Overview
Jeong Jae-yeong (born Jeong Ji-hyeon; November 21, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He's best known for his roles in the critically acclaimed films Silmido (2003), Right Now, Wrong Then (2015), and On the Beach at Night Alone (2017). For his work in films, he won the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards at the Blue Dragon Film Awards, Busan Film Critics Awards, Director's Cut Awards, Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, 9th Asia Pacific Screen Awards and Locarno International Film Festival.
Early years and education
Jung completed his education at Seoul Hanyeong High School and then in 1990 enrolled to Department of Theater of Seoul Institute of the Arts. During his time in university he participated in a play and received recognition for his outstanding performance, which greatly influenced his career trajectory. From his early days as a theater actor, Jung Jae-young has collaborated with director Jang Jin, who was a year ahead of him in the Department of Theater at Seoul Institute of the Arts. He made his debut in the theater production "Heotang" and subsequently appeared in "Leave When I Clap," "Liar," and "Magic Time."
Career
Jung Jae-young started his career taking minor roles in films ranging from his debut The Adventures of Mrs. Park to Green Fish (1997), The Quiet Family (1998), and Die Bad (2000). However throughout this period he was primarily occupied with works by director/playwright Jang Jin, both on the stage and in minor roles for the films The Happenings and The Spy.
Jung's first prominent film role came in Jang Jin's third film Guns & Talks in 2001, where he played one member of the film's central quartet of assassins. The following year, he played a ruthless, cruel-minded hustler in Ryoo Seung-wan's No Blood No Tears. In 2003, his role as a death row convict turned soldier in the record-breaking Silmido marked the height of this stage of his career.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).