| Youn Yuh-jung 윤여정 | |||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 19 June 1947 | ||||||||||
| Other Names: | Yoon Yeo-jeong | ||||||||||
| Education: | |||||||||||
| Occupation: | Actress | ||||||||||
| Years Active: | 1966–present | ||||||||||
| Agent: | Creative Artists Agency (USA)[1] | ||||||||||
| Children: | 2 | ||||||||||
| Awards: | Best Supporting Actress at the 93rd Academy Awards | ||||||||||
| Honours: | Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit (2021) | ||||||||||
| Module: |
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Youn Yuh-jung (pronounced as /ko/; born June 19, 1947) is a South Korean actress, whose career in film and television spans over five decades. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Independent Spirit Awards, and a nomination for a Critics' Choice Movie Award. She has starred in many South Korean television series and films.
She gained international recognition for her role in Minari (2020). Her critically acclaimed portrayal of Soon-ja in the film made her the first Korean actress to win a Screen Actors Guild Award, an Independent Spirit Award, a British Academy Film Award, and an Academy Award, as well as the first to be nominated for a Critics' Choice Movie Award, all in the Best Supporting Actress category.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
By the late 1960s, Youn was a rising star in South Korea and won several awards for her role in Woman of Fire (1971). She retired from the spotlight for several years before returning to acting in the late 1980s. Besides Woman of Fire and Minari, Youn is known for her work in the South Korean films The Housemaid (2010), The Taste of Money (2012), The Bacchus Lady (2016), and Canola (2016). She is also known for her matriarch roles in the South Korean family drama series Men of the Bath House (1995), Be Strong, Geum-soon! (2005), Daughters-in-Law (2007), My Husband Got a Family (2012), and Dear My Friends (2016). In 2022, she appeared in the period drama Pachinko on Apple TV+.
Youn Yuh-jung was born on June 19, 1947, in Kaesong, Gyeonggi Province, North Korea. She is the eldest daughter of a family with three daughters. Her father died when she was young. The family fled the city during the first and fourth retreat of the Korean War. She attended Changsin Elementary School and later Ewha Girls' High School in Seoul, South Korea.[7] She graduated from high school in 1966. Afterwards, she enrolled at Hanyang University, with a major in Korean Language and Literature. When she passed open acting auditions held by TBC in 1966,[8] she dropped out of college.[9]
After dropping out of college, Youn made her acting debut in the television drama Mister Gom in 1967.[10] Youn shot to stardom in 1971 with two memorable portrayals of femme fatales. Her first film, Kim Ki-young's Woman of Fire, became a critical and commercial hit,[11] [12] for which she won Best Actress at the Sitges Film Festival.[13]
This was followed by the MBC historical drama Jang Hui-bin where she played the titular infamous royal concubine. Kim was considered Korea's first style-conscious, experimental director, and Youn did not balk in playing risque, provocative characters that explore the grotesque in the female psyche in collaborations with him such as The Insect Woman (1972) and Be a Wicked Woman (1990).[14] Audiences found Youn's fast way of speaking and atypical appearance refreshing and she frequently took roles in TV dramas depicting a modern woman of the new generation, notably in Stepmother (1972) written by Kim Soo-hyun.
At the peak of her career, Youn retired after she married singer Jo Young-nam in 1974, then immigrated to the United States. In 1984, she returned to Korea and permanently resumed her acting career. She and Jo divorced in 1987 and struggled to resume her acting career due to the stigma of divorce in South Korea.[15] [16]
Making a comeback after taking a long break was an unusual feat for a Korean middle-aged actress. Although most actresses her age played clichéd self-sacrificing mothers or coarse ajummas, Youn's acting range led to her being cast in more complex, stylish, and independent roles. In A Good Lawyer's Wife (2003), she drew critical acclaim for her nonchalant acting as a mother-in-law who neglected her husband dying of liver cancer and enjoyed extramarital affairs. Her frank and confident persona again manifested itself in E J-yong's mockumentary Actresses (2009).[17] [18] [19] [20]
Youn continued playing supporting roles in film and television, such as in The Housemaid (2010). She reunited with director Im Sang-soo for the fourth time in The Taste of Money (2012), as a cruel chaebol heiress at the center of the drama that unfolds and touches upon the themes of corruption, greed and sex. Youn said "I don't mind being called an old actress, but I do worry about how to carry on my acting career without looking like an old fool."[21]
In 2013, she was cast as a loving mother to three loser children in Song Hae-sung's Boomerang Family.[22] Later in the year, Youn appeared in her first reality show Sisters Over Flowers, a travel show shot in Croatia.[23] After appearing on Sisters Over Flowers, Youn has stated that her public image became more positive.[24]
Youn starred in two leading roles in 2015: Kang Je-gyu's Salut d'Amour about the romance between an elderly supermarket employee and a flower shop owner,[25] and Canola about a Jeju Island female diver who reunites with her long-lost granddaughter.[26] Salut d'Amour was Youn's first collaboration with actor Park Geun-hyung since 1971.[27]
In 2020, she made her Hollywood debut in a supporting role as Soon-ja, a grandma of a Korean-American family in rural Arkansas, in the American film Minari, for which she received critical recognition from over forty American regional critics awards, including wins from the National Board of Review and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.[28] Youn went on to become the first Korean actress to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress,[29] SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role,[30] and BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.[31] She was also the first Asian actress to win an acting award in the motion pictures categories at the Screen Actors Guild Awards as well as the first Korean actress to win an Academy Award and first Asian actress to win an Academy Award since 1958 when Miyoshi Umeki won Best Supporting Actress for Sayonara.
In April 2021, Film at Lincoln Center hosted a five film retrospective of her career.[32] In September 2021, she was selected as one of the 100 most "Influential People in the World" in 2021 by the American weekly magazine TIME. She was named in the 'Titan' category.[33] Youn received the Order of Cultural Merit.[34]
In December 2022, Youn's contract with Hook Entertainment ended, and she decided not to renew after 5 years.[35] Later, in January 2023, Youn signed with Creative Artists Agency.[36]
In December 1973, she followed her fiancé, singer Jo Young-nam, to the United States. She worked at a supermarket for $2.75 an hour to raise her two sons in St. Petersburg, Florida. She returned to Korea in 1984 and divorced her husband three years afterwards.[37]
Youn has two sons, both of whom are Korean Americans.[38] Her sister Youn Yeo-soon is a former executive at LG Group.[39]
| Title | Role | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Korean | ||||
| 1971 | Woman of Fire | 화녀 | Myeong-ja | ||
| 1972 | The Insect Woman | 충녀 | Myeong-ja | ||
| 1973 | Love and Hatred | 다정다한 | |||
| Tto Sun Yi, a College Girl | 여대생 또순이 | ||||
| 1978 | The Day and Night of a Korean-American | 코메리칸의 낮과 밤 | |||
| 1985 | Mother | 어미 | Hong Kyeong-ae | ||
| 1990 | Be a Wicked Woman | 천사여 악녀가 되라 | Choi Yuh-jung | ||
| 1995 | An Experience to Die For | 죽어도 좋은 경험 | Choi Yeo-jung | ||
| 2003 | A Good Lawyer's Wife | 바람난 가족 | Hong Byeong-han | ||
| 2004 | Springtime | 꽃피는 봄이 오면 | Hyun-woo's mother | ||
| 2005 | The President's Last Bang | 그때 그사람들 | Yoon-hee's mother/Epilogue narration | ||
| 2006 | Maundy Thursday | 우리들의 행복한 시간 | Sister Monica | ||
| 2007 | The Old Garden | 오래된 정원 | Hyun-woo's mother | ||
| Hwang Jin-yi | 황진이 | Old woman | |||
| 2008 | A Tale of Legendary Libido | 가루지기 | Old woman | ||
| 2009 | Actresses | 여배우들 | Herself | Also screenwriter | |
| 2010 | Hahaha | 하하하 | Moon-kyeong's mother | ||
| The Housemaid | 하녀 | Byeong-sik | |||
| 2011 | Hindsight | 푸른 소금 | Madame Kang | ||
| List | 리스트 | Short film | |||
| 2012 | The Taste of Money | 돈의 맛 | Baek Geum-ok | ||
| In Another Country | 다른 나라에서 | Park Sook | |||
| 2013 | Behind the Camera | 뒷담화: 감독이 미쳤어요 | Herself | ||
| Boomerang Family | 고령화가족 | Mom | |||
| 2014 | Hill of Freedom | 자유의 언덕 | Gu-ok | ||
| 2015 | Salut d'Amour | 장수상회 | Im Geum-nim | ||
| Intimate Enemies | 나의 절친 악당들 | Yeo-jung | Cameo | ||
| Right Now, Wrong Then | 지금은맞고그때는틀리다 | Kang Deok-soo | |||
| 2016 | Canola | 계춘할망 | Gye-choon | ||
| The Bacchus Lady | 죽여주는 여자 | So-young | [40] | ||
| 2018 | Keys to the Heart | 그것만이 내 세상 | In-sook | [41] | |
| 2019 | Lucky Chan-sil | 찬실이는 복도 많지 | Grandmother | ||
| 2020 | Beasts Clawing at Straws | 지푸라기라도 잡고 싶은 짐승들 | Soon-ja | [42] | |
| Minari | Soon-ja | American film, winner of Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress | [43] | ||
| 2021 | 헤븐: 행복의 나라로 | Mrs. Yoon | [44] | ||
| 2024 | Dog Days | 도그데이즈 | Min-seo | [45] [46] | |
| 2025 | The Wedding Banquet | TBA | American-Korean co-production Post-production | [47] | |
| Title | Role | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Korean | |||||
| 1967 | Mister Gom | 미스터 곰 | ||||
| 1970 | The Appearance of the Wife | 아내의 모습 | ||||
| Let's Live by the River | 강변 살자 | |||||
| 박마리아 | MBC | |||||
| River of Love and Sorrow | 사랑과 슬픔의 강 | |||||
| 1971 | Jang Hui-bin | 장희빈 | Hui-bin Jang | |||
| 1972 | Rainbow | 무지개 | President Han's daughter | |||
| Daewongun | 대원군 | Empress Myeongseong | ||||
| Stepmother | 새엄마 | Eun-hye | ||||
| 1976 | Girl's High School Days | 여고 동창생 | ||||
| 1984 | MBC Bestseller Theater | MBC 베스트셀러극장 - 고깔 | Episode: "고깔" | |||
| 1985 | Mom's Room | 엄마의 방 | ||||
| 1986 | First Love | 첫사랑 | ||||
| 1987 | Love and Ambition | 사랑과 야망 | Song Hye-joo | |||
| 1988 | Sand Castle | 모래성 | Kim Jin-ae | |||
| People from Wonmi-dong | 원미동 사람들 | |||||
| 1989 | Fetters of Love | 사랑의 굴레 | ||||
| Seasonal bird | 철새 | |||||
| Sleepless Tree | 잠들지 않는 나무 | Dance school teacher | ||||
| 1990 | Geomsaengyi's moon | 검생이의 달 | ||||
| Betrayal of the Rose | 배반의 장미 | Ok-sun | ||||
| 1991 | What Is Love | 사랑이 뭐길래 | Han Shim-ae | |||
| Another Happiness | 또 하나의 행복 | |||||
| 1992 | Bun-rye's Story | 분례기 | Bun-rye's mother | |||
| Gwanchon Essay | 관촌 수필 | |||||
| Women's Room | 여자의 방 | |||||
| 1993 | How's Your Husband? | 댁의 남편은 어떠십니까? | Song Eun-nyeo | |||
| To Live | 산다는 것은 | Pung-gae's mother | ||||
| 1994 | Farewell | 작별 | Lee Shin-ae | |||
| 1995 | Men of the Bath House | 목욕탕집 남자들 | Noh Hye-young | |||
| Your Voice | 그대 목소리 | Eon-nyeon-yi | ||||
| MBC Best Theater | 호스피스 아줌마 | Jung-sook | Episode: "Hospice Ajumma" | |||
| 1996 | Temptation | 유혹 | ||||
| Ganyiyeok | 간이역 | Gangneung restaurant owner | ||||
| Open Your Heart | 가슴을 열어라 | Choi Soon-joo | ||||
| 1997 | The Reason I Live | 내가 사는 이유 | Bar madam Son | |||
| Woman Next Door | 이웃집 여자 | |||||
| MBC Best Theater - Bok-soon's Boomerang | MBC 베스트극장 - 복순씨의 부메랑 | Actuary Bok-soon | ||||
| 1998 | Firstborn | 맏이 | Choi Sook-ja | |||
| Love Is All I Know | 사랑 밖엔 난 몰라 | |||||
| Hong Gil-dong | 홍길동 | In-ok's mother | ||||
| Lie | 거짓말 | Yoon Young-hee | ||||
| Crush | 짝사랑 | |||||
| 1999 | KAIST | 카이스트 | Professor of Mechanical Engineering | |||
| Did We Really Love? | 우리가 정말 사랑했을까 | Choi Hye-ja | ||||
| Who Are You | 당신은 누구시길래 | Jung Shin-ae | ||||
| Hur Jun | 허준 | Sung In-chul's wife | ||||
| 2000 | Tough Guy's Love | 꼭지 | Kim Bok-nyeo | |||
| I Want to Keep Seeing You | 자꾸만 보고 싶네 | Lee Ok-bun | ||||
| 2001 | Stock Flower | 비단향꽃무 | Ahn Jung-hee | |||
| Blue Mist | 푸른 안개 | Mi-soon | ||||
| Hotelier | 호텔리어 | Yoon Bong-sook | ||||
| Soon-ja | 순자 | Go Chang-daek | ||||
| MBC Best Theater | 동행II | Geum-nyeo | Episode: "Walking With II" | |||
| This Is Love | 사랑은 이런거야 | Lee Jung-ja | ||||
| I Like Dong-seo | 동서는 좋겠네 | Choi Jong-sook | ||||
| 2002 | Ruler of Your Own World | 네 멋대로 해라 | Jung Yoo-soon | |||
| 2002 | Affection | 정 | Ms. Uhm | |||
| Who's My Love? | 내사랑 누굴까 | In-ae | ||||
| Dal-joong's Cinderella | 달중씨의 신데렐라 | Pal-soon | ||||
| 2003 | Pearl Necklace | 진주목걸이 | Yoon Hae-myung | |||
| One Million Roses | 백만송이 장미 | Choi Geum-ja | ||||
| Rose Fence | 장미울타리 | Mrs. Heo | ||||
| On the Prairie | 저 푸른 초원위에 | Kim Jeom-hee | ||||
| 2004 | Ireland | 아일랜드 | Shi-yeon's mother | |||
| War of the Roses | 장미의 전쟁 | Heo Young-shim | ||||
| Drama City- Our Ham | 우리 햄 | Grandma | ||||
| 2005 | Becoming a Popular Song | 유행가가 되리 | Oh Sook-young | |||
| Be Strong, Geum-soon! | 굳세어라 금순아 | Geum-soon's grandmother | ||||
| A Farewell to Sorrow | 슬픔이여안녕 | Lee Young-shim | ||||
| Love and Sympathy | 사랑공감 | Hee-soo's mother | ||||
| 2006 | Love Truly | 진짜 진짜 좋아해 | Goo Hyang-sook | |||
| Hearts of Nineteen | 열아홉 순정 | Yoon Myung-hye | ||||
| What's Up Fox? | 여우야 뭐하니 | Jo Soon-nam | ||||
| 2007 | The Person I Love | 사랑하는 사람아 | Yoon Min-ja | |||
| The Golden Age of Daughters-in-Law | 며느리 전성시대 | Seo Mi-soon | ||||
| 2008 | Chunja's Special Day | 춘자네 경사났네 | Yang Boon-hee | |||
| Worlds Within | 그들이 사는 세상 | Oh Min-sook | ||||
| 2009 | The Road Home | 집으로 가는 길 | Nam Soon-jung | |||
| Heading to the Ground | 맨땅에 헤딩 | Ae-ja | ||||
| 2010 | Golden Fish | 황금물고기 | Jo Yoon-hee | |||
| Home Sweet Home | 즐거운 나의 집 | Sung Eun-sook | ||||
| 2011 | Listen to My Heart | 내 마음이 들리니 | Hwang Soon-geum | |||
| 2012 | My Husband Got a Family | 넝쿨째 굴러온 당신 | Uhm Chung-ae | |||
| The King 2 Hearts | 더킹 투하츠 | Bang Young-sun | ||||
| 2013 | The Queen's Classroom | 여왕의 교실 | Yong Hyun-ja | |||
| 2014 | Wonderful Days | 참 좋은 시절 | Jang So-shim | |||
| 2015 | The Producers | 프로듀사 | Herself | 2 episodes | ||
| 2015–2017 | Sense8 | Min-jung | ||||
| 2016 | Dear My Friends | 디어 마이 프렌즈 | Oh Choong-nam | |||
| 2017 | Highland | |||||
| 2019 | Never Twice | 두 번은 없다 | Bok Mak-rye | |||
| 2022 | Sun-Hee (voice) | Episode: "John and Sun-Hee" | [48] | |||
| 2022–present | Pachinko | Kim Sunja / Bando Nobuko | [49] | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Sisters Over Flowers | Cast member | [50] [51] |
| 2017–2018 | Youn's Kitchen | [52] | |
| 2018 | Master in the House | Fourth Master | |
| 2021 | Youn's Stay | Cast member | [53] |
| 2022 | Unexpected Journey | [54] |
| Title | Role | Theater | Date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Korean | ||||||
| 1966 | The Emigrant Ship | 이민선 | Miss Kim | National Theater of Korea (Myeongdong) | June 2–8 | [55] | |
| 1971 | Cherry Blossom | 꽃피는 체리 | June | [56] | |||
| Henry VIII and his ladies | 헨리 8세와 그의 여인들 | October | |||||
| 1972 | Injustice Ward | 부정병동 | March | ||||
| 1985 | 'night, Mother | 잘자요, 엄마 | Sanwoolim Small Theater | May 19 to July 26 | translator[57] | ||
| 1990 | Woman in Crisis | 위기의 여자 | Monique | Sanwoolim Small Theater | May 15–June 20 | [58] [59] | |
| 1990–1991 | Sanwoolim Small Theater | December 12–January 31 | [60] [61] | ||||
| 1991 | The Man I Don't Want to Marry | 결혼하기 싫은 남자 | Samtoh Blue Bird Theater | September 19– October 27 | [62] [63] | ||
| 1997 | The Glass Menagerie | 유리동물원 | Amanda | Dongsoong Art Center in Daehangno, Seoul | February 7 to March 2 | [64] [65] |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | TBC Drama Awards | Best New Talent[66] | Mister Gong | ||
| 1971 | Best Actress | Woman of Fire | |||
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | |||||
| Best New Actress | |||||
| 1992 | Korean Broadcasting Awards | Best Female Talent | Bun-rye's Story | ||
| 2003 | Best Supporting Actress | A Good Lawyer's Wife | |||
| 2004 | |||||
| Springtime | |||||
| 2005 | Best Actress in a One-Act Special/Drama | Becoming a Popular Song | |||
| 2010 | Busan Film Critics Awards | Best Actress | The Housemaid, Hahaha, Actresses | ||
| Sitges Film Festival | Maria Honorifica Award | ||||
| People Who Make the World Brighter Awards | Recipient, Culture and Arts category | ||||
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Supporting Actress | The Housemaid | |||
| Buil Film Awards | |||||
| Grand Bell Awards | |||||
| Korean Film Awards | |||||
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | |||||
| Cinemanila International Film Festival | Best Actress | ||||
| 2011 | Max Movie Awards | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | |||||
| 2012 | Best Supporting Actress | The Taste of Money | |||
| Top Excellence Award, Actress | My Husband Got a Family | ||||
| Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama | |||||
| 2013 | Best Actress | Boomerang Family | |||
| 2014 | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Wonderful Days | |||
| 2016 | Korean Film Shining Star Awards | Star award | Canola | ||
| Grand Bell Awards | Best Actress | ||||
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | Jury Grand Prize | The Bacchus Lady | |||
| Best Actress | |||||
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actress | ||||
| Fantasia Festival | Best Actress | ||||
| Women in Film Korea Awards | Woman in Film of the Year | ||||
| 2017 | Baeksang Arts Awards[67] | Grand Prize | |||
| Best Actress | |||||
| Wildflower Film Awards | Best Actress | ||||
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | |||||
| Buil Film Awards[68] | |||||
| Korea World Youth Film Festival | Favorite Actress - Senior Actress | ||||
| 2020 | Korean Film Producers Association[69] | Best Supporting Actress | Lucky Chan-sil | ||
| Boston Society of Film Critics[70] | Minari | ||||
| Chicago Film Critics Association | |||||
| Florida Film Critics Circle[71] | |||||
| Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actress | ||||
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | |||||
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association[72] | |||||
| Sunset Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Supporting Actress | ||||
| 2021 | Academy Awards[73] | ||||
| AARP Movies For Grownups Awards[74] | Best Supporting Actress | ||||
| Atlanta Film Critics Circle | |||||
| Black Film Critics Circle Awards[75] | |||||
| British Academy Film Awards[76] | |||||
| Chicago Indie Critics Awards | Best Supporting Actress | ||||
| Columbus Film Critics Association | |||||
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards[77] | |||||
| Denver Film Critics Society | Best Supporting Actress | ||||
| Detroit Film Critics Society | |||||
| DiscussingFilm Critic Awards | |||||
| Gotham Independent Film Awards[78] | |||||
| Best Supporting Actress | |||||
| Independent Spirit Awards[79] | |||||
| Best Supporting Actress | |||||
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle | |||||
| Latino Entertainment Journalists Association | |||||
| Music City Film Critics Association | |||||
| National Board of Review[80] | |||||
| National Society of Film Critics[81] | |||||
| New Mexico Film Critics Society | Best Supporting Actress | ||||
| North Carolina Film Critics Association | |||||
| North Dakota Film Society | |||||
| North Texas Film Critics Association | |||||
| Oklahoma Film Critics Circle | |||||
| Online Association of Female Film Critics Awards | |||||
| Spotlight Award | |||||
| Phoenix Film Critics Society | Best Supporting Actress | ||||
| Satellite Awards[82] | |||||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards[83] | |||||
| Southeastern Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actress | ||||
| Utah Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actress | ||||
| Chunsa Film Art Awards 2021[84] | Best Supporting Actress | Lucky Chan-sil | |||
| Brand of the Year Awards[85] | Actor of the Year | ||||
| Visionary Awards[86] | 2021 Visionary | ||||
| Kino Lights Awards[87] | Actress of The Year (Domestic) | Minari | |||
| 2022 | Peabody Awards[88] | Entertainment | Pachinko |
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Category/Placement | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forbes | 2022 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | [89] | ||
| Gallup Korea | 2021 | Gallup Korea's Actor of the Year | [90] | ||
| 2022 | [91] | ||||
| Sisa Journal | 2021 | Person Who Moved Korea — Culture | [92] | ||
| Most Influential Person in Broadcasting & Entertainment | [93] | ||||
| Time | 2021 | 100 Most Influential People in the World | [94] |