Park Shin-hye

Park Shin-hye (Korean: 박신혜, born February 18, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She first gained recognition as a child actress in the television series Stairway to Heaven (2003) and Tree of Heaven (2006). In 2013, she starred in the film Miracle in Cell No. 7 which became one of the highest-grossing Korean films of all time. She then came to mainstream and international fame for television dramas You're Beautiful (2009), The Heirs (2013), Pinocchio (2014–2015), and Doctors (2016). This was followed with leading roles in Memories of the Alhambra (2018–2019), Doctor Slump (2024), and The Judge from Hell (2024).

Park has been included in the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 list in 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2022. In addition to her acting career, Park is known for her philanthropy through her own charitable initiative, Starlight Angel Project.

Early life and education

Park was born on February 18, 1990 in Gwangju, South Korea. She grew up in Songpa District, Seoul with an older brother. In 2001, Park auditioned and later featured in singer Lee Seung-hwan music videos for "Do You Love Me!" and subsequently underwent formal training in singing, dancing, and acting at Lee’s agency, Dream Factory. While training, she featured in another Lee's music videos "Flower" (2003).

After completing her education at Youngpa Girls' High School, Park studied at Chung-Ang University for eight years and received a degree in theater in February 2016. She was recognized with a service award for her accomplishments as a celebrity ambassador during the convocation ceremony.

Career

2003–2008: Beginnings

Park first gained recognition for her portrayal of the younger Choi Ji-woo's character in the popular Korean drama Stairway to Heaven in 2003. She continued to build her acting resume with supporting roles in various television series, most notably as a rebellious teenager in the 2004 drama special Very Merry Christmas.

In 2006, Park landed her first adult leading role in the South Korean-Japanese melodrama Tree of Heaven (2006). Her performance garnered critical acclaim and brought her wider recognition. The series was also aired in Japan, marking the beginning of her international recognition.

Park made her film debut in the 2007 horror film Evil Twin (2007), where she showcased her versatility by portraying dual roles: the protagonist and her deceased sister's ghost. She then ventured into antagonist territory with her role in the romantic comedy series Prince Hours, a spin-off of Princess Hours (2006). The same year, she appeared in the omnibus drama Several Questions That Make Us Happy. and the weekend drama Kimcheed Radish Cubes, where she played the role of Jang Sa-ya, a temple-raised character, for which she sacrificed her long locks.

Park's talents extend beyond acting. From 2006 to 2007, she co-hosted the variety program Fantastic Partner from, where she collaborated with singer Yoon Gun to compose a song titled "I Think of You". Her performance earned her the Best Newcomer in a Variety Show award at the MBC Entertainment Awards.

2009–2012: Rising popularity

Park rose to fame after her portrayal as a cross-dressing heroine in the romance comedy music drama You're Beautiful (2009) alongside Jang Keun-suk. Despite average ratings in South Korea, the series gained a cult following and achieved high ratings in Japan. Park also contributed to the drama's original soundtrack with her songs "Lovely Day" and "Without Words".

In 2010, Park starred in the low-budget romantic comedy film Cyrano Agency, which centered around a dating agency helping clients win over their love interests. The sleeper hit proved to be both a critical and commercial success, attracting 2.7 million ticket sales nationwide and becoming the 8th best-selling film of the year. Park won the "Most Popular Actress" award in film category at the Baeksang Arts Awards. Park also voiced the main character of the animation film Green Days: Dinosaur and I, which premiered at the 15th Busan International Film Festival and received positive reviews.

Park then starred in MBC's youth melodrama Heartstrings (2011) opposite Jung Yong-hwa. The combined successes of You're Beautiful and Heartstrings rose Park's popularity in Japan, and in September 2011, she signed an exclusive contract with Japanese management agency IMX. The same year, Park starred in her first Taiwanese drama, Hayate The Combat Butler, which was based on the Japanese shōnen manga of the same name. In August 2011, she received the Popular Asian Star award at the LeTV Movie and Drama Awards.

In 2012, Park was cast in the third season of KBS Drama Special, Don't Worry, I'm a Ghost, which aired on July 15. Her performance in the drama won her the Best One-Act Special Actress Award at the 2012 KBS Drama Awards. Park was then cast in the third installment of tvN's "Flower Boy" series entitled My Cute Guys along with actor Yoon Shi-yoon, which premiered in January 2013. She played Go Dok-mi (in Korean, literally "lonely beauty"), a modern Rapunzel, who isolates herself in her "tower" to avoid the world. She also contributed to the drama's original soundtrack with her song "Pitch Black".

2013–2022: Breakthrough and mainstream success

In 2013, Park appeared in the comedy-drama film Miracle in Cell No. 7, which became one of the highest-grossing films in Korea. She went on to win the Best Supporting Actress award at the 33rd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards. To celebrate her 10th anniversary as an actress, Park held the "2013 Park Shin Hye Asia Tour: Kiss Of Angel" in four Asian countries, becoming the first actress to hold a tour spanning across Asia. She then starred in actor and singer So Ji-sub's music video "Eraser" for his album Two'clock... Playground, co-starring with former child actor Yoo Seung-ho.

The same year, Park co-starred with Lee Min-ho in The Heirs, a teen drama written by Kim Eun-sook. The Heirs enjoyed immense popularity both locally, with a peak rating of 28.6%, and internationally, having over one billion cumulative views on the Chinese streaming website iQiyi. Park experienced a surge in popularity domestically and internationally, and she became a Hallyu star. She was given the "Popular Foreign Actress" award at the 2013 Anhui TV Drama Awards.

In 2014, Park played the role of the Queen in the historical film The Royal Tailor. The same year, Park starred in Pinocchio opposite actor Lee Jong-suk. She portrayed the female lead, a reporter who suffers from a fictional medical condition called the "Pinocchio complex" which causes her to suffer from uncontrollable hiccups when she lies. Pinocchio became a hit, earning an estimated US$5.62 million for broadcasting rights in just one year. With The Heirs at the end of 2013 and Pinocchio in 2014, she was included in Forbes Korea's Korea Power Celebrity 40 list, where she placed 33rd. In the same year, MBC's Section TV Entertainment Relay dubbed her "Nation's Little Sister". Park also received the Prime Minister's Commendation at the Korea Popular Culture Awards for her contribution to the Korean Wave.

In 2016, Park made her small-screen comeback in SBS's medical drama Doctors, where she played a troubled teenager who later becomes a successful doctor. The drama was a hit and topped viewership ratings and popularity charts during its 10-week broadcast. She then appeared in the comedy film My Annoying Brother as a judo coach alongside actor Jo Jung-suk and Do Kyung-soo of Exo. In the same year, Park was chosen as the Most Favored Korean Actress by fans of the Korean Wave in the United States.

Park next starred in the crime thriller film Heart Blackened, a Korean remake of the Hong Kong film Silent Witness, which released in 2017. In 2018, Park became a cast member of the reality show Little Cabin in the Woods, produced by Na Young-seok, where she and fellow actor So Ji-sub documented their daily activities in a house located in Jeju Island. The same year, she starred in tvN's fantasy suspense drama Memories of the Alhambra, playing double roles as a hostel owner and a guitar-player NPC. The series was a commercial success and became one of the highest rated Korean dramas in cable television history.

In 2020, Park starred in the disaster film #Alive alongside Yoo Ah-in, which was based on a script written by Hollywood screenwriter Matt Naylor. The film was commercially successful, being the 7th highest grossing in South Korea for the year 2020. The same year, she starred in the Lee Chung-hyun-directed thriller film The Call which tells the story of two women living in different time periods but are connected through a mysterious phone call.