Jang Keun-suk

Jang made his acting debut in the 1997 HBS (now Channel CGV) sitcom Selling Happiness. He then continued to work in television as a child actor. Studying in New Zealand at the time, a role in the popular MBC sitcom Nonstop 4 brought him back to South Korea.[4]

In 2005, Jang played the president's son in the SBS drama Lovers in Prague.[5]

In 2006, Jang debuted on the big screen in the Japanese horror film One Missed Call: Final where he played the role of a deaf boy.[6][7] He next played the first love of famous gisaeng Hwang Jini (played by Ha Ji-won) in the period drama Hwang Jini.[8][9]

In 2007, Jang was cast in the rock music-themed film The Happy Life, directed by Lee Joon-ik.[10] Jang then co-hosted SBS's weekly live music show Inkigayo from February 25 to October 7, 2007.[11]

In 2008, Jang would go on to act in two more music-inspired projects with the film Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do,[12] and the MBC drama Beethoven Virus opposite Kim Myung-min, in which he played a trumpet player in an orchestra.[13] He also starred in the KBS drama, Hong Gil-dong as the fictional brother of King Gwanghae who vies for Joseon's throne.[14][9] Afterwards, he starred opposite Moon Mason in the movie Baby and I.[15]

Jang gained more recognition after starring in You're Beautiful (2009), playing the leader of fictional K-pop band A.N.Jell, who falls in love with a fellow band member who is a girl pretending to be her twin brother (played by Park Shin-hye). The series gained a cult following,[16] and earned high ratings in Japan.[17][18]

The same year, he took on his first villain role in the thriller The Case of Itaewon Homicide, based on the real-life Itaewon murder case in which a young Korean-American was accused of stabbing a Korean student to death. Jang spoke his lines in English throughout the entire film, and Beyond Hollywood praised him as having "performed very well" in the role.[19]

In 2010, he starred opposite Moon Geun-young in the romantic comedy series Mary Stayed Out All Night.[20] This was followed by another rom-com You're My Pet, adapted from the Japanese manga Kimi wa Petto in which a younger man willingly becomes the "pet" of a career woman (played by Kim Ha-neul).[21][22][23] In 2011, Jang starred in the short film Budapest Diary, reportedly participated in the writing and location scouting for the film.[24]

Jang then worked with TV director Yoon Seok-ho on the melodrama series Love Rain, in which he and costar Im Yoon-ah played dual roles in the 1970s and 2012.[25][26] The drama garnered much positive overseas interest[27][28] and was sold to Japan for $10 million, the second highest price for a KBS drama at the time, partly due to Jang's popularity.[29]

In 2013, Jang starred in another series adapted from a manhwa, Pretty Man opposite IU.[30]

Jang filmed the reality show Three Meals a Day: Fishing Village with Cha Seung-won and Yoo Hae-jin, which was supposed to air in January 2015.[31] But a supposed tax evasion controversy in which a fine was paid of ₩10 billion (US$9.27 million ) for his agency under-reporting taxes led to him dropping out of the program.[32] He had previously been involved in similar rumors in October 2014 as well (though the rumor was denied).[33][34][35] Though Jang was found not guilty as it was his agency's unintentional accounting mistake, he decided to leave the program and his scenes were edited out.[36][37] He went on a hiatus in Korea after that, and focused largely on overseas activities.[38]

That same year, Jang launched his directorial debut with the short film Camp, participating in the planning and directing stages in collaboration with director Yoon Hong-seung. Filmed in Jeju Island, Camp captures events that occur during Jang's attempts to film wild animals in the mountains as a documentary director. It topped the weekly film section of the Oricon Chart.[39]

He expressed his desire to be recognized as an actor in Korea again, saying that "You may be a Hallyu star, but without a domestic base, it can feel empty." He announced that he will be selecting an "aggressive" range of movies and TV series to work on in 2016.[40][41]

Jang made a successful comeback in 2016 with Mnet's music survival show Produce 101, where 101 trainee girls competing against each other for their debut. He acts as the host and mentor of the show, making significant contributions in introducing the program to viewers and making the program more suspenseful.[42]

Jang then starred in the historical drama The Royal Gambler where he played a gambler who rivals the King.[43] Though it had lower viewership ratings, the series marked a turning point in Jang's career and allowed him to overcome his fixed image as a "pretty boy" and expand his acting roles.[44][45] The same year, Jang directed the short film The Great Legacy, which centers on a man who is obsessed with finding the bankbook left by his unconscious father. The film was invited to screen at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.[46]

In 2017, Jang was cast in Kim Ki-duk's film Human, Space, Time and Human, about a journey to get to the root of human beings while testing the limits of human emotions, morality, and ethics.[47]

In 2018, Jang returned to the small screen with the drama Switch - Change the World, playing double roles as a prosecutor and a con artist.[48]

Jang often donates to charitable causes;[90][91][92][93] in 2011 he donated 10.1 million yen from his charity event for its earthquake and tsunami victims to the Japanese Red Cross;[94] in 2012 he donated an unprecedented sum of 1.2 billion won to his school;[95] in 2013 he donated 100 million won through UNICEF to help the victims of Typhoon Haiyan that devastated the Philippines.[96] In 2017, it was revealed that he helped a Mongolian teenager get treatment for ovarian cancer in South Korea by helping to pay for the patient's trip and medical expenses.[97]

His fanclub also makes donations frequently,[98] such as to The Snail of Love, an organization that supports people with hearing impairments.[99] and to the Namsanwon orphanage. In 2015, Jang volunteered at the said orphanage together with his fans.[100]

In 2016, Jang stated that he wished to create a charity foundation to take his philanthropic activities a step further.[101]