Kim Rae-won (; born March 19, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He first rose to fame with his appearances in the 2003 romantic comedy series Cats on the Roof. He is best known for the movies My Little Bride (2004), Sunflower (2006), The Prison (2017), as well as television series Love Story in Harvard (2004), Gourmet (2008), A Thousand Days' Promise (2011), Punch (2014–2015), The Doctors (2016), Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me (2018), and The First Responders (2022–2023).
Career Kim Rae-won initially wanted to become a professional basketball player, but when an injured ankle tendon ended that childhood dream, he turned to acting and studied Theater and Film at Chung-Ang University. He made his acting debut in the 1997 teen drama Me, in the role of a newbie at the broadcasting club of his high school. This was followed by another teen drama, School 2 (1999) and coming-of-age film Plum Blossom (2000).
In 2002, Kim rose to fame after starring in the romance comedy drama My Love Patzzi. His popularity further increased in 2003, playing a law student slacker who cohabitates with a girl (Jeong Da-bin) in the popular romance series Cats on the Roof. He then played a carefree photographer who enters the life of an introverted girl in melodrama ...ing and starred in the romantic comedy film My Little Bride, in the role of a college graduate forced to marry a high school girl (Moon Geun-young). My Little Bride became a sleeper hit and was the second top-grossing Korean film of 2004.
Kim continued playing romantic heroes on television, in dramas such as Snowman (2003), Love Story in Harvard (2004), and Which Star Are You From (2006). But on the big screen, he focused on darker, more masculine fare. He played a lowlife-turned-cop in Mr. Socrates (2005), a former gangster attempting to turn over a new leaf in Sunflower (2006), and an antihero art restorer in Insadong Scandal (2009).
In 2008, Kim played an elementary school teacher who falls for a Korean-Japanese jewelry designer (Mirai Yamamoto) in the Japanese film . Later that year, he starred as a genius aspiring chef in Gourmet, a hit series based on Huh Young-man's manhwa Sikgaek.
Kim then explored the melodrama genre in A Thousand Days' Promise (2011), by renowned TV screenwriter Kim Soo-hyun. Kim impressed the audience with his portrayal of a character torn between the longtime girlfriend whom his parents approve of, and the woman he truly loves (Soo Ae) who has early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
In the 2012 film My Little Hero (released internationally as A Wonderful Moment), Kim played a cynical music director who "discovers" a young boy in an audition contest. He next starred in 2014 legal thriller Punch, where he wowed critics with his portrayal of a prosecutor who is diagnosed with a terminal illness and decides to use his remaining six months to bring down the corrupt officials within the legal system.
This was followed by Gangnam Blues, a 2015 noir action film by director Yoo Ha about the seedy underbelly behind the rapid real estate development of Gangnam in the 1970s. Kim shed 15 kilograms to make his role as a fist-fighting gangster more realistic. He then made his small-screen comeback in the SBS's medical drama Doctors opposite Park Shin-hye. The drama topped viewership ratings and popularity charts during its 10-week broadcast. Following Doctors, Kim experienced a rise in popularity and commercial offers.
In 2017, Kim starred in the crime action film The Prison alongside Han Suk-kyu, playing a former detective behind bars. The film became a surprise hit at the box office and received critical acclaim; and Kim was praised for his realistic execution of action scenes. Kim next starred in mystery thriller film RV: Resurrected Victims by Kwak Kyung-taek. The same year, Kim made his television comeback in fantasy romance drama Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me.
In September 2018, Kim was cast in the action film Long Live The King alongside Won Jin-ah, based on a webtoon of the same name. Kim took the role of a mob boss who campaigned and became a politician. In 2019, Kim was also cast in the romantic comedy film Crazy Romance alongside Snowman co-star Gong Hyo-jin.
In July 2021, HB Entertainment's contract ended and Kim decided not to renew it.
In 2022, Kim returns to the small screen with the SBS drama The First Responders, his first terrestrial television in six years since 2016. The second season premiered in 2023. In April 2022, it was reported that Kim had formed the Whale Company, an entity Kim founded as a sole agency.
Personal life On 28 September 2011, Kim was reportedly involved in a physical altercation with a waitress at a bar in Gangnam, Seoul where he and employees of his then-agency Bless Entertainment were drinking. He issued a denial, claiming he had only interceded in a verbal argument between the woman and an agency rep, and later made a public apology regarding the incident.
Kim has long been rumored to come from a very affluent family, which he denied in a 14 January 2013 guest appearance on talk show Healing Camp, though he confirmed that he did inherit an apartment unit during middle school as well as a large sum of money from his grandmother.
Kim is a practicing Roman Catholic.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1998 Scent of a Man young Kwon Hyuk-soo2000 Harpy Kang Hyun-woo Plum Blossom Kim Ja-hyo 2002 2424 Han Ik-su 2003 ...ing Young-jae 2004 My Little Bride Park Sang-min 2005 Mr. Socrates Ku Dong-hyuk 2006 Sunflower Oh Tae-sik 2008 Flower Shadow Seung-woo 2009 Insadong Scandal Lee Kang-jun 2013 My Little Hero Yoo Il-han 2015 Gangnam Blues Baek Yong-ki2017 RV: Resurrected Victims Seo Jin-hong The Prison Song Yoo-gun2019Long Live The King Jang Sae-chool Crazy Romance Jae-hoon 2022 Decibel Kang Do-young 2023 The Moon Lee Sang-won Special appearance
Television series Year Title Role Notes 1997 Me 1998 Soonpoong Clinic Kim Rae-won MBC Best Theater "Her Flower Pot No. 1" one act-drama1999 School 2 Lee Han Hometown of Legends Jang-su, Goguryeo Shinjo2000 It's Half Choi Jung-shik The Thief's Daughter Deok-gyeong2001 Life Is Beautiful Lee Jae-min Wuri's Family Lee Young-hoon 2002 My Love Patzzi Kim Hyun-sung2003 Snowman Cha Sung-joon Cats on the Roof Lee Kyung-min2004 Say You Love Me Kim Byung-soo Love Story in Harvard Kim Hyun-woo 2006 Which Star Are You From Choi Seung-hee 2008 Gourmet Lee Sung-chan 2011 A Thousand Days' Promise Park Ji-hyung 2014–2015 Punch Park Jung-hwan 2016 The Doctors Hong Ji-hong 2017–2018 Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me Moon Soo-ho 2021 L.U.C.A.: The Beginning Ji Oh 2022–2023 The First Responders Jin Ho-gae Season 1–2 2027 Full Count Hwang Jin-ho
Accolades Awards and nominations + Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Andre Kim Best Star Awards 2003 Best Star AwardKim Rae-won 2007 APAN Star Awards 2015 Top Excellence Award, Actor in a MiniseriesPunch 2016 Top Excellence Award, Actor in a MiniseriesThe Doctors Baeksang Arts Awards 2004 Best Actor – TelevisionCats on the Roof 2005 Most Popular Actor (Film) My Little Bride 2015 Best Actor – TelevisionPunch Blue Dragon Film Awards 2000 Best New Actor Plum Blossom Chungbuk International Martial Arts And Action Film Festival 2019 Best Actor Long Live The King Grand Bell Awards2001 Best New Actor Harpy 2004 My Little Bride KBS Drama Awards 1999 Best Young Actor School 2 2018 Top Excellence Award, Actor Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama Netizen Award, Actor Best Couple Award Kim Rae-won (with Shin Se-kyung)Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me Korea Best Dresser Swan Awards 2003 Best Dressed Kim Rae-won Korea Drama Awards 2008 Excellence Award, ActorGourmet 2016 Grand Prize (Daesang)The Doctors Korea Movie Star Awards2007 Excellence Award in Action Sunflower MBC Drama Awards 2002 Best New Actor My Love Patzzi 2003 Top Excellence Award, ActorCats on the Roof Popularity Award, Actor Best Couple Award Kim Rae-won (with Jung Da-bin)Cats on the Roof 2006 Top Excellence Award, ActorWhich Star Are You From Popularity Award, Actor Best Couple Award Kim Rae-won (with Jung Ryeo-won)Which Star Are You From SBS Drama Awards 2004 Top Excellence Award, ActorLove Story in Harvard Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Planning Drama Netizen Popularity Award Top 10 Stars 2008 Top Excellence Award, ActorGourmet Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Planning Drama Netizen Popularity Award Top 10 Stars Best Couple Award Kim Rae-won (with Nam Sang-mi)Gourmet 2011 Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Planning DramaA Thousand Days' Promise Netizen Popularity Award Top 10 Stars Best Couple Award Kim Rae-won (with Soo Ae)A Thousand Days' Promise 2015 Grand Prize (Daesang)Punch Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-Length Drama PD Award 2016 Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Genre DramaThe Doctors Best Couple Award Kim Rae-won (with Park Shin-hye)The Doctors 2022 Grand Prize (Daesang) The First Responders Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Genre/Fantasy Drama 2023 Grand Prize (Daesang) The First Responders 2 Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Seasonal Drama
State honors + Name of country, year given, and name of honor Country or Organization Year Honor or Award Savings Day2006 Presidential Commendation
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