Kim Joo-hyuk

Kim Joo-hyuk (3 October 1972 – 30 October 2017) was a South Korean actor. He was known for his leading roles in the films My Wife Got Married (2008), The Servant (2010), and Yourself and Yours (2016), his supporting roles in Confidential Assignment (2017) and Believer (2018), as well as the television series Lovers in Prague (2005), God of War (2012), Hur Jun, The Original Story (2013) and Argon (2017). He was also an original regular cast member on the third season of the KBS2's reality-variety show 2 Days & 1 Night.

Early life and education

In 1991, he enrolled in the Department of Theater and Film at Dongguk University. He received his bachelor's degree in 1997.

Career

After graduating, Kim began acting in theater. He passed the audition for SBS 8th open talent recruitment in 1998 and subsequently landed supporting roles in SBS drama KAIST.

He made his fim debut in Say Yes (2001) with a role as a man who confronts a serial killer. It was followed by a supporting role in sport film YMCA Baseball Team (2002) as Oh Dae-hyun, an independence activist and baseball pitcher. He started getting recognition for his third film, Singles (2003).

His first leading role in film came with Hong Du-sik, of Mr. Handy, Mr. Hong (2004). Kim's portrayal of Hong Du-sik (Hong Banjang) is frequently cited as a career-defining performance and his first leading role. Though the film itself wasn't a major box-office success, Kim was widely considered perfectly cast, with critics noting his performance relied more on personal charisma and warmth. Kim Du-chan, the film producer, praised Kim, calling him "the best romantic comedy actor," dubbed him as "Korea's Hugh Grant." In a 2017 posthumous survey, Hong Banjang was voted as his most memorable role.