# Kim Nam-gil

Kim Nam-gil (Korean: 김남길; born March 13, 1980) is a South Korean actor, producer, director, singer and philanthropist. He is best known from leading roles in period drama Portrait of a Beauty (2008); adventure film The Pirates (2014); disaster blockbuster Pandora (2016); crime thriller Memoir of a Murderer (2017) and the crime-comedy television drama The Fiery Priest (2019). His breakthrough role was Bidam in the hit television period drama Queen Seondeok (2009).
Kim is also the founder and CEO of a non-profit organization Gilstory that focuses on preserving cultural heritage, promoting arts and raising special purpose relief funds. Kim is known for his versatility as an actor and for often balancing projects with commercial value and roles that are artistic in nature. He was placed 17th in the top 40 most powerful stars in Korea 2020 by Forbes. On February 3, 2021, Kim launched Gilstory ENT, a comprehensive entertainment company, together with Han Jae Deok, head of film production company Sanai Pictures.

## Career
### Television

Kim began his acting career on television with a minor role in the 1999 KBS youth drama School 1. Four years later, he passed the 2003 Talent Audition conducted annually by MBC, and appeared in various minor roles on the network's shows, such as Be Strong, Geum-soon!. During this time, he was using the stage name Lee Han, which he made up to avoid confusion with Kang Nam-gil, another Korean actor with a similar name, and to give himself a more sophisticated image. In the following years he took on more supporting roles in television dramas, among them Goodbye Solo, Lovers, and When Spring Comes.
In 2009, Kim was cast as one of the supporting characters in the historical drama Queen Seondeok, in a role that would soon change his life. It became one of the highest-rated TV series of that year (reaching a peak of over 40%), and Kim became a household name and the series' breakout star. For his portrayal of the playful but tragic Bidam, Kim said he was inspired by comic book characters such as Han Bi-kwang in Ruler of the Land, Miyamoto Musashi in Vagabond, and Kang Baek-ho in Slam Dunk. The writers rewrote the script to respond to Bidam's popularity with the viewing audience, giving the character more screen time and emphasizing his romance with the titular Seondeok (despite the incredible historical inaccuracy), until there were two main male leads in the series. A horse-riding-related injury on set, and a brief hospitalization due to H1N1 flu, were minor negatives compared to the impact the series had on Kim's career. He won several awards for his performance, gained more local and international fans, received advertisement offers, and was flooded with film and TV scripts.
In 2010 he played an antihero lead role in Bad Guy, a dark melodrama about revenge, ambition, and fatal love. But while still in the middle of filming, Kim received his draft notice for mandatory military service. He tried to ask for deferment in order to wrap up the shoot for the series, but it was not granted. Kim shot as much as he could (his scenes were reduced, and a body double was also used) then entered the army two days later on July 15, 2010. He received four weeks of basic training at Nonsan, and served for two years as a public service worker.
In 2013 Kim starred in the revenge TV series Shark (also known as Don't Look Back), from the makers of Resurrection and The Devil.
In 2017 he starred in the time-slip medical drama Live Up to Your Name. In 2019 he headlined the comedy crime drama The Fiery Priest as a hot tempered priest. It was the first drama to air on Fridays and Saturdays on SBS and was well received by viewers, seeing a rapid rise in ratings and ending at a peak of 22%. Kim earned a Best Actor nomination at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards, and went on to win eight awards for his performance including the Grand Prize (Daesang) at the 2019 SBS Drama Awards.
In 2022, Kim returned to the small screen with the SBS drama Through the Darkness as a criminal behavior analyst, which was his return to terrestrial television in three years, excluding Kim as a special appearance in the drama, SBS's One the Woman in which he appeared to support one of his previous co-star Lee Ha-nee.

### Film

Kim debuted on the big-screen in 2004 gangster movie Low life. In 2006, he made the bold decision to portray a homosexual character in the controversial queer indie No Regret in a role which included several gay sex scenes. The film was critically praised and traveled the film festival circuit, being shown among others in the Panorama section of the 57th Berlin Film Festival. He was then cast in 2008's Public Enemy Returns, where he worked with the actor Jung Jae-young. Kim had stated in interviews that Jung Jae-young, who attended the same high school he did, had been his role model as an actor. Upon the influence of the film's director Kang Woo-suk (but against the advice of his agent and manager), Kim stopped using the stage name Lee Han and reverted to his birth name. Later that year, he played his first leading role in a major commercial film, Portrait of a Beauty. Though his co-star Kim Min-sun garnered most of the attention for the erotic costume drama, Kim's strong performance did not go unnoticed.
Another side benefit of Kim's popularity resulting from the Seondeok was the theatrical release in 2010 of his indie Lovers Vanished, a relationship drama which the director described as a "Korean Leaving Las Vegas."
Following his discharge from the army in 2012, Kim produced the film Ensemble, a music mockumentary about a group of classical musicians who form a group and take to the streets to perform outside their usual concert halls, showing their youthful passion in making music accessible. It premiered at the Jecheon International Music & Film Festival. He was also one of four celebrities in 2013 who directed a short film using smartphone Samsung Galaxy S4 with the theme "Meet a Life Companion"; his short Hello, Mom depicted the love between a mother and her daughter, and evoked the warm feeling of an analog film. This was followed by the 2014 period adventure film The Pirates, which reunited him with Shark costar Son Ye-jin.
He next starred opposite award-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon in the 2015 thriller The Shameless; Kim played a detective who falls for the girlfriend of the murderer he is investigating. The Shameless had its world premiere at 2015 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section. Nam Gil was next cast as powerful nobleman Heungseon Daewongun whose concubine takes up pansori in the period film The Sound of a Flower.
In 2016 Kim starred in disaster blockbuster Pandora portraying the aftermath of an explosion in a nuclear plant. Pandora premiered internationally at the International Film Festival and Awards Macao, receiving standing ovation.
In 2017 Kim starred in the action thriller Memoir of a Murderer and romance drama film One Day. In 2019, Kim starred in the comedy film The Odd Family: Zombie On Sale.
In 2020, Kim starred in the horror film The Closet.

### Other

In 2012, Kim published a book titled Way Back to the Road, his memoir of the previous two years, which contained photos taken by himself. It also featured New Zealand scenery captured by photographer Cho Nam-ryong, and contributions from writer Lee Yoon-chul.
In July 2013 he released his debut single in Japan. The title track is a cover of Kōji Tamaki's "Roman," and the single also included Kim's two songs from the Queen Seondeok soundtrack.
In 2022, Kim released CUP vol.1: How Personal Taste Inspires, an interview book collecting the stories of 10 creators about 'Inspiration', the source of creativity.
In September 2022 he opened his personal Instagram account under username @namgildaero.
In November 2022, the agency confirmed that bookings for the autograph donation show '2022 Kim Nam-gil's Universe's Strongest Show' was postponed from October 31 to November 8 due to the Seoul Halloween crowd crush.

## Philanthropy

In January 2010, He went to Indonesia to do volunteer work at the recommendation of those around him. Kim was shocked by the lack of basic necessities he encountered during a relief trip with an MBC camera crew. He felt the camera's presence undermined his sincerity, and the PD advised him to use his popularity to draw more participation in the efforts. This experience led Kim to believe relief work should be more systematic, as short-term visits could leave people feeling empty or alone again. Kim discussed plans for "future work" that would not just provide immediate aid, but more importantly, instill in the people a belief that "they are not alone" - a fundamental approach he felt was more helpful than temporary relief.
In March 2012, Namgil Kim founded the cultural arts NGO Gilstory. If was officially established on April 8, 2013 and registered in Seoul in as a non-profit private organization with the goal of contributing to society through various cultural arts campaigns.
It was an organization he established after experiencing several overseas relief activities since 2010 and thinking about more sustainable social contribution activities. Gilstory has over 100 diverse experts including writers, painters, composers, photographers, IT experts, lawyers, accountants, and translators working pro bono (professionals in each field helping the socially disadvantaged).
In July 2024, Kim, has announced the launch of its 'Together' campaign to discover and support creators from aging out youth. The campaign aims to provide creative opportunities and artistic activity support to help these aging out youth achieve emotional independence, despite social and economic challenges. Gilstory is partnering with KB Kookmin Bank to sponsor creative funds and mentorship for talented young artists in the cultural arts field. Completed works will be publicly showcased, and the collaboration with the bank, which has consistently supported aging out youth, is especially meaningful in laying the groundwork for the economic independence of these young creators.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2004 | Low Life | Police officer at checkpoint | |
| 2006 | Don't Look Back | Seok-woo | |
| 2006 | No Regret | Song Jae-min | |
| 2008 | Public Enemy Returns | Park Mun-su | |
| 2008 | Modern Boy | Hidaka Shinsuke | |
| 2008 | Portrait of a Beauty | Kang-mu | |
| 2009 | Handphone | Jang Yoon-ho | |
| 2010 | Lovers Vanished | Im Su-in | |
| 2012 | Ensemble | — | Producer |
| 2013 | Hello, Mom | — | Short film, Director |
| 2014 | The Pirates | Jang Sa-jung | |
| 2014 | Glory for Everyone | narrator | Documentary |
| 2015 | The Shameless | Jung Jae-gon | |
| 2015 | The Sound of a Flower | Heungseon Daewongun | |
| 2016 | Pandora | Kang Jae-hyeok | |
| 2017 | Memoir of a Murderer | Min Tae-joo | |
| 2017 | One Day | Lee Kang-soo | |
| 2019 | The Odd Family: Zombie On Sale | Park Min-gul | |
| 2020 | The Closet | Heo Kyung-hoon | |
| 2020 | Okay Madam | Nervous man | Cameo |
| 2022 | Emergency Declaration | Hyun-soo | |
| 2022 | Hunt | Tokyo branch agent 3 | Special appearance |
| 2023 | A Man of Reason | Woo-jin | |
| 2025 | Nocturnal | Kang Ho-ryeong | |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | School 1 | Min-soo | |
| 2004 | MBC Best Theater – "Kang Jang-soo's Love House" | | |
| 2004 | Nonstop 4 | Hyun-bin's friend | |
| 2004 | Sweet Buns | Hong Hye-jan's boyfriend | |
| 2005 | Be Strong, Geum-soon! | Noh Seong-hwan | |
| 2005 | 5th Republic | Park Ji-man | |
| 2005 | My Lovely Sam Soon | Kim Byung-tae | |
| 2006 | Goodbye Solo | Yoo Ji-an | |
| 2006 | Lovers | Tae-San | |
| 2007 | When Spring Comes | Kim Joon-ki | |
| 2007 | Several Questions That Make Us Happy | Im Seok-joo | |
| 2009 | Queen Seondeok | Bidam | |
| 2009 | Tears of the Amazon | Narrator | Documentary |
| 2010 | Haiti, Tears of Tragedy | Narrator | Documentary |
| 2010 | Personal Taste | Man sitting in cafe | Cameo (episode 11) |
| 2010 | Bad Guy | Shim Gun-wook | |
| 2013 | Don't Look Back: The Legend of Orpheus | Han Yi-soo | |
| 2017 | Live Up to Your Name | Heo Im / Heo Bong-tak | |
| 2019 | The Fiery Priest | Kim Hae-il | |
| 2021 | One the Woman | Male priest who leads to heaven | Cameo (episode 1) |
| 2022 | Through the Darkness | Song Ha-young | |
| 2024 | The Fiery Priest 2 | Kim Hae-il | |

### Web series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2022–2023 | Island | Van | Part 1–2 |
| 2023 | Song of the Bandits | Lee Yoon | |
| TBA | Trigger | Lee Do | |

### Television shows

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2019 | Trans-Siberian Pathfinders | Cast member | |
| 2019 | Life of Samantha | Narrator | Documentary |
| 2020 | K-Ocean Pathfinders | Cast member | |
| 2022 | Living for an Empty House in a Fishing Village | Creator | Art Village project |
| 2023 | Leave Anything | Cast Member | with Lee Sang-yoon |

### Music video appearances

| Year | Song title | Artist |
| 1999 | "Gift" (선물) | Kim Jang-hoon |
| 2005 | "Attention" | Lady |
| 2005 | "Start" | M.Street [ko] |
| 2005 | "Don't Forget, Don't Forget" (못잊어 못잊어) | The Red [ko] |
| 2007 | "Just Ten Days" (열흘만) | J |

### Hosting

| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
| 2018 | 23rd Busan International Film Festival | with Han Ji-min | |
| 2022 | 31st Buil Film Awards | with Choi Soo-young | |

## Theater

| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
| 2000 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | | |
| 2003 | Park Mu-geun's Family | | |

## Discography

| Album information | Track listing |
| Can't I Love You? Track from Queen Seondeok Special OST Released: January 8, 2010 Label: Star J Entertainment, Danal | Track listing 사랑하면 안 되니 ("Can't I Love You?") 사랑하면 안 되니 (Inst.) |
| You Don't Know Track from Yawang OST, 2013) Released: January 14, 2013 Label: J & J Entertainment, Aijin Music, LOEN Entertainment | Track listing 너는 모른다 ("You Don't Know") 너는 모른다 (Inst.) |
| Roman Single Released: July 10, 2013 Label: Warner Music Japan | Track listing Roman 愛してはいけないの (Korean original ver.) ("Can't I Love You?") 지금 당신은 사랑하고 있습니까 (Korean original ver.) ("Do You Still Love Now") Roman (Inst.） 愛してはいけないの (Inst.) |

## Photobook

| Year | Title | Publisher | ISBN |
| 2010 | Into the Wild | The Book Company | ISBN 9788991317512 |
| 2012 | Way Back to the Road | MCK Publishing | ISBN 9788996985402 |

## Ambassadorship

* Honorary Police Officers at the 75th Anniversary Ceremony of Forensic Investigation Day (2023)

## 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 |
| APAN Star Awards | 2022 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Through the Darkness | Nominated |
| Asian Film Awards Special Awards | 2014 | Asian Rising Star | Kim Nam-gil | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2010 | Best New Actor – Television | Queen Seondeok | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2016 | Most Popular Actor (film) | Pandora | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2019 | Best Actor – Television | The Fiery Priest | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2022 | Best Actor – Television | Through the Darkness | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2008 | Best New Actor | Public Enemy Returns | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Series Awards | 2022 | Best Leading Actor | Through the Darkness | Nominated |
| Brand Customer Loyalty Awards | 2023 | Best Actor — OTT | Island | Won |
| Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival | 2021 | Silver Raven Award | The Closet | Won |
| Buil Film Awards | 2015 | Best Actor | The Shameless | Nominated |
| Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards | 2019 | Best Actor | The Fiery Priest | Won |
| Grand Bell Awards | 2009 | Best Supporting Actor | Modern Boy | Nominated |
| Grand Bell Awards | 2009 | Best New Actor | Modern Boy | Nominated |
| Grimae Awards | 2019 | Best Actor | The Fiery Priest | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2013 | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Shark | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2013 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama | Shark | Nominated |
| Korean Broadcasters Association Awards | 2019 | Best Actor | The Fiery Priest | Won |
| Korea Drama Awards | 2022 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Through the Darkness | Nominated |
| Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards | 2009 | Best New Actor | Modern Boy | Won |
| Korea PD Awards | 2020 | Performer Awards (Actor category) | The Fiery Priest | Won |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2009 | Excellence Award, Actor | Queen Seondeok | Won |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2009 | Best New Actor | Queen Seondeok | Nominated |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2009 | Best Couple Award | Kim Nam-gil with Lee Yo-won Queen Seondeok | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2010 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Drama Special | Bad Guy | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2019 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | The Fiery Priest | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2019 | Top Excellence Award in Mid-Length Drama (Actor) | The Fiery Priest | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2019 | Producer's Award | The Fiery Priest | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2022 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Through the Darkness | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2022 | Director's Award | Through the Darkness | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2022 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Genre/Fantasy Drama | Through the Darkness | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2022 | Best Supporting Team | Through the Darkness | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2024 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | The Fiery Priest 2 | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2024 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Seasonal Drama | The Fiery Priest 2 | Won |
| Seoul International Drama Awards | 2019 | Outstanding Korean Actor | The Fiery Priest | Won |
| Seoul International Drama Awards | 2022 | Best Actor | Through the Darkness | Nominated |
| Style Icon Awards | 2009 | New TV Icon | Kim Nam-gil | Won |

### State honors

Name of country, year given, and name of honor :
| Country Or Organization | Year | Honor Or Award | Ref. |
| South Korea | 2019 | Prime Minister's Commendation | |

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
| Forbes | 2020 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 17th | |
| The Screen | 2019 | 2009–2019 Top Box Office Powerhouse Actors in Korean Movies | 45th | |