Jung Kyung ho (actor, born 1983)

Early life

Jung Kyung-ho is the son of Jung Eul-young, veteran TV director and frequent collaborator of writer Kim Soo-hyun of hit television dramas such as Mom's Dead Upset, My Husband's Woman, Life Is Beautiful and Childless Comfort. Jung Eul-young was initially against his son pursuing acting, but Jung defied his father's wishes and moved out of the family home. Father and son did not speak for three years (they have since reconciled).

Jung applied for and got accepted in the theater department of Chung-Ang University, regarded as one of the best in Korea, making it the dream college for aspiring actors. During his freshman year, he became roommates with an older theater major named Ha Jung-woo. Ha became a huge influence in Jung's life, and Jung later said he decided to become an actor after seeing Ha perform onstage. It was Ha who persuaded Jung to try out for the KBS actors' audition in 2003.

Career

Jung passed the KBS audition, and was soon signed by leading talent agency SidusHQ. Along with four other newcomers from the agency, he made his acting debut in 5 Stars, a mobile drama produced by SidusHQ and broadcast over SK Telecom. A few minor roles on KBS followed.

Jung's first major break came in 2004 melodrama series I'm Sorry, I Love You, playing the supporting role of an actor who belatedly falls for his childhood friend (Im Soo-jung) and has an unusually close relationship with his mother. It was a critical and commercial hit, which led to his being cast in two films in 2005: he played the pop singer crush of a novice nun (Yoon Jin-seo) in the ensemble romantic comedy All for Love, and the more proactive assistant of a shy photographer (Kim Joo-hyuk) in When Romance Meets Destiny.

After playing his first leading role in the little-seen Gangster High (2006), Jung returned to television in the well-received action drama Time Between Dog and Wolf (2007), in which he and Lee Joon-gi played NIS agents. Back on the big screen, his turn as a policeman who unknowingly becomes interested in an autistic young woman (Kang Hye-jung) in Herb netted him a Best New Actor award at the Chunsa Film Art Awards. Jung then played a 1980s-era college student tutoring a high school girl (Cha Soo-yeon) in surreal romance For Eternal Hearts, the opening film of the 2007 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival.

In April 2008, he and actor Yoo Ha-jun became business partners and launched the internet shopping mall Double Bill, which sold vintage and trendy clothes for men.

Director Lee Joon-ik then cast Jung in Sunny (2008) as a double bassist in a "consolatory band" who helps the heroine (Soo Ae) find her husband during the Vietnam War. The year after, he played a fugitive who faces off against a small town detective (Kim Yoon-seok) in Running Turtle (2009). Jung said Kim is one of his actor role models, along with Han Suk-kyu and Son Hyun-joo; all are well-respected veteran actors whom he admires for their passion and love for movies.

For his first role in a historical drama, Jung played a Goguryeo prince torn between love and duty in Ja Myung Go (2009), based on the folktale Prince Hodong and the Princess of Nakrang (Princess Jamyung was played by Jung Ryeo-won). After Ja Myung Go's lackluster ratings, Jung bounced back with popular family drama Smile, You, in which he and Lee Min-jung displayed excellent chemistry as a couple from different backgrounds. Of playing an endearing "beta male," Jung said, "I am glad to be able to play a fun character and work on a fun script."

After, Jung chose the low-key The Great Gye Choon-bin (2010) because he found the story interesting and he wanted to act opposite his friend, actress Jung Yu-mi. In the one-act Drama Special episode, he played an art therapist who meets a quirky kindergarten teacher who helps him get over his fear of the dark. Jung said, "I have never thought that I wanted to be a more popular star, not even once. I don't choose my work to make myself look cool. What is important is whether it has a good story, a good director or who my co-stars are."

Jung enlisted on November 30, 2010, to serve his mandatory military service as an active-duty soldier with the 306th draft. He was later transferred to the military band in Yongin, then discharged on September 4, 2012, with a commendation from the Army Chief of Staff.

Cable series Cruel City (2013) was Jung's first acting project post-army, a noir crime drama (one of the rare examples of the genre on Korean television) about drug dealers, cops, and undercover agents. He received the best reviews of his career yet for playing the dark, conflicted antihero "Doctor's Son."

He next starred as an arrogant Hallyu star on a rough flight from Tokyo to Seoul in the comedy Rollercoaster (released internationally as Fasten Your Seatbelt). It was the directorial debut of actor Ha Jung-woo, Jung's friend and fellow college alumni/agency mate in Fantagio.

In 2014, he appeared in the 1970s-set period drama Endless Love, followed by the role of a psychopathic serial killer in Manhole. Jung next starred in Falling for Innocence, a romantic drama about cellular memory after a heart transplant. Playing this lead role of a cutthroat business executive who gets a second at life is what finally brought him to the attention of international fans, leaving them impressed with his wide range of acting skills and ability to adapt so completely to any role. Following this success, he made several comedic cameos in other popular Korean dramas as well.

In 2016, he starred in One More Happy Ending, a drama focusing on a former idol singer looking for love after her divorce and the tabloid reporter and single father of a 13-year-old son who finds himself falling for her charms. The light, romantic comedy and well-acted roles of such a well-known and respected cast (including Hallyu stars like Jang Nara, Kwon Yul and Yoo In Na) and has gained a lot of attention from both critics and fans alike. In one episode of the show American television personality Conan O'Brien made an appearance on the show as a man who instantly falls in love at first sight with the main female lead. Several mega-stars from Korea have also made cameo appearances, including Sandara Park showing the full popularity of this television drama.

On November 10, 2016, it was confirmed that Jung will star in the television drama Missing Nine.

Personal life

Jung Kyung-ho's agency confirmed in January 2014 that Jung has been dating actress and singer Choi Soo-young from girl group Girls' Generation since early 2013. They became acquainted as they attend the same church and went to the same university.