# Kim Hee-ae

Kim Hee-ae (Korean: 김희애; born April 23, 1967) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading roles in Korean dramas such as Sons and Daughters (1992), Perfect Love (2003), My Husband's Woman (2007), How Long I've Kissed (2012), Secret Affair (2014), and The World of the Married (2020). She has received multiple acting awards including two Daesang (Grand Prize) and four Best Actress Awards for Television at the Baeksang Arts Awards. In 2020, she was selected as Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year.

## Early life

Kim Hee-ae was born in Jeju Island, and her family later moved to Seoul.
Kim was a freshman at Hyehwa Girls' High School when she was discovered by the younger sister of one of her teachers; she had been visiting the school by chance and worked for an advertising agency. This led to her first modeling job in a commercial for a school uniform brand in 1982. This was actually her debut activity.

## Career
### 1983–2003: Acting debut and stardom

In 1983, Kim made her acting debut in the film The First Day of the Twentieth Year. While studying at Chung-Ang University as a Theater and Film major, she appeared in her first television drama on KBS in 1986. Over the next decade, she would go on to have a successful career on Korean television, alongside fellow top actresses Chae Shi-ra and Choi Jin-sil. Among her most significant dramas during this period were Beyond the Mountains (1991) and Sons and Daughters (1992), for which she won the highest award at the MBC Drama Awards and the Baeksang Arts Awards, called the Daesang ("Grand Prize").

### 2003–2009: Hit dramas

She again drew praise in 2003 for two consecutive hit dramas. In Wife, her husband vanishes and reappears years later as an amnesiac with another family, while in Perfect Love (written by Kim Soo-hyun), her role as the perfect wife and mother who gets diagnosed with a terminal illness earned her another Daesang from the Baeksang Arts Awards. She worked again with Kim a year later in Precious Family (also known as Letters to My Parents), playing a woman who marries into a rich family who treats her badly after she gives birth to a baby with autism. Kim next starred in the melodrama Snow Flower.
Her third collaboration with Kim Soo-hyun was 2007's My Husband's Woman, but unlike her previous saintly characters, this time she was cast against type as a sexy, worldly woman having an affair with her best friend's husband. The adultery drama was a hit with a peak viewership rating of 38.7%, and Kim yet again won the Daesang at the Korea Drama Awards and the SBS Drama Awards.

### 2010–2012: Hiatus and focus on commercials and magazines

Afterwards, Kim went on a brief hiatus, during which she continued to appear in commercials and magazines, gaining a reputation as a style icon for Korean middle-aged women (called "ajumma") by inspiring them to wear younger and edgier clothes. Kim returned to acting four years later with Midas, in the role of a wealthy chaebol heiress who fosters greed and ambition in a young lawyer. She then won Best Actress at the Baeksang Arts Awards for her portrayal of a housewife increasingly stifled by her husband's obsession with status who finds herself falling for her son's dentist in How Long I've Kissed, one of the inaugural dramas in 2012 of new cable channel jTBC.

### 2013–present: Return to the big screen and continued success

2013 marked Kim's first regular appearance in a reality show with Sisters Over Flowers, in which she, Youn Yuh-jung, Kim Ja-ok, Lee Mi-yeon and Lee Seung-gi go on a backpacker tourism trip around Croatia and Turkey.
In 2014, Kim returned to the big screen after a 21-year absence in Thread of Lies, a film adaptation of Kim Ryeo-ryeong's novel Elegant Lies about teen bullying which leads to a young girl's suicide. Kim said she accepted the project because the script was "faultless" and she felt empathy for the characters, and one review described her performance as "excellent as the grieving mother [...] understated but somehow believable, touching and honest."
Shortly after, Kim reunited with the writer and director of How Long I've Kissed in Secret Affair, about an art foundation director who embarks on a passionate affair with a poor but talented pianist 20 years her junior.
She next played the muse of real-life folk music group Twin Folio in the 2015 film C'est Si Bon, named after a music lounge located in Myeong-dong which was famous in the 1970s and 1980s for its live performances. She returned to the small screen with the police procedural drama Mrs. Cop, playing a violent crime detective who struggles to become a good mother.
In 2016, Kim signed with YG Entertainment. The same year, she starred in the family melodrama Second to Last Love.
Kim then returned to the big screen, starring in the psychological thriller The Vanished and drama film Herstory, based on the real story of comfort women.
In 2019 she starred in Lim Dae-hyung's film Moonlit Winter.
In March 2025, Kim left YG Entertainment and signed with new agency KeyEast.

## Personal life

Kim married Lee Chan-jin [ko], CEO of the web portal DreamWiz, in 1996. They have two sons.
Kim is a Roman Catholic and was one of 50 Catholic celebrities who appeared in the 2014 music video for the digital single "Koinonia" to commemorate Pope Francis' visit to South Korea, the first time in 19 years that the pope visited Asia. Her baptismal name is Maria.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1983 | The First Day of the Twentieth Year [ko] | |
| 1985 | Reminiscent Flame [ko] | |
| 1985 | My Love Jjang-gu [ko] | Mi-hye |
| 1987 | The Hero Comes Back [ko] | Young-mi |
| 1993 | The 101st Proposition [ko] | Jung-won |
| 2014 | Thread of Lies | Yoo Hyun-sook |
| 2015 | C'est Si Bon | Min Ja-young (40s) |
| 2018 | The Vanished | Yoon Seol-hee |
| 2018 | Herstory | Moon Jeong-sook |
| 2019 | Moonlit Winter | Yoon-hee |
| 2023 | The Moon | Yoon Moon-young |
| 2023 | A Normal Family | Yeon-kyung |
| 2024 | Dead Man | Mrs. Shim |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1986 | A Woman's Heart | Song Da-young |
| 1987 | Mother | |
| 1987 | Terms of Endearment | Kim Won-mi |
| 1988 | Forget Tomorrow | Seo In-ae |
| 1989 | Your Toast | Jeon Yeo-ok |
| 1990 | What Do Women Want | Cha Young-gun |
| 1990 | Winter Wanderer | Da-hye |
| 1990 | 500 Years of Joseon: Daewongun | Empress Myeongseong |
| 1990 | I'm Still Loving You | Wan-joo |
| 1991 | The Beginning of the End | Jung Hye-jung |
| 1991 | Beyond the Mountains | Kang Myung-ae |
| 1992 | Namok | Kyung-ah |
| 1992 | The Kingdom of Anger | Min Jae-kyung |
| 1992 | Sons and Daughters | Lee Hoo-nam |
| 1993 | The Stormy Season | Lee Hong-joo |
| 1994 | Kareisky | Sung Nam-young |
| 1995 | Love and Marriage | Yoon Soo-bin |
| 1995 | Love Formula | Choi Jeong-hee |
| 1999 | You're One-of-a-Kind | Jang Seo-young |
| 2003 | Wife | Kim Na-young |
| 2003 | Perfect Love | Ha Young-ae |
| 2004 | Precious Family | Ahn Sung-sil |
| 2006 | Snow Flower | Lee Kang-ae |
| 2007 | My Husband's Woman | Lee Hwa-young |
| 2011 | Midas | Yoo In-hye |
| 2012 | How Long I've Kissed | Yoon Seo-rae |
| 2014 | Secret Affair | Oh Hye-won |
| 2015 | Mrs. Cop | Choi Young-jin |
| 2016 | Second to Last Love | Kang Min-joo |
| 2020 | The World of the Married | Ji Sun-woo |
| 2023 | Queenmaker | Hwang Do-hee |
| 2024 | The Whirlwind | Jeong Su-jin |

### Television show

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | Sisters Over Flowers | Cast Member | with Youn Yuh-jung, Kim Ja-ok, Lee Mi-yeon and Lee Seung-gi |
| 1994–2022 | New Life for Children | Co-host | with Ha Sung-woon and Lee Dae-hwi (2019) with Lee Sang-yeob (2021) with Kim Cho-rong (2022) |
| 2021 | Off The Grid | Main Cast | |

## Radio program

| Year | English title | Korean title | Station |
| 1986 | Popular Music FM with Kim Hee-ae | 김희애의 FM인기가요 | KBS Happy FM |

## Awards and nominations

Year presented, name of the award ceremony, award category, nominated work, and the result of the nomination :
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1986 | KBS Drama Awards | Best New Actress | A Woman's Heart | Won |
| 1987 | Our Star Awards | Best New Actress | A Woman's Heart | Won |
| 1987 | 23rd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actress (TV) | A Woman's Heart | Won |
| 1990 | MBC Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Forget Tomorrow | Won |
| 1991 | MBC Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Beyond the Mountains | Nominated |
| 1991 | MBC Drama Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Beyond the Mountains | Won |
| 1993 | MBC Drama Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Sons and Daughters | Won |
| 1993 | MBC Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Sons and Daughters | Nominated |
| 1993 | 29th Baeksang Arts Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) for TV | Sons and Daughters | Won |
| 1993 | 29th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress (TV) | Sons and Daughters | Won |
| 1993 | TV Journal | Star of the Year | — | Won |
| 1993 | 14th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actress | The 101st Proposition | Nominated |
| 1994 | 32nd Grand Bell Awards | Best Actress | The 101st Proposition | Nominated |
| 1994 | 30th Baeksang Arts Awards | Most Popular Actress (TV) | Sons and Daughters | Won |
| 1994 | 6th Korea Broadcasting Producer Awards | Best Performer, TV Actress category | Sons and Daughters | Won |
| 1995 | MBC Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Love and Marriage | Nominated |
| 1996 | 8th Korea Broadcasting Producer Awards | Best Performer, TV Actress category | Love and Marriage | Won |
| 2003 | 39th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress (TV) | Wife | Won |
| 2003 | KBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Wife | Nominated |
| 2003 | SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Perfect Love | Nominated |
| 2003 | SBS Drama Awards | Top 10 Stars | Perfect Love | Won |
| 2003 | SBS Drama Awards | SBSi Award | Perfect Love | Won |
| 2003 | 16th Grimae Awards | Best Actress | Perfect Love | Won |
| 2004 | 40th Baeksang Arts Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) for TV | Perfect Love | Won |
| 2004 | 40th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress (TV) | Perfect Love | Nominated |
| 2004 | 16th Korea Broadcasting Producer Awards | Best Performer, TV Actress category | Perfect Love | Won |
| 2005 | KBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Precious Family | Nominated |
| 2007 | Korea Fashion & Design Awards | Best Dressed | — | Won |
| 2007 | 1st Korea Drama Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | My Husband's Woman | Won |
| 2007 | SBS Drama Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | My Husband's Woman | Won |
| 2007 | SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | My Husband's Woman | Nominated |
| 2007 | SBS Drama Awards | Top 10 Stars | My Husband's Woman | Won |
| 2008 | 1st Style Icon Awards | Style Icon, TV actress category | My Husband's Woman | Won |
| 2008 | 44th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress (TV) | My Husband's Woman | Nominated |
| 2011 | SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Planning Drama | Midas | Nominated |
| 2013 | 49th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress (TV) | How Long I've Kissed | Won |
| 2014 | 35th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actress | Thread of Lies | Nominated |
| 2014 | 50th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress (Film) | Thread of Lies | Nominated |
| 2014 | 50th Baeksang Arts Awards | Fashionista Award | — | Won |
| 2014 | 51st Savings Day | Presidential Commendation | — | Won |
| 2014 | 7th Style Icon Awards | Top 10 Style Icons | — | Won |
| 2014 | 9th Seoul International Drama Awards | Best Actress | Secret Love Affair | Won |
| 2014 | 7th Korea Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Secret Love Affair | Nominated |
| 2014 | 3rd APAN Star Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Secret Love Affair | Won |
| 2015 | SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Mrs. Cop | Nominated |
| 2016 | SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Romantic-Comedy Drama | Second to Last Love | Nominated |
| 2018 | 2nd Elle Style Awards | Timeless Icon | — | Won |
| 2018 | 6th Marie Claire Asia Star Awards | Actress of the Year | Herstory | Won |
| 2018 | 39th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actress | Herstory | Nominated |
| 2018 | 27th Buil Film Awards | Best Actress | Herstory | Won |
| 2018 | 2nd Korea China International Film Festival | Best Actress | Herstory | Won |
| 2018 | 2nd The Seoul Awards | Best Actress (Film) | Herstory | Nominated |
| 2019 | 55th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress (Film) | Herstory | Nominated |
| 2019 | 24th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actress | Herstory | Nominated |
| 2020 | 2nd Asia Contents Awards | Best Actress | The World of the Married | Won |
| 2020 | 56th Baeksang Arts Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) for TV | The World of the Married | Nominated |
| 2020 | 56th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress (TV) | The World of the Married | Won |
| 2020 | 56th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress (Film) | Moonlit Winter | Nominated |
| 2020 | 56th Grand Bell Awards | Best Actress | Moonlit Winter | Nominated |
| 2020 | 25th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actress | Moonlit Winter | Nominated |
| 2020 | 29th Buil Film Awards | Best Actress | Moonlit Winter | Nominated |
| 2020 | 7th Korean Film Producers Association Awards | Best Actress | Moonlit Winter | Won |
| 2021 | 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actress | Moonlit Winter | Nominated |
| 2021 | 7th APAN Star Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | The World of the Married | Nominated |
| 2022 | 20th Director's Cut Awards | Best Actress in film | Moonlit Winter | Nominated |

### State honors

Name of country, year given, and name of honor :
| Country | Year | Honor | Ref. |
| South Korea | 2020 | Presidential Commendation | |

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
| Forbes | 2015 | Korea Power Celebrity | 26th | |
| Forbes | 2021 | Korea Power Celebrity | 34th | |