# Bae Doona

Bae Doona (Korean: 배두나; born October 11, 1979), anglicized as Doona Bae, is a South Korean actress and photographer. She debuted as a model and first gained recognition for her roles in Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000) and Take Care of My Cat (2001). She became known for her performances as a political activist in Park Chan-wook's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), archer Park Nam-joo in Bong Joon-ho's The Host (2006), and as the doll in Hirokazu Kore-eda's Air Doll (2009). Her other notable South Korean films include A Girl at My Door (2014), Tunnel (2016), and Next Sohee (2022).
On television, she is well known as the leading female character in the crime thriller Stranger (2017–2020), the Netflix period zombie thriller, Kingdom (2019–2020), and the drama Family Matters (2024). In the United States, she is recognized for her roles in the Wachowski films Cloud Atlas (2012) and Jupiter Ascending (2015), Rebel Moon (2023–2024), as well as the Netflix television series Sense8 (2015–2018).

## Early life

Bae was born in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. Growing up, she accompanied her mother, Kim Hwa-young [ko], a stage actress, to theater and rehearsal halls, learning lines of dialogue as she went along. This did not initially lead her toward acting, however; she said: "People might say that since my mother is a theater actor, I became an actress. But to me, those experiences probably had the opposite effect. On the contrary, because I saw many great actors working with my mother, I thought this was a job only people with extraordinary talent could do."

## Career
### 1998–2005: Beginnings

As a Konkuk University student in 1998, Bae was scouted by a modeling agency in Seoul, leading to her modeling fashions for COOLDOG's catalog among others. In 1999, she switched to acting before completing her studies at university, debuting in the TV drama School. Later that year, Bae appeared as Park Eun-suh in The Ring Virus, a Korean remake of the Japanese horror film Ring.
In 2000, director Bong Joon-ho cast Bae in the film Barking Dogs Never Bite for her willingness to do the part without makeup, which other South Korean actresses refused to do. She later cited it as the role that pushed her to pursue a serious acting career: "That film made me decide to become an actress—a good actress—and that film thereby changed my whole life." In Kim So-young's documentary Women's History Trilogy (2000–2004), Doona expressed her admiration for veteran South Korean actress Yoon Jeong-hee. In the same documentary, Bae said her own most memorable scene was being chased by the homeless man throughout the apartment in Barking Dogs Never Bite. That same year, she gave a risque performance (albeit with a body double for the more intense scenes) in Plum Blossom, and started getting more work on television.
This was followed by 2001's Take Care of My Cat, directed by Jeong Jae-eun, and 2002's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, directed by Park Chan-wook.
In 2003, both Tube and Spring Bears Love disappointed at the box office. After completing principal photography on Spring Bears Love, she decided to take time off from film work, saying, "I never lived even once without having anything to do. The moment a film was presented to the media, I was almost always already shooting the next one [...] I thought by myself: Now my first cycle is really over. While I rest a little, I wanted to make a fresh start."
During her hiatus from film, she took up photography, examples of which can be seen on her official blog and in her published photo-essay books. She also continued to work on TV, starring in Country Princess and Rosemary. She appeared on stage in 2004 in a production of Sunday Seoul (not to be confused with the South Korean movie of the same title), a play co-written by Park Chan-wook.
In 2005, she played an exchange student who joins a band in the Japanese film Linda Linda Linda, and played a divorced woman in the experimental omnibus TV series Beating Heart.

### 2006–2009: Breakthrough

Bae reunited with Bong Joon-ho in the 2006 film The Host, which became the highest-grossing film in South Korean box office history. For her role, she trained in archery for months. She later returned to television, through the series Someday and How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor.
After winning accolades for Air Doll, a 2009 film by Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda about an inflatable doll that develops consciousness and falls in love, Bae made back-to-back TV series in 2010, playing a high school teacher in Master of Study, and a night club singer in Gloria.

### 2010–2012: As One and Hollywood debut

Her 2012 sports film As One was based on the true story of the 1991 world table tennis championship held in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, where North and South Korean players – Ri Bun-hui and Hyun Jung-hwa respectively – defeated the Chinese team. Bae and co-star Ha Ji-won were trained by Hyun herself, and Bae learned to play left-handed like Ri. Afterwards, she made a brief appearance in the science fiction film Doomsday Book.
Bae made her English-language Hollywood debut in Cloud Atlas, as Sonmi~451, a clone in a dystopian Korea. She also played the minor roles of Tilda Ewing, the wife of an abolitionist in pre-Civil War America, and a Mexican woman who crosses paths with an assassin. Co-directed by The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer, the US$100 million adaptation of David Mitchell's novel premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival to divisive reviews, though Bae's performance was praised by critics. In a 2019 interview, she said of the Wachowskis, "They have become as important as my mother; they have my respect and my trust. When they contacted me to participate in Cloud Atlas, I couldn't believe it. We first met on Skype and I made a demo tape that I sent them. They gave me an important role despite my lack of English proficiency. I believe that a certain understanding developed between us at that time, which pushed me to follow them on Sense8. Thanks to them, I have had opportunities that are not given to all the actors. Most importantly, it is the passion they bring to their work that has made our collaboration so enjoyable. They made me want to surpass myself and enabled me to overcome fear and limits."

### 2014–2017: Return to South Korea

Back in South Korea, Bae next starred in the 2014 film A Girl at My Door, directed by July Jung and produced by Lee Chang-dong. Playing a small-town police officer who tries to save a mysterious young girl she suspects is a victim of domestic violence, Bae said she was so fascinated by the story and emotionally challenging role that she decided to star in the movie without pay three hours after reading the script. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, and Bae later won Best Actress at the Asian Film Awards for her performance.
In 2015, she again worked with the Wachowskis for their space opera Jupiter Ascending, in which she played a small supporting role as a bounty hunter. This was followed by Sense8, an American science fiction series created by the Wachowskis and co-written by J. Michael Straczynski. Concerning eight strangers from different cultures and parts of the world who share a violent psychic vision and suddenly find themselves telepathically connected, Sense8 began streaming on Netflix in 2015.
Bae then appeared in a 90-minute web film directed by her older brother, commercial director Bae Doo-han. Titled Red Carpet Dream, it is a biopic of how Bae dreamed of becoming an actress when she was young and her 20-year acting career. Commissioned for the 20th anniversary of the Busan International Film Festival and sponsored by MAC Cosmetics, the film screened at the festival as well as on Facebook and cable channel CGV.
Back on the big screen, Bae starred alongside Ha Jung-woo in the survival drama film The Tunnel. She then teamed up with Japanese director Shunji Iwai and actor Kim Joo-hyuk for the short film, Chang-ok's Letter.
Bae returned to Korean TV screens in 2017 with crime thriller Stranger, playing the passionate yet empathetic police officer Lieutenant Han Yeo-jin, contrasting Cho Seung-woo's character Prosecutor Hwang Si-mok. The series was a huge success and gained positive reviews for its tight plot, gripping sequences and strong performances. The series was renewed for a second season in 2020, with her character promoted to the rank of Senior Inspector.

### 2018–present: Continued success

In June 2018, Bae was one of 14 professionals from the Korean film industry invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). The same year, she starred in crime thriller The Drug King. She also starred in both seasons of the 2019 Netflix period zombie series Kingdom, and romance drama Matrimonial Chaos, a remake of the Japanese television series of the same name.
Bae also starred in a French-speaking role in the romantic comedy film Je Suis La in 2019, starring alongside Alain Chabat. She was cast in the 2021 Netflix sci-fi thriller The Silent Sea, alongside Gong Yoo, Lee Moo-saeng and Kim Sun-young. In 2022, she returned to the big screen with two films: Jung Ju-ri's Next Sohee, and Hirokazu Kore-eda's Broker.
On March 3, 2023, Bae signed with Goodman Story Entertainment.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | The Ring Virus | Park Eun-suh | |
| 2000 | Barking Dogs Never Bite | Park Hyun-nam | |
| 2000 | Plum Blossom | Seo Nam-ok | |
| 2001 | Take Care of My Cat | Yoo Tae-hee | |
| 2002 | Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance | Cha Young-mi | |
| 2002 | Saving My Hubby | Jung Geum-soon | |
| 2003 | Tube | Song In-kyung | |
| 2003 | Spring Bears Love | Jung Hyun-chae | |
| 2005 | Linda Linda Linda | Son | Japanese film |
| 2006 | The Host | Park Nam-joo | |
| 2009 | Air Doll | Nozomi | Japanese film |
| 2012 | Doomsday Book | Adult Park Min-seo (cameo) | Segment: "Happy Birthday" |
| 2012 | As One | Ri Bun-hui | |
| 2012 | Cloud Atlas | Sonmi~451 / Sonmi~351 / Tilda Ewing / Megan's mom / Mexican woman | Hollywood debut |
| 2014 | A Girl at My Door | Lee Young-nam | |
| 2015 | Jupiter Ascending | Razo | American film |
| 2016 | Tunnel | Se-hyun | |
| 2018 | The Drug King | Kim Jeong-ah | |
| 2019 | #Iamhere | Soo | French film |
| 2022 | Broker | Soo-jin | |
| 2023 | Next Sohee | Yoo-jin | |
| 2023 | Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire | Nemesis | American film |
| 2024 | Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver | Nemesis | American film |
| TBA | Virus | Ok Taek-seon | |

#### Short film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | Tea Date | Sun-hee | |
| 2017 | Chang-ok's Letter | Eun-ha | |
| 2019 | Persona | Doona | Segment: "Love Set" |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1998 | Angel's Kiss | — |
| 1999 | School 1 | Doona Bae |
| 1999 | Ad Madness | Pyo Roo-na |
| 2000 | Love Story: "Miss Hip-hop and Mr. Rock" | Young-yi |
| 2000 | Look Back in Anger | Lee Mi-na |
| 2000 | Cruise Ship of Love | Doona Bae |
| 2000 | RNA | Park Se-mi |
| 2000 | I Want To Keep Seeing You | Ham Choon-bong |
| 2000 | Mom and Sister | Gong Chan-mi |
| 2001 | Open Drama Man & Woman: "You Say It's Love, But I Think It's Desire" | Shin Jung-min |
| 2003 | Country Princess | Lee Eun-hee |
| 2003 | Rosemary | Shin Kyung-soo |
| 2005 | Beating Heart | Doona Bae |
| 2006 | Someday | Hana Yamaguchi |
| 2007 | How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor | Jung Yoon-hee |
| 2010 | Master of Study | Han Soo-jung |
| 2010 | Gloria | Na Jin-jin |
| 2015–2018 | Sense8 | Sun Bak |
| 2017–2020 | Stranger | Han Yeo-jin |
| 2018 | Matrimonial Chaos | Kang Hwi-roo |
| 2019–2020 | Kingdom | Seo-bi |
| 2021 | The Silent Sea | Song Ji-an |
| 2024 | Family Matters | Han Young-soo |

### Music video appearances

| Year | Song title | Artist |
| 2000 | "You" | Fish |
| 2000 | "Party Time" | Ray Jay |
| 2000 | "단" | Kim Don-kyoo |
| 2007 | "Every Time I Look at You" | Kang Kyun-sung |
| 2009 | "Tsumetai Ame" | Every Little Thing |
| 2010 | "Seesaw" / "Confession" | Hot Potato |
| 2010 | "Temperature of Separation" | Yoon Jong-shin feat. You Hee-yeol |

### Hosting

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1999 | Music Camp | MC |
| 1999 | Radio TenTen Club | DJ |

## Theater

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2002 | Roberto Succo | — | Producer | Ref. |
| 2004 | Sunday Seoul (선데이 서울) | | Actress, producer | |
| 2008 | The Visit | | Producer | |

## Discography

| Year | Track | From Album |
| 2005 | "Linda Linda" | Linda Linda Linda OST We are Paran Maum EP |
| 2005 | "Boku no Migite" (僕の右手, My Right Hand) | Linda Linda Linda OST We are Paran Maum EP |
| 2005 | "Owaranai Uta" (終わらない歌, Never-ending Song) | Linda Linda Linda OST We are Paran Maum EP |
| 2010 | "Gloria" (글로리아) | Gloria OST |
| 2010 | "I'm a Fool" (바보랍니다) | Gloria OST |
| 2010 | "Ready to Fly" (feat. Jung Jae-yeon) | Gloria OST |

## Books

| Year | Title | Publisher | ISBN |
| 2006 | Doona's London Play | Taste Factory | ISBN 89-958439-0-X |
| 2007 | Doona's Tokyo Play | Taste Factory | ISBN 89-958439-5-0 |
| 2008 | Doona's Seoul Play | Chung-Ang Books | ISBN 978-89-6188-765-6 |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1999 | KBS Drama Awards | Best New Actress | School, Ad Madness | Won |
| 2000 | Grand Bell Awards | Best New Actress | Barking Dogs Never Bite | Nominated |
| 2000 | Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best New Actress | Barking Dogs Never Bite | Won |
| 2000 | Director's Cut Awards | Best New Actress | Plum Blossom | Won |
| 2000 | KBS Drama Awards | Popularity Award | RNA | Won |
| 2001 | Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Actress | Take Care of My Cat | Won |
| 2001 | Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actress | Take Care of My Cat | Won |
| 2001 | Women in Film Korea Awards | Best Actress | Take Care of My Cat | Won |
| 2002 | Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress | Take Care of My Cat | Won |
| 2002 | Busan Film Critics Awards | Best Actress | Take Care of My Cat | Won |
| 2002 | Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actress | Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance | Nominated |
| 2003 | MBC Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actress | Country Princess | Nominated |
| 2006 | Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Supporting Actress | The Host | Nominated |
| 2006 | Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | The Host | Nominated |
| 2006 | Director's Cut Awards | Best Actress | The Host | Won |
| 2007 | SBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor | Nominated |
| 2008 | Chlotrudis Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Linda Linda Linda | Nominated |
| 2009 | 19th Japan Film Professional Awards | Best Actress | Air Doll | Won |
| 2010 | Tokyo Sports Film Awards | Best Actress | Air Doll | Won |
| 2010 | Japan Academy Prize | Best Actress | Air Doll | Nominated |
| 2010 | Asian Film Awards | Best Actress | Air Doll | Nominated |
| 2010 | Takasaki Film Festival | Best Actress | Air Doll | Won |
| 2010 | MBC Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actress | Gloria | Nominated |
| 2010 | KBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Master of Study | Nominated |
| 2013 | CinEuphoria Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Cloud Atlas | Nominated |
| 2013 | International Online Cinema Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Cloud Atlas | Nominated |
| 2014 | Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Actress in a Foreign Film | A Girl at My Door | Won |
| 2014 | Buil Film Awards | Best Actress | A Girl at My Door | Nominated |
| 2015 | Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actress | A Girl at My Door | Won |
| 2015 | Asian Film Awards | Best Actress | A Girl at My Door | Won |
| 2015 | Wildflower Film Awards | Best Actress | A Girl at My Door | Nominated |
| 2015 | Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress | A Girl at My Door | Nominated |
| 2016 | Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Tunnel | Nominated |
| 2016 | Blue Dragon Film Awards | Popular Star Award | Tunnel | Won |
| 2016 | Grand Bell Awards | Best Actress | Tunnel | Nominated |
| 2017 | Asian Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Tunnel | Nominated |
| 2017 | Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Tunnel | Nominated |
| 2017 | Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Tunnel | Nominated |
| 2017 | Buil Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Tunnel | Nominated |
| 2017 | Elle Style Awards | Super Icon (Female) | — | Won |
| 2018 | KBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Matrimonial Chaos | Nominated |
| 2018 | KBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Matrimonial Chaos | Nominated |
| 2018 | KBS Drama Awards | Best Couple (with Cha Tae-hyun) | Matrimonial Chaos | Won |
| 2019 | Busan International Film Festival | 'Etoile du Cinéma' (Cinema Star) | — | Won |
| 2021 | 3rd Asia Contents Awards | Best Actress | Stranger 2 | Nominated |
| 2023 | 59th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress – Film | Next Sohee | Nominated |
| 2023 | 59th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Film | Broker | Nominated |
| 2023 | Buil Film Awards | The Yoo Hyun-mok Film Arts Award | Next Sohee | Won |
| 2023 | Buil Film Awards | Best Actress | Next Sohee | Nominated |
| 2023 | 10th Marie Claire Film Festival | Pioneer Award | — | Won |
| 2023 | 59th Grand Bell Awards | Best Actress | Next Sohee | Nominated |
| 2024 | 22nd Director's Cut Awards | Best Actress | Next Sohee | Nominated |
| 2024 | 10th Wildflower Film Awards | Best Actress | Next Sohee | Nominated |