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Actor

1973-11-25 · Seoul, South Korea · Female

28 series in the catalog

Jang Young-nam (Korean: 장영남; born November 25, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She is skilled in both comedic and dramatic roles and easily transitions between different genres and mediums, including theater, television, and film. Her notable supporting film roles include A Werewolf Boy and Hello Ghost. In 2013, she took on her first leading film role in the crime thriller Azooma. Her performance in the film earned her the Best Actress Award from the Director's Guild at the 17th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).

Jang began her career in theater before moving to supporting roles in television and film. She was a member of the Korean theater troupe Mokhwa Repertory Company. She is also a member of "Jang Jin's Division" (장진사단), a term used to describe actors who frequently appear in the works of director Jang Jin. She was also an original cast member of the live sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live Korea.

Education

Jang was born on November 25, 1973, in Seoul. During middle school, she decided to further her studies at Kaywon High School of Arts, after being captivated by its distinctive orange school bus and student uniform. Despite her shy personality, she had been too shy to volunteer to read in class in middle school, after studying theater and film at Kaywon Arts High School, she discovered a passion for performing. She subsequently enrolled in the Department of Theater and Film at Seoul Institute of the Arts. As part of her graduation project, she participated in the musical West Side Story.

Beginning

Upon graduating from the Seoul Institute of the Arts, Jang Young-nam began her career in 1995 with the Mokhwa theater company in 1995, following a recommendation from her senior, Seong Ji-ru. Soon was cast as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet but was dismissed by CEO Oh Tae-seok three weeks before the performance for "inability to act." This incident caused her great distress and led her to leave the theater for 18 months to work as a clothing store clerk. She later said she deeply missed acting during this time, reflecting that "What I wanted to do most and what I was good at was theater," which ultimately led her back to Mokhwa.

Rise to Prominence in Theater

In 2001, Jang received New Actress Award (Theater) in the 2001 Baeksang Arts Awards for her role as Kikko in Dressing Room. Her first collaboration with director Jang Jin was for the 2002 play Welcome to Dongmakgol. She subsequently took on major roles in other Jang Jin plays like Taxi Driver and appeared in notable productions such as Hwanand Ophelia.4 The same year, she was awarded the Dong-A Theater Award for Best Actress for her performance as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.

In 2005, Jang participated in the Berlin Asia-Pacific Week, performing in the play Princess Bari in Germany. She continued to appear in various productions, including Proof, The Seagull, and the Theater Company Alleyway unit's Gyeong-sook and Gyeong-sook's Father.

In 2007, she found success in the roles of Kyung-sook in play Kyung-sook, Kyung-sook's Father and Joo-hee in play My Mother's Mother. She appeared in various works, often in leading roles. By 2007, Jang had established herself as the most popular and highly regarded actress in the Daehakro theater scene. Her acting skills were widely praised, particularly for her intense portrayal of nine different roles in the one-person play Vagina Monologue.

Jang also became known as the "Hong Il-jeom" (the lone female star) of the "Jang Jin's Division" (장진사단) for her frequent appearances in director Jang Jin's works. In December 2007, Jang starred as the main character in Jang Jin's play, Clumsy People. The performance was part of Daehakro's largest theater festival, "Play," and helped pave the way for the later success of play Heart 2. After her first on-screen role in Jang Jin's 2004 film, A Woman I Know, she appeared in a series of his films, including Leave While Applause (2005), Holy Genealogy (2006), Son (2007), and Good Morning President (2009).

Continued Acclaim

In 2008, Jang was cast as the female lead in the play Port (May 1–18), which was performed at the Seondol Theater in Daehakro. The play was directed by Park Geun-hyung, the CEO of Theater Company Alleyway and a highly respected director who won the inaugural Cha Beom-seok Play Award. Jang's performance led to numerous offers from the theater world, including a role in Agarwood (June 10–28), directed by Shim Jae-chan.

Personal life

In December 2011, Jang married Lee Ho-ung, a theater director and university professor who is seven years her junior. The couple has a son, born in 2014.

Jang Young-nam at HanCinema

Jang Young-nam at the Korean Movie Database

Jang Young-nam at Daum

Jang Young-nam at BH Entertainment (Management Agency)