# Ahn Hyo-seop

Ahn Hyo-seop (Korean: 안효섭; born April 17, 1995) is a Canadian actor and singer based in South Korea. He gained recognition for his main roles in the Korean dramas Still 17 (2018), Abyss (2019), Dr. Romantic 2 (2020), Lovers of the Red Sky (2021), Business Proposal (2022), Dr. Romantic 3 (2023), and A Time Called You (2023).

## Early life and education

Ahn was born on April 17, 1995, in Seoul, South Korea as the third of 3 siblings. When he was seven years old, his family immigrated to Toronto, Canada. Ahn later moved back to South Korea when he was 17, while his family stayed in Canada. He later attended and graduated from Kookmin University, in the Department of International Business.

## Career
### Pre-debut activities

After moving back to South Korea, Ahn was scouted by JYP Entertainment and became a trainee for three years, and lived in a dorm with members of the K-pop boy band Got7. However, due to his height and lack of dancing skills, he was stressed, so he decided to become an actor instead.

### 2015–2016: Debut with One O One, acting debut and career beginnings

On October 1, 2015, Starhaus Entertainment launched the project group One O One, releasing their debut single "Love You". The group consisted of Ahn together with fellow Starhaus actors Kwak Si-yang, Song Won-seok and Kwon Do-kyun. However, the group presumably disbanded due to inactivity since January 2019.
Ahn made his acting debut in the MBC drama, Splash Splash Love. He then became a cast member of the music variety show Always Cantare. He had supporting roles in One More Happy Ending, Happy Home and Entertainer in 2016.

### 2017–present: Transition to lead roles

His popularity rose after his first ever lead role in Queen of the Ring in 2017. He then transitioned to lead roles thereafter.
In 2018, Ahn starred in Still 17, playing passionate high school student Yoo Chan – the captain of the high school rowing club. For his performance, he won Best New Actor Award and was nominated for the "Character of the Year" Award at the 2018 SBS Drama Awards alongside Jo Hyun-sik and Lee Do-hyun. And later in the same year, Ahn acted in the drama Top Management which aired on YouTube Red.
In 2019, Ahn starred alongside Park Bo-young in the romantic comedy fantasy crime drama Abyss, where he played rich yet unattractive heir to a cosmetics empire who transforms into a handsome young man as he is revived by a mysterious orb after his death. In late 2019, Ahn became an MC at the 4th Asia Artist Awards with Leeteuk, Lim Ji-yeon and Nancy.
In 2020, Ahn starred in the second season of the hit medical drama Dr. Romantic, playing general surgeon Seo Woo-jin with Lee Sung-kyung as his leading lady. The show was a success, with both Ahn and Lee keeping their promise of singing for the fans as it crossed the double-digit mark for ratings. His performance in the drama earned him the Best New Actor Award in television at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards. He also received Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Action/Genre Drama at 2020 SBS Drama Awards.
In 2021, Ahn starred in the historical-fantasy drama Lovers of the Red Sky adapted from the novel written by Jung Eun-gwol, playing the role of Ha Ram, a blind astrologer who reads the stars, while living a disguised life as Ilwolseong – chief of an information organisation and whose body is possessed by Ma Wang (the Demon King) since childhood, alongside Kim Yoo-jung as Hong Cheon-gi, a female painter. For his portrayal of multiple roles as Ha Ram, Ilwolseong and Ma Wang, he received Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Genre/Fantasy Drama and won Best Couple Award with Kim Yoo-jung at 2021 SBS Drama Awards.
In 2022, Ahn starred in the SBS-broadcast and Netflix-distributed romantic comedy drama Business Proposal adapted from the webtoon with the same title, with Kim Se-jeong. He played the role of Kang Tae-mu, a third generation chaebol and CEO. In March 2022, he was cast in the Netflix series A Time Called You, South Korean adaptation of the Taiwanese drama Someday or One Day. In May 2022, Ahn signed with The Present Company, the agency he co-founded with a manager who worked with him before his debut.

## Other activities
### Philanthropy

On August 16, 2022, Ahn donated ₩50 million to help those affected by the 2022 South Korea floods through the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association.
In May, 2024, Ahn contributed his talent to the "UNICEF Team" campaign by participating in video and photo shoots. The campaign, initiated by the Korean Committee of UNICEF in 2018, aims to raise awareness and support for at-risk children globally. Ahn was joined by six other individuals, including Lee Jung, Park Wi, Shim Eut-deum, Cha Jun-hwan, and Cha Hyun-seung, in donating their talents to the cause. Ahn also donated ₩50 million to UNICEF on Children's Day. The donation will support over 190 children affected by disasters and crises.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
| 2025 | Omniscient Reader | Kim Dok-ja | |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2015 | Splash Splash Love | Park Yeon / Che A-jik | |
| 2016 | One More Happy Ending | Ahn Jung-woo | |
| 2016 | Happy Home | Choi Chul-soo | |
| 2016 | Entertainer | Ji-noo | |
| 2017 | Three Color Fantasy – "Queen of the Ring" | Park Se-gun | One-act drama |
| 2017 | My Father Is Strange | Park Cheol-su | |
| 2018 | Still 17 | Yoo Chan | |
| 2019 | Abyss | Cha Min | |
| 2020–2023 | Dr. Romantic | Seo Woo-jin | Season 2–3 |
| 2021 | Lovers of the Red Sky | Ha Ram | |
| 2022 | Business Proposal | Kang Tae-moo | |

### Web series

| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
| 2018 | Top Management | Hyun Soo-yong | |
| 2023 | A Time Called You | Koo Yeon-jun / Nam Si-heon | |

### Television show

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2015 | Always Cantare – Season 2 | Cast member | |
| 2016 | Celebrity Bromance – Chuseok Special | Cast member | with Jackson Wang |
| 2021 | My Little Old Boy | Special host | Episode 257 |

### Hosting

| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
| 2019 | 4th Asia Artist Awards | with Leeteuk, Lim Ji-yeon and Nancy | |
| 2022 | 2022 SBS Drama Awards | with Shin Dong-yup and Kim Se-jeong | |

## Discography

| Title | Year | Album | Notes |
| "Get Myself With You" | 2018 | S.O.U.L | as part of S.O.U.L |
| "Gravity" | 2018 | S.O.U.L | as part of S.O.U.L |
| "Sugar Cane" | 2018 | S.O.U.L | as part of S.O.U.L |
| "Me In" | 2018 | S.O.U.L | as part of S.O.U.L |
| "I Will Show You" with Z.Hera | 2018 | Top Management OST | |

## 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 |
| A-Awards | 2022 | A-Awards – Confidence | Business Proposal | Won |
| APAN Star Awards | 2021 | Best New Actor | Dr. Romantic 2 | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2022 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Lovers of the Red Sky Business Proposal | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2022 | Popularity Star Award, Actor | Lovers of the Red Sky | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2022 | Best Couple Award | Business Proposal (with Kim Se-jeong) | Nominated |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2017 | Rookie Award | My Father is Strange | Won |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2019 | Choice Award | Ahn Hyo-seop | Won |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2020 | Best Actor Award | Dr. Romantic 2 | Won |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2020 | Popularity Award (Actor) | Ahn Hyo-seop | Nominated |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2022 | Popularity Award (Actor) | Ahn Hyo-seop | Nominated |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2023 | Best Actor Award | Ahn Hyo-seop | Won |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2023 | Hot Trend Award | Ahn Hyo-seop | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2020 | Best New Actor – Television | Dr. Romantic 2 | Won |
| Korea Drama Awards | 2019 | Best New Actor | Abyss | Nominated |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2016 | Best New Actor | Happy Home | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2018 | Best New Actor | Still 17 | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2018 | Character of the Year | Still 17 | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2020 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Action/Genre Drama | Dr. Romantic 2 | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2020 | Best Couple Award | Dr. Romantic 2 (with Lee Sung-kyung) | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2021 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Genre/Fantasy Drama | Lovers of the Red Sky | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2021 | Best Couple Award | Lovers of the Red Sky (with Kim Yoo-jung) | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2022 | Best Couple Award | Business Proposal (with Kim Se-jeong) | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2022 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Romance/Comedy Drama | Business Proposal | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2023 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Seasonal Drama | Dr. Romantic 3 | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2023 | Best Supporting Team | Dr. Romantic 3 | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2023 | Best Couple Award | Dr. Romantic 3 (with Lee Sung-kyung) | Nominated |

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
| Forbes | 2022 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 37th | |
| Forbes | 2023 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 33rd | |