Kam Woo-sung (born October 1, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his portrayal of a court jester serving a despotic king in the hit period film The King and the Clown.
Career Kam Woo-sung majored in Oriental painting at the Seoul National University, then made his acting debut in the 1991 television drama Our Paradise. Through his roles on TV in the following decade, Kam became known for playing gentle and intellectual upper-middle-class men, notably in Hyun-jung, I Love You. Then in 2002, he successfully subverted this image in his first film, the critically acclaimed Marriage Is a Crazy Thing, in which he played a commitment-phobic professor having a passionate affair.
More characters followed in a variety of genres: a man trapped in a confusing and haunting sequence of events in Song Il-gon's mystery film Spider Forest; the PTSD-afflicted leader of a South Korean squadron in Vietnam who looks into the mysterious disappearance of 18 soldiers in the horror thriller R-Point; and a son struggling to fake Korea's reunification to fulfill an ailing father's wish in the comedy A Bold Family.
In late 2005, Kam reached a turning point in his 15-year career when he starred in The King and the Clown. Jang Hyuk was originally cast in the leading role of a court jester during the reign of Joseon dynasty tyrant King Yeonsan, but after Jang was implicated in a draft-dodging scandal, Kam was brought in to replace him. He trained extensively over two months in the art of Korean traditional performance, including street opera, and acrobatic, rope and mask dances. The low-budget film unexpectedly broke box office records to become (at the time) the highest grossing Korean film of all time. Critics praised Kam's "powerful energy and wit," and his performance garnered acting recognition, including Best Actor at the 2006 Grand Bell Awards.
He returned to television in Alone in Love (2006), which was lauded for its realistic portrayal of a divorced couple. Back on the big screen, Kam reunited with previous A Bold Family costar (and close friend in real life) Kim Soo-ro in Big Bang (2007), followed by the ensemble romantic comedy My Love and crime thriller The Outlaw (2010). Kam was listed as one of the highest paid entertainers on the KBS network in 2011, earning for playing Geunchogo of Baekje in the 60-episode series The King of Legend.
Though appearing less frequently in projects, Kam has starred in melodramas My Spring Days (2014), Should We Kiss First? (2018) and The Wind Blows (2019) in recent years.
Personal life After dating for 15 years, Kam married actress Kang Min-young in Australia in 2006.
Discography Soundtrack appearances Title Year Album "I Will" 2014 My Spring Days OST
Filmography Film Year Title Role2002Marriage Is a Crazy Thing Kim Jun-Yeong2004R-Point Choi Tae-InSpider Forest Kang Min2005A Bold Family Kim Myung-SeokThe King and the Clown Jang-Saeng2007Big Bang Park Man-SuMy Love Jang Se-Jin 2010The Outlaw Oh Jeong-Su
Television series Year Title Role Notes/ 1991Our ParadiseArt studentWoohwangcheongsimhwanHyunMBC Best Theater 1992A Story of Long Distance CoupleChoi Wang-jaeMBC Best TheaterInvestigation of MemoryChoi Jong-gwanMBC Best TheaterEnchantmentCho Hoon-bae 1993At Our Last WinterGeon-wooMBC Best TheaterTrumpet Flower Chae I-eonStormy Season Choi Han-yeongWomen's GenerationKim Hyun-seokMBC Best TheaterA Tale of ChildhoodYong-sikMBC Best TheaterJeremyJeremyMBC Best Theater 1994The White JourneyCho Seong-gyuMBC Best TheaterA Verse of Sad FatherCha Dong-hwaSpecial drama 1995A Three-color FriendshipTae-hyungSpecial dramaTo Make a Man Meong Tae-min 1997The Mountain Choi Seong-gyuInstinctLee Jun-seob 1998Shy Lovers Choi Myung-ilSong of the Wind Song In-gyu 1999MichikoHan Dong-wookSpecial dramaI'm Still Loving You Kim Hyung-jun2000Say It with Your EyesJang Ki-woongMedical Center Kim Seung-jae 2001Stars Rise Even in the DayGab-sooSpecial drama 2002Hyun-jung, I Love You Kim Beom-soo 2006Alone in LoveLee Dong-jin 2010The King of Legend King Geunchogo 2014My Spring Days Kang Dong-ha 2018Should We Kiss First? Son Mu-han 2019The Wind BlowsDo Dae-cheol 2021Joseon ExorcistKim Tae-jong
Awards YearCeremonyAwardsWorks1999MBC Drama AwardsPopularity AwardI'm Still Loving YouBest couple Award (with Chae-Lim)2002Grimae AwardsBest Actor Hyun-jung, I Love YouMBC Drama AwardsTop Excellence Award (Actor in a Miniseries)Women Viewers Film AwardsBest Actor Marriage is a Crazy ThingKorean Film AwardsBest New Actor Korea Best Dresser Swan AwardSwan Award (Actor in Film)2004Women Viewers Film AwardsMost Hopeful Actor AwardSpider Forest2006Grand Bell AwardsBest Actor King and the ClownChunsa Film Art AwardsBest Actor Blue Dragon AwardsBest Couple Award (with Lee Joon-Ki)2008National Tax ServicePrime Minister Commendation2018Ministry of Health and WelfareMinister Commendation Korea Broadcasting AwardsBest Actor Should We Kiss First?Korea Drama AwardsTop Excellence AwardSBS Drama AwardsGrand Prize (Daesang)Best Couple
Notes
References
External links
Kam Woo Sung at Bright Entertainment