaurant owner in <My Lovely Sam-soon> (2004-2005), thus gaining the nickname “prince of melodramas” and becoming the embodiment of urban chic to the eyes of many. After his movie debut in the martial arts comedy <Spin Kick> (2004), he enjoyed tremendous success in 2006 with his first lead role in <A Millionaire’s First Love>, playing an arrogant rich kid who must graduate from a high school in the countryside to earn his grandfather’s inheritance. Later that year, he won the popularity award at the Baeksang Arts Awards. Non content to be known only for his look, HYUN made it a point to diversify his career by taking on more challenging roles. And to that extent, his standout portrayal of a gangster in KWAK Kyung-taek’s <Friend, Our Legend> (2009), the TV series adaptation of the director’s cult film <Friend> (2001), proved once and for all that he was also a talented actor. After starring in the smash hit romantic fantasy series <Secret Garden> (2010-2011), thanks to which he received the Grand Prize in the television category of the Baeksang Arts Awards, HYUN gave his first shot at the global film industry costarring Chinese actress TANG Wei in <Late Autumn> (2010), a love story between a female convict who is granted a special leave from prison and a man on the run. After <Come Rain, Come Shine> (2011), a film in which he played against LIM Soo-jung, HYUN enlisted in the Marine Corps to perform his military duty. Following his discharge, the star chose <The Fatal Encounter> (2014) as his comeback project. The big budget period film, which saw the idol take on the role of the famed King Jeongjo of Joseon Dynasty, had a respectable run with more than 3 million admissions but Hyun’s impassive performance failed to impress moviegoers. He experienced a career resurgence in 2017 thanks to buddy cop film <Confidential Assignment> (2016), in which his strict demeanor and neat appearance as an elite North Korean detective were ingeniously put in contrast to YOO Hae-jin’s portrayal of a clumsy and easy-going South Korean detective to create humor. The film attracted 7.8 million viewers to become one of the most successful releases that year.
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