Song Kang-ho

Song Kang-ho (born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Song made his film debut in The Day a Pig Fell into the Well (1996), and came to national prominence with a series of critically acclaimed performances, including No. 3 (1997), Joint Security Area (2000), Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Memories of Murder (2003), The Host (2006), Snowpiercer (2013), The Attorney (2013), and A Taxi Driver (2017). Song rose to international prominence for his performance in Parasite (2019), which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Picture. He was awarded Best Actor at the 75th Cannes Film Festival for his performance in Broker (2022). In 2020, The New York Times ranked him #6 on its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century. He has been named Gallup Korea's Film Actor of the Year four times (2013, 2017, 2019 and 2020). Early life Song Kang-ho was born on January 17, 1967, in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. He graduated from Gimhae High School and had aspirations of becoming an actor since his sophomore year at Garak Middle School. At the time, there were only five theater and film departments throughout the country. Despite failing once in the entrance exam, he eventually studied at Gyeongsang National University in Busan. However, he was drafted for mandatory military service soon after. After completing his service, Song did not return to college, but instead began acting in a local theater company in Busan at the age of 23. Career Early career In 1990, Song Kang-ho attended a performance of "Mr. Choi," a play by Yeonwoo Theater Company in Busan. This experience ignited his passion for acting and inspired him to pursue his dream. The following year, at the age of 23, he moved to Seoul with the sole purpose of realizing his ambition, and he immediately headed to Yeonwoo Theater without any concrete plans. Song approached Ryu Tae-ho, the director of Yeonwoo Theater Company, and humbly pleaded for an opportunity to stay and contribute, even if it meant working as a theater cleaner. Determined to make his mark, he visited the theater four times and left his contact information. As fate would have it, he was eventually called upon to assist with an event organized by the theater due to a staff shortage.