Yeo Woon-kay (; February 25, 1940 – May 22, 2009) was a South Korean actress and television personality. She was best known for Korean films such as War of Money, Bad Family and My Lovely Sam Soon.
Yeo began acting while in high school. She continued to act while attending Korea University, where she studied literature. She became known for her work in Daehakgeuk, which is also called the amateur student theater, during the 1950s and 1960s, alongside other contemporary Korean actors like Lee Soon-jae.
She made her professional theater debut with a theater troupe in 1962. From theater, she was able to transition to a successful television career. She often played the role of a grandmother or "grandmotherly figure". Examples of these characters included her roles in Toji in 1986 and Jewel in the Palace in 2003.
Ms. Yeo was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2007 while shooting the SBS TV series The King and I. But she continued to act and began work on the KBS2 production of Love and Obsession, eventually quitting the production due to pneumonia, indicating the spread of cancer to her lungs.
Yeo entered the hospital intensive care unit in May 2009. Reports say that she fell into a coma and was placed on life support. She died around 8 P.M. on May 22, 2009, at the Incheon Catholic Medical Center in Incheon, South Korea, at the age of 69. Her funeral was held at the Severance Hospital.
Yeo was awarded the Life Achievement Award posthumously at the KBS Drama Awards in 2009.
Filmography Film Year Title Role 1972 The Pollen Flower 1980 Vicious Woman Mother-in-Law The Wooden Horse That Went to Sea 1982 Late Autumn The Warden 1985 Cabbage in a Pepper Field 1988 Last Dancing 1991 The Pinwheel that Spins Alone Grandmother 1992 From the Seom River to the Sky Jae-in's Mother 2002 The Beauty in Dream Grandmother 2005 Mapado Mrs. Chairman Hoe Jang 2006 Family Matters 2007 Mapado 2: Back to the Island Mrs. Chairman Hoe Jang Sorrow Even Up in Heaven
Television series Year Title Role Network1983 Eun-ha's Dream KBS1 Youth March KBS21987 Door of Desires Land Ham Ahn-daek KBS1 1988 The Winter That Year Was Warm KBS2 1991 What's Love? Jin SooMBC 1993 Stormy Season Choong-in's Mother1994 The Moon of Seoul Sang-gook's Grandmother My Son's Woman Moon Jung-ok 1995 LA Arirang SBS 1996 1.5 Generation MBC Dad is the Boss SBS 1997 Because I Love You Ae-kyung's grandmother1998 I Love You, I Love You Bong-sook's Mother The King and the Queen Former Internal Princess Consort Shin KBS1 Seven Brides Na Gap-sunSBS 1999 Trap of Youth Yun-hee's Grandmother2000 Foolish Love Sang-woo's mother KBS2 More Than Words Can Say Lee Jin-jinKBS1 2001 Stock Flower I Want To See Your Face Song Kil-ja MBC Like Father, Like Son Jum SoonKBS2 2002 Who's My Love? Duk-bae's wife Golden Wagon Ahn Gap-jin MBC Drama City:"Like Vienna Coffee" KBS2 Sunrise House Kim Soon-nyeo SBS 2003 Drama City:"Chief of Five Zoom" KBS2 On the Prairie Charman Shin's Grandmother Swan Lake Myung Soon-keumMBC Jewel in the Palace Court Lady Jung Mal-geum2004 Ms. Kim's Million Dollar Quest Lee Kkeut-soon SBS Oh Feel Young Chairwoman Shin KBS2 2005 Bad Housewife No Jin-ye SBS My Lovely Sam Soon Manager Ms. OhMBC Sisters of the Sea Cho Han-bin2006 Bad Family Park Bok-nyu SBS How Much Love? Dong-soo's Grandmother MBC My Lovely Fool Dong-joo's Grandmother SBS 2007 Hello! Miss Lee Hak KBS2 War of Money Madam Bong SBS Daughters-in-Law Suh Ong-sim KBS2 The King and I SBS 2008 Why Did You Come to My House? Gong Ok-ja 2009 Love and Obsession Madame Byeon KBS2
References
External links