# Kim Dong-wook

Kim Dong-wook (born July 29, 1983) is a South Korean actor. After appearing in student short films and several minor parts, Kim became a star through his supporting role in the popular TV series Coffee Prince (2007), followed by box office hit Take Off (2009). He then starred in Happy Killers (2010), Romantic Heaven (2011), The Guest (2018) and The King of Pigs (2022). His acclaimed performance as an obsessed and tormented king in the 2012 period drama The Concubine, along with his appearance in the fantasy action films Along with the Gods 1 and 2 has brought Kim the best reviews of his career yet.

## Career

After officially debuting in A Crimson Mark, Kim Dong-wook's first notable role was the angry, impoverished teenager in director Byun Young-joo's 2004 coming-of-age film Flying Boys. He then broke into the mainstream as the bubbly waiter in MBC's 2007 hit romantic comedy series Coffee Prince.
In the popular 2009 sports flick Take Off, he starred as a former night club bouncer who ends up being a member of Korea's national ski jumping team. In spite of the enormous physical challenge, Kim said it was a character he genuinely enjoyed playing.
His musical theatre debut was in On Air: Season 2, which was produced by his fellow alumni from the Korea National University of Arts. A loose spin-off of the TV series On Air, it takes place at a radio station and centers around an idol singer-turned-DJ and an older female PD. His follow-up the year after was the Korean production of Legally Blonde, the Broadway musical based on the 2011 Hollywood film of the same name. He played Luke Wilson's role Emmett. Kim said "the show must go on, no matter what" mentality was what he found appealing yet tough about doing musicals.
Kim then played lead roles in the omnibus film Five Senses of Eros, thriller Happy Killers, and melodrama Romantic Heaven. But it was his performance in period thriller The Concubine that he gained significant attention on the big screen. According to critics one of the finest of achievements of the 2012 period thriller is Kim's engrossing performance as the tormented Prince Sung-won, who gradually loses his sense of judgment and emotional control in the face of obsessive love. Kim said of playing the intense role, "While feeling sorry for him, I also found the complexity of the character fascinating. That's what drew me in."
In 2014, Kim made his acting comeback in the period drama series More Than a Maid. He had his big screen comeback in action comedy Three Summer Nights (2015). Kim then played the leading role in the cable slice-of-life drama Riders: Get Tomorrow (2015), which won him the Best Character Award at the Korea Cable TV Awards.
Kim played a significant role in the fantasy blockbuster Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017) and its sequel, Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days (2018); which won him several Best Supporting Actor accolades.
Kim was then cast in OCN's supernatural thriller The Guest (2018). The series was a hit and received positive reviews.
In 2019, Kim starred alongside Ko Sung-hee in the romantic comedy film Trade Your Love. In April, Kim is set to star in the comedy drama Special Labor Inspector.
In 2020, Kim was cast in the romance drama Find Me in Your Memory.
In 2021, Kim played the role of a psychiatrist in the new drama You Are My Spring, co-starring with Seo Hyun-jin.
In 2022, Kim as Hwang Kyung-min, who lives without forgetting the memories of school violence 20 years ago in the web series The King of Pigs.
In February 2025, Kim signed with new agency Plum A&C.

## Personal life

Kim enlisted for his mandatory military service on August 30, 2012 at a training camp in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province. He underwent five weeks of basic training and served for two years as a riot policeman for the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Kim was discharged on May 29, 2014. He doesn't use social media.

### Philanthropy

On March 8, 2022, Kim donated ₩50 million to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help the victims of the massive wildfire that started in Uljin, Gyeongbuk and has spread to Samcheok, Gangwon.

### Marriage

On August 30, 2023, KeyEast confirmed that Kim is getting married with his non-celebrity girlfriend in this winter. The wedding ceremony will be held privately somewhere in Seoul. Their private wedding ceremony was held on December 22, 2023 at Myeongdong Cathedral. His wife is Stella Kim, a Korean-American and a former trainee under SM Entertainment. Before she was able to debut in the group Girls' Generation, she returned to the United States and currently works as a marketing expert.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2001 | Monitor | | Short film |
| 2002 | Seoul | | |
| 2003 | Tube | | |
| 2003 | Super | | Short film |
| 2003 | My Wife is a Gangster 2 | Na Nam-Ja | |
| 2004 | A Crimson Mark | | |
| 2004 | Flying Boys | | |
| 2005 | My Lovely Week | | |
| 2005 | The Fever in Deep Blue Sea | | Short film |
| 2005 | The Apple | | Short film |
| 2006 | No Regret | Ga-ram | |
| 2006 | Burning Coals on His Head | | Short film |
| 2006 | My Night with Miss Marple | | Short film |
| 2006 | APT | Shin Jung-soo | |
| 2007 | A Nymph of a Lamp | | |
| 2008 | Lost and Found | Han Ji-Hoon | |
| 2008 | Living Together, Happy Together | | |
| 2009 | Five Senses of Eros | Han Ji-Woon | |
| 2009 | Take Off | Choi Hong-cheol | |
| 2010 | Cafe Seoul | | |
| 2010 | Happy Killers | Choi Jung-min | |
| 2010 | Finding Mr. Destiny | Dr. Jung | Cameo |
| 2011 | Romantic Heaven | Dong Ji-wook | |
| 2011 | The Cat | Jun-seok | |
| 2011 | Countdown | Nalpari | |
| 2012 | The Concubine | Prince Sung-won | |
| 2015 | Three Summer Nights | Myung-seok | |
| 2017 | Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds | Kim Soo-hong | |
| 2018 | The Accidental Detective 2: In Action | Kwon Chul-in | |
| 2018 | Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days | Kim Soo-hong | |
| 2019 | Trade Your Love | Sung-seok | |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2006 | Break | Yeong-hun | 8 episodes |
| 2007 | Coffee Prince | Jin Ha-rim | |
| 2007 | Unstoppable Marriage | Wang Sam-baek | |
| 2009 | Partner | Eul-su | |
| 2009 | Soul Special | Yoon-joon | |
| 2009 | Hometown of Legends: Silent Village | Yoogil | |
| 2010 | Blossom Sisters | Lee Jae-ha | |
| 2011 | The Great Gift | Goo-Ram | SBS Chuseok Special |
| 2011 | I Trusted Him | Moon Hyun-soo | |
| 2015 | Riders: Catch Tomorrow | Cha Gi-jun | |
| 2015 | Cheo Yong 2 | Lee Cheol-gyu | Cameo (Episode 1–2) |
| 2015 | More Than a Maid | Kim Eun-gi | |
| 2017 | Radiant Office | Seo Hyun | |
| 2018 | The Guest | Yoon Hwa-pyung | |
| 2019 | Special Labor Inspector | Jo Jin-gap | |
| 2020 | Find Me in Your Memory | Lee Jung-hoon | |
| 2021 | You Are My Spring | Joo Young-do | |
| 2022 | Shooting Stars | Lee Jung-hoon | Cameo (Episode 8) |
| 2023 | My Perfect Stranger | Yoon Hae-jun | |
| 2023 | Delightfully Deceitful | Han Moo-yeong | |
| 2024 | Seoul Busters | Dongbang Yu-bin | |

### Web series

| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
| 2022 | The King of Pigs | Hwang Kyung-min | |

### Television shows

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2011 | Saturday Night Live Korea | Host | Season 1 Episode 5 | |
| 2021 | Saturday Night Live Korea | Host | Season 10 Episode 8 | |

## Musical theatre

| Year | Title |
| 2008 | On Air: Season 2 |
| 2009 | Brave Brothers |
| 2010 | Legally Blonde |
| 2015 | Brave Brothers |

## Discography
### Singles

| Title | Year | Album |
| "You Are to Me" | 2009 | Soul Special OST |
| "Fly High" (with Shim Eun-kyung) | 2010 | Happy Killers OST |
| "Please Wait" | 2015 | Riders: Catch Tomorrow OST |

### Music Video Appearances

| Title | Year | Artist | Notes |
| "Forget About Love and Sing" | 2007 | 8Eight | |
| "Please Take Care of My Boyfriend" | 2013 | Younha | |
| "Snowfall" | 2018 | g.o.d | featured with Shin Hye-sun |

## 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 |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2018 | Best Supporting Actor – Film | Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2018 | Best Supporting Actor | Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds | Nominated |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2009 | Ensemble Acting Award | Take Off | Won |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2018 | Best Supporting Actor | Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds | Won |
| Director's Cut Awards | 2009 | Best New Actor | Take Off | Won |
| Golden Cinema Film Festival | 2018 | Best Supporting Actor | Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds | Won |
| Korea Best Star Awards | 2018 | Best Supporting Actor | Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds | Won |
| Korea Cable TV Awards | 2016 | Best Character | Riders: Catch Tomorrow | Won |
| Korea Drama Awards | 2007 | Netizen Popularity Award | Coffee Prince | Won |
| Korea Drama Awards | 2019 | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Special Labor Inspector | Won |
| Max Movie Awards | 2010 | Best New Actor | Take Off | Won |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2017 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Radiant Office | Nominated |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2019 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Special Labor Inspector | Won |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2019 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Monday-Tuesday Miniseries | Special Labor Inspector | Won |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2020 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Wednesday-Thursday Miniseries | Find Me in Your Memory | Nominated |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2020 | Best Couple Award | Kim Dong-wook (with Moon Ka-young) Find Me in Your Memory | Won |
| Seoul International Drama Awards | 2019 | Best Actor | Special Labor Inspector | Won |

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
| The Screen | 2019 | 2009–2019 Top Box Office Powerhouse Actors in Korean Movies | 41st | |