Acting
Feb 21, 1987
Cheongju, North Chungcheong, South Korea
Han Hyo-joo
Acting
Biography
Han Hyo-Joo (한효주) was born on February 22, 1987 in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea. Her mother worked as an elementary school teacher before becoming an inspector for public schools and her father worked in the military. As a child, Han Hyo-Joo was good in sports and enjoyed track & field. In her sophomore year of high school, Han Hyo-Ju moved to Seoul and attended Bulgok High School. Although her father, conservative & strict, opposed her move to Seoul she was able to go forth with her wishes. After high school, Han Hyo-Joo majored in theatre at Dongguk University. According to Han Hyo-Ju, her personality fits her blood type-A classification: calm, doesn't get angry easily, & able to endure without a lot of expression. In 2003, Han Hyo-Ju won the grand prize for the Miss Bing-geure contest, which attracted the attention from the entertainment world (Bing-geure is a Korean food company). In 2005, Han Hyo-Ju received her first acting roles in the MBC sitcom “Nonstop 5” and the movie “My Boss, My Teacher”. Her debut performances went largely unnoticed. In 2006 Han Hyo-Ju received her first leading role in the KBS2 drama “Spring Waltz”. Director Yun Seok-Ho of “Spring Waltz” stated that he first got the idea to cast Han Hyo-Joo after browsing the Internet and coming across her picture. Yun Seok-Ho felt she still held the purity of a child and a sense of mysteriousness which suited her character well. Han Hyo-Joo also stated that working on “Spring Waltz” was difficult, largely due to her inexperience in acting. Han Hyo-Joo's first leading performance in a feature film came with the 2006 independent film “Ad Lib Night,” helmed by well-regarded director Lee Yoon-Ki. Han Hyo-Joo's experience working on “Ad Lib Night” went far more smoothly than her first leading role in a drama series. Han Hyo-Joo recalled that the one month shoot seemed to zoom by and wished it could have lasted longer. Her performance was enthusiastically received by critics and Han Hyo-Joo received “Best Actress” awards from the 26th Korean Movie Critics Organization and the 20th Singapore International Film Festival. Han Hyo-Joo's commercial break-out role came with her performance in the popular 2009 SBS drama series “Brilliant Legacy,” alongside actor/singer Lee Seung-Ki. The drama series, mixing a healthy dose of Korean melodrama with a Charles Dickens' “Great Expectations” like storyline, captured the attention of Koreans throughout the summer of 2009. “Brilliant Legacy”regularly received ratings in excess of 40% and catapulted Han Hyo-Joo as one of the more popular young actresses in Korea. With her popularity, media reports and gossip magazines began to speculate on who Han Hyo-Joo was dating. In 2010, Han Hyo-Joo branched out of her comfort zone and took the lead role in the MBC historical drama series “Dong Yi”.
Feature Films (19)
Jae-jun delivers letters to heaven from those who can't get over the loss of their loved ones. One day Ha-na, who writes to her late boyfriend, discovers Jae-jun's secret identity. He offers her a part-time job assisting him, and they set off on a 14-day journey.
Heaven's Postman
Ha-jung, a college freshman, is interested in a boy who works at a secondhand book store near her school. Although a clerk is excited by her, he cannot forget his old girlfriend who has been unconscious since a car accident three years earlier. The growing pains mature the awkward and immature twenty-year-old.
Ride Away
In 1999, a teen girl keeps close tabs on a boy in school on behalf of her deeply smitten best friend – then she gets swept up in a love story of her own.
20th Century Girl
A former boxer turned parking lot attendant finds hope in the love of the blind telemarketer who walks into his booth one day.
Always
A doctor tries to woo a grieving, widowed firefighter in her attempt to get him to testify on her behalf in a medical malpractice case.
Love 911
Ha Yoon-ju becomes the newest member of a unit within the Korean Police Forces Special Crime Department that specializes in surveillance activities on high-profile criminals. She teams up with Hwang Sang-jun, the veteran leader of the unit, and tries to track down James who is the cold-hearted leader of an armed criminal organization.
Cold Eyes
Television & Series (28)
Will the tragedy of spring be repeated years later? To escape debt, Lee Su Ho's father escaped to a remote island where his friend has a young daughter Eun Young, who is the same age as Su Ho. After being abandoned by his father, Su Ho sought to leave, but his mind changed after being touched by Eun Young's pure heart. A series of unfortunate events ensue, and Su Ho disappears, while Eun Young is sick in the hospital. Years later, while travelling in Austria, Eun Young meets the talented pianist Jae Ha, a man with a cold exterior with a few words, who bears a resemblance to Su Ho. As their love starts to develop, the truth unfolds... Can their love endure the harsh spring tragedy many years ago?
Spring Waltz
A webseries where Na Young Seok, a variety show producer, caters people his iconic games from 'New Journey to the West'.
The Game Caterers
Children who live in hiding with superpowers, along with their parents who live with painful secrets of the past, face enormous dangers together.
Moving
Raised in a loving family but afraid of being hurt, an adopted son keeps his distance from those around him. His longtime friend, who deeply values family, stays by his side as their friendship gradually turns into love. As they grow closer, conflicts involving adoption, remarriage, marriage, and generational differences test their relationships. Through pain, reconciliation, and healing, they discover that family is built through love and understanding, not just blood.
