# Kim Tae-ri

Kim Tae-ri (Korean: 김태리; born April 24, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She gained widespread recognition for her breakout role as Sook-hee in Park Chan-wook's critically acclaimed film The Handmaiden (2016), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and earned her multiple Best New Actress awards. She went on to star in 1987: When the Day Comes (2017), Little Forest (2018), and Space Sweepers (2020).
Kim also found success in television, making her small-screen debut in the historical drama Mr. Sunshine (2018) and later gained widespread acclaim for her role in Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022), winning the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actress. She continued her success with Revenant (2023) and Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born (2024).
In 2024, Kim was named Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year.

## Early life

Kim Tae-ri was born on April 24, 1990, in Sangbong-dong, Jungnang District, Seoul, South Korea. After graduating from Youngshin Nursing Business High School [ko], Kim studied Journalism and Communication at Kyung Hee University from 2008 to 2012. Kim was inspired to become an actress in her second year of college after joining a college theater club.

## Career
### 2012–2015: Early career

After graduating from college, Kim worked for a year as a member of the technical crew of Iru theatre troupe in Daehakro. Later, Kim was cast as an understudy for Kang Ae-shim in the 2012 production of Spoonface Steinberg but did not get to perform on stage. She subsequently acted in the plays Pansy and Ask for Love, and was double-cast for the rerun of Spoonface Steinberg in 2013. In the same year, she filmed Moon Young, a short film which debuted at the Seoul Independent Film Festival in 2015; a theatrical version was released in 2017. In 2014, Kim joined J-Wide Company and appeared in a number of TV commercials. During this period, she acted in several short films and attended many auditions for film roles but faced multiple rejections.

### 2016–present: Feature debut and high-profile roles

In 2016, Kim made her feature film debut in Park Chan-wook's The Handmaiden, where she was chosen from 1,500 actresses who auditioned for the role. For her performance in the film, she won the award for Best New Actress at the Blue Dragon Film Awards, Director's Cut Awards, Buil Film Awards, and Busan Film Critics Awards. Park recounted his first impression of Kim reminded him strongly of his first meeting with actress Kang Hye-jung, who had her career breakthrough in Park's 2003 film Oldboy.
In 2017, Kim was part of the ensemble cast in the political thriller 1987: When the Day Comes, which garnered her a nomination for Best Actress at the Grand Bell Awards.
In 2018, Kim headlined the Korean film adaptation of the manga series Little Forest alongside Ryu Jun-yeol and Jin Ki-joo, for which she won the Director's Cut Award and received nominations for the Blue Dragon Film Award, Baeksang Arts Award and Buil Film Award, all for Best Actress. In the same year, Kim made her small-screen debut in the period melodrama Mr. Sunshine, written by Kim Eun-sook, and she was nominated for the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actress for her performance. Mr. Sunshine became the sixth-highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history. In 2019, Kim was ranked among Forbes 30 Under 30 in the Entertainment & Sports category.
In 2021, Kim starred in the first Korean space blockbuster Space Sweepers alongside Song Joong-ki. Originally slated for a July 2020 premiere which was cancelled due to COVID-19, the film was released on Netflix in February 2021. The film debuted at No. 1 on Netflix in at least 16 countries and gathered more than 26 million household viewers on Netflix during the first 28 days of its release. In August 2021, Kim moved to Management MMM after her contract with J-Wide expired.
In 2022, Kim starred in the tvN coming-of-age drama Twenty-Five Twenty-One with Nam Joo-hyuk making her comeback to the small-screen in four years since 2018. The series was a commercial success and became one of the highest-rated dramas in Korean cable television history. For her portrayal of Na Hee-do in the drama, she won both Best Actress – Television and Most Popular Actress at 58th Baeksang Arts Awards.
The same year, she starred in Choi Dong-hoon's sci-fi crime film Alienoid. To prepare for her role as Lee Ahn, Kim attended action school and learned martial arts, shooting, and gymnastics.
In November 2023, Kim was announced that she would be cast in tvN's historical musical drama, Jeong Nyeon, portraying the titular role, Jeong Nyeon.

## Endorsements

Since 2017, Kim was selected as brand ambassador for South Korean high-end cosmetics brand O Hui. Since 2018, she became the face of Kenzo's signature fragrance, Flower By Kenzo. She was selected as Korean ambassador for French-owned American luxury jewelry house Tiffany & Co. between 2018 and 2021. In September 2021, she introduced herself as a brand ambassador on a video about Prada's Spring-Summer 2022 collection live show. On January 25, 2022, the women's fashion brand Itmichaa announced her selection as its new muse.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Note |
| 2015 | Moon Young | Moon-young | Independent film |
| 2016 | The Handmaiden | Sook-hee | |
| 2017 | 1987: When the Day Comes | Yeon-hee | |
| 2018 | Little Forest | Song Hye-won | |
| 2021 | Space Sweepers | Captain Jang / Jang Hyun-sook | |
| 2022 | Alienoid | Lee Ahn | |
| 2024 | Alienoid: Return to the Future | Lee Ahn | |
| TBA | Lost in Starlight | Nan-young | Voice |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Note |
| 2016 | Entourage | Herself | Cameo (episode 1) |
| 2018 | Mr. Sunshine | Go Ae-shin | |
| 2022 | Twenty-Five Twenty-One | Na Hee-do | |
| 2023 | Revenant | Gu San-young | |
| 2024 | Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born | Yoon Jeong-nyeon | |

### Hosting

| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
| 2024 | 2024 MAMA Awards | November 23 only | |

## Theater

Theater play performances :
| Year | Title | Role |
| 2012 | Spoonface Steinberg (넙쭉이) | Flounder (Understudy) |
| 2013 | Ask for Love (사랑을 묻다) | Tae-ri |
| 2013 | Spoonface Steinberg (넙쭉이) | Flounder |
| 2013 | I'm Disappointed in You (너한테 실망이야) | Yuna |
| 2013 | Pansy (팬지) | Min-hee |

## Discography
### Singles

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Album | Ref. |
| Title | Year | KOR Gaon | KOR Hot | Album | Ref. |
| "Segimalui Norae" | 2016 | — | — | The Handmaiden OST | |
| "Hidden Road by Lee Hanyeol" (with Gang Dong-won) | 2018 | — | — | 1987: When the Day Comes OST | |
| "Hidden Road by Yeonheui" (with Gang Dong-won) | 2018 | — | — | 1987: When the Day Comes OST | |
| "With" (with Nam Joo-hyuk, Kim Ji-yeon, Choi Hyun-wook and Lee Joo-myung) | 2022 | 40 | 54 | Twenty-Five Twenty-One OST | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart ||||||

## Accolades
### Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, award category, nominee(s) of the award and the result of the nomination :
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) / Work(s) | Result |
| APAN Star Awards | 2018 | Best New Actress | Mr. Sunshine | Won |
| APAN Star Awards | 2022 | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Twenty-Five Twenty-One | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2022 | Popularity Star Award, Actress | Twenty-Five Twenty-One | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2023 | Top Excellence Actress in Medium-Length Series | Revenant | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2024 | Top Excellence Actress in Medium-Length Series | Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2024 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born | Won |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2017 | Best Entertainer | Kim Tae-ri | Won |
| Asian Film Awards | 2017 | Best Newcomer | The Handmaiden | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2017 | Best New Actress – Film | The Handmaiden | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2018 | Best Actress – Film | Little Forest | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2019 | Best Actress – Television | Mr. Sunshine | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2022 | Best Actress – Television | Twenty-Five Twenty-One | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2022 | Most Popular Actress | Twenty-Five Twenty-One | Won |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2016 | Best New Actress | The Handmaiden | Won |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2018 | Best Actress | Little Forest | Nominated |
| Brand of the Year Awards | 2022 | Best Actress | Kim Tae-ri | Won |
| Buil Film Awards | 2016 | Best New Actress | The Handmaiden | Won |
| Buil Film Awards | 2018 | Best Actress | Little Forest | Nominated |
| Buil Film Awards | 2022 | Popular Star Award – Female | Alienoid | Nominated |
| Busan Film Critics Awards | 2016 | Best New Actress | The Handmaiden | Won |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2017 | Best New Actress | The Handmaiden | Nominated |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2018 | Best Actress | 1987: When the Day Comes | Nominated |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2019 | Best Actress | Little Forest | Nominated |
| Cine 21 Awards | 2016 | Best New Actress | The Handmaiden | Won |
| Director's Cut Awards | 2016 | Best New Actress | The Handmaiden | Won |
| Director's Cut Awards | 2018 | Best Actress | Little Forest | Won |
| Grand Bell Awards | 2018 | Best Actress | 1987: When the Day Comes | Nominated |
| Fundex Awards | 2024 | TV Drama Female Lead | Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born | Nominated |
| Huading Awards | 2023 | Best Global Teleplay Leading Actress | Twenty-Five Twenty-One | Nominated |
| Kinolights Awards | 2022 | Actress of the Year (Domestic) | Twenty-Five Twenty-One | 3rd place |
| K-Culture Trend Forum | 2024 | 'MVP of the Year' for Drama category | Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born | Won |
| KOFRA Film Awards | 2017 | Best New Actress | The Handmaiden | Won |
| Korea Advertisers Contest Advertisers Night-KAA Awards | 2022 | Advertiser's Model Award | Kim Tae-ri | Won |
| Korea Broadcasting Awards | 2024 | Best Actress | Revenant | Won |
| Korea Drama Awards | 2018 | Best New Actress | Mr. Sunshine | Nominated |
| Korea Drama Awards | 2022 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Twenty-Five Twenty-One | Nominated |
| Korea First Brand Awards | 2025 | Best Actress (Drama) | Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born | Won |
| Korea World Youth Film Festival | 2017 | Favorite New Actress | The Handmaiden | Won |
| Korea World Youth Film Festival | 2018 | Popular Actress Award | Little Forest | Won |
| Marie Claire Film Festival | 2017 | Best Newcomer | The Handmaiden | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2023 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Revenant | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2023 | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Genre/Action Drama | Revenant | Nominated |
| The Seoul Awards | 2018 | Best Supporting Actress | 1987: When the Day Comes | Nominated |
| The Seoul Awards | 2018 | Best New Actress | Mr. Sunshine | Nominated |
| Shinfilm Art Film Festival | 2018 | Choi Eun-hee Actor Award | Little Forest | Won |
| University Film Festival of Korea | 2018 | Best Actress | Little Forest | Won |
| Women in Film Korea Festival | 2016 | Best New Actress | The Handmaiden | Won |
| Yang Hye-sook Korean Theater Award | 2024 | Special Award | Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born | Won |

### State honors

Name of country, year given, and name of honor :
| Country | Award ceremony | Year | Honor or Award | Ref. |
| South Korea | Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards | 2018 | Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Commendation | |

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement |
| Forbes | 2018 | 30 Under 30 Asia | Placed |
| Forbes | 2019 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 23rd |
| Forbes | 2023 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 28th |
| Gallup Korea | 2018 | Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year | 2nd |
| Gallup Korea | 2023 | Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year | 18th |
| Gallup Korea | 2024 | Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year | 1st |