Kim Tae-hee

Early life and education

Kim Tae-hee was born on 29 March 1980, in Ulsan, South Korea. Her father is Kim Yoo-moon, who established, and is chairman of, Hankook Union Transportation Company in 1984. She is often involved in various charities to help out underserved youths and broken families in the Ulsan area. She has an older sister, Kim Hee-won, and a younger brother, Kim Hyung-soo (stage name Lee Wan); the latter is also an actor. She attended Samshin Elementary School, Daehyun Middle School, and then enrolled at Ulsan Girls' High School.

In 1999, Kim moved to Seoul to attend college at the prestigious Seoul National University, where she became the president of the SNU Women's Ski Club. In 2005, she graduated from SNU with a bachelor's degree in fashion design.

Career

2001–2002: Beginnings

In 2000, an advertising executive saw Kim riding the subway, and offered her a modeling job. Kim appeared in television commercials and print ads, before making her acting debut with a small role in the 2001 melodrama Last Present. In 2002, she starred in the short film Living in New Town and the sitcom Let's Go, followed by Screen and A Problem at My Younger Brother's House in 2003.

2003–2006: Rising popularity and film debut

Kim rose to stardom in 2003 via her portrayal of the evil stepsister in the popular SBS TV series Stairway to Heaven. Starting 2004, Kim was cast in leading roles in her succeeding projects, including the supernatural KBS series Forbidden Love and the SBS campus romance Love Story in Harvard. The latter drew solid viewership ratings nationwide throughout its run with a peak viewer rating of 20 percent and won Kim the Most Popular Actress award in TV category at the Baeksang Arts Awards. Love Story in Harvard was also reportedly well-received by Japanese viewers and contributed to Kim's popularity in the country.

Riding the big success of Stairway to Heaven and Love Story in Harvard, Kim became one of the most sought-after faces in the TV commercial industry. She was picked by Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation as the top advertising model of the year in 2008, earning her title of "CF Queen". However, Kim expressed her desire to be valued properly as an actor, preferring to succeed based on her acting skills rather than her image.

Kim then turned to film, starring in action fantasy epic The Restless (2006), and the romantic comedy Venus and Mars (2007). However, both were unsuccessful at the box office.

2009–2014: ''Iris'' and rising overseas popularity

Back on the small screen in 2009, Kim played an NIS profiler in the spy action thriller Iris. It was one of the most expensive Korean dramas ever produced and was a critical and commercial success with an average viewership rating of 30%. Kim shed tears at the KBS Drama Awards when she won an Excellence Award in a Mid-length Drama; which was her first acting award, excluding newcomer and popularity awards.

Kim left her then-agency Namoo Actors in January 2010 to join Lua Entertainment, which was founded by her brother-in-law. That year, she also played a horse jockey who dreams of winning the championship in the sports film Grand Prix.

After the success of Iris, she again drew positive reviews in the romantic comedy series My Princess (2011); Kim played an ordinary college student who discovers that she is Korean royalty. Later that year, she starred in her first Japanese television drama Boku to Star no 99 Nichi, where her character is a Korean Wave star who meets an ordinary Japanese bodyguard and he somehow makes her fall head over heels in love with him. The Fuji TV drama, which aired in Japan from October to December 2011, raked in 9 to 10 percent of viewers' ratings on average, launching Kim as a household name in Japan. Kim later encountered backlash from some Japanese netizens for allegedly promoting South Korea's claim in the Liancourt Rocks dispute during her 2005 trip to Switzerland as a goodwill ambassador.

In 2013, Kim starred in her first historical drama Jang Ok-jung, Living by Love as the infamous royal concubine Hui-bin Jang. This was followed by another period role, as the wife of famed Chinese calligrapher Wang Xizhi in the Chinese television drama Saint Wang Xizhi.

2015–present: Career resurgence

Kim returned to Korean television in 2015, playing an heiress who recovers from a coma with the help of a doctor-for-hire, the titular Yong-pal. The show garnered strong ratings and Kim won a Top Excellence Acting award from the Korea Drama Awards.

In 2020, Kim returned to television in the family drama series Hi Bye, Mama!.

Other activities

Philanthropy

In May 2022, Kim donated 200 million won through Hope Bridge National Disaster Mitigation Association to help neighbors affected by the Uljin forest fire 2022, which devastated the area and then spread to Samcheok, South Korea.

On 22 July 2022, Kim donated 1.1 million KF94 masks and face masks to NGO G-Foundation.

Personal life

Marriage and family

In September 2012, Kim started dating South Korean singer-actor Rain. They married on 19 January 2017.

On 23 May 2017, Kim's agency, Lua Entertainment, announced that Kim was pregnant with their first child. They have two daughters, born October 2017 and September 2019.

Religion

Kim is a practicing Catholic. She was one of 30 Catholic celebrities who appeared in the 2014 music video for the digital single "Koinonia" to commemorate Pope Francis's visit to South Korea, the first time in 25 years that an incumbent pope visited South Korea. Her baptismal name is Verda.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Music video appearances

Awards and nominations

Honors

Listicles

Notes

References

References

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2. link
3. link. (30 October 2015)
4. (28 August 2011). "'Goddess' Kim Tae-hee reveals self cam". [[HanCinema]].
5. (6 April 2015). "Fans of Snubbed Beauties up in Arms". [[The Chosun Ilbo]].
6. (25 August 2015). "'Tae-Hye-Ji' sweeping Korea's entertainment biz".
7. (11 December 2013). "Never Knew We Are Actually Siblings?".
8. (15 September 2009). "Actress Kim Tae-hee Was Perfect Student".
9. 김지은. (30 March 2011). "Kim Tae-hee, perfect grades in all subjects... Naturally being treated as a 'princess' {{!}} 김태희, 중학내내 전과목 100점...공주대접도 당연". [[Newsis]].
10. 김명신. (15 September 2015). "Not know Kim Tae-hee in Ulsan means being a spy? Popularity-Grade of her school days go public! {{!}} 울산서 김태희 모르면 간첩? 학창시절 인기-성적표 공개!". 한국경제 {{!}} Korean Economy.
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14. link. [[The Chosun Ilbo]]. (2 July 2004)
15. 홍, 정원. (15 November 2007). "Kim Tae-hee, during debut time, fresh fighting performance with Lee hyo-ri {{!}} 김태희 데뷔시절, 이효리와 주먹 대결연기 풋풋해...". Newsen.
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18. Lee, Min-a. (21 June 2005). "Image is all for celebrities in getting advertising work".
19. link. Star News]]. (20 May 2005)
20. (21 August 2006). "Kim Tae-hee Becomes Highest-Paid Cosmetics Model".
21. (14 October 2009). "Kim Yu-na, Cha Tae-hyun Named Top Celebrities for Advertisers". [[The Chosun Ilbo]].
22. (5 September 2009). "When Stars Bank on Advertising Only". [[The Chosun Ilbo]].
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30. (9 November 2009). "Kim Tae-hee Wants Iris to Become Turnnig Point".
31. "'G.I. Joe' star Lee Byung-hun wins big in KBS Drama Awards | the Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online".
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34. Oh, Jean. (3 January 2011). "Hallyu stars take first stab at rom-com".
35. (3 February 2011). "Kim Tae-hee Wins Over Viewers with ''My Princess''".
36. (25 August 2011). "Kim Tae-hee lands female lead role in Japanese drama".
37. (10 April 2012). "Japanese drama with Kim Tae-hee to air in Korea". [[Korea JoongAng Daily]].
38. Lee, Claire. (22 February 2012). "Preview of Kim Tae-hee's Japanese commercial axed". [[The Korea Herald]].
39. Seol, Won-tai. (22 February 2012). "Kim Tae-hee's scheduled appearance in Tokyo exhibition canceled for her activities for Dokdo".
40. . (4 August 2005). ["Kim Tae-hee, Lee Wan Launch Dokdo Campaign in Switzerland"](http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/news/1349439_11858.html).
41. Sunwoo, Carla. (9 October 2012). "Kim Tae-hee to take on first period drama". [[Korea JoongAng Daily]].
42. Lee, Kyung-min. (27 May 2014). "Kim Tae-hee to star in Chinese drama".
43. (3 June 2014). "Kim Tae-hee to Appear in Chinese Drama".
44. Jin, Min-ji. (13 June 2015). "Kim Tae-hee confirms drama".
45. Ahn, Sung-mi. (30 July 2015). "Kim Tae-hee plays ''Sleeping Beauty'' in new medical drama".
46. (9 September 2015). "Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Tae-hee to headline Korean drama fest".
47. (18 February 2020). "Kim Tae-hee returns to small screen as ghost mom in 'Hi Bye, Mama!'".
48. (18 February 2020). "Actress Kim Tae-hee returns with fantasy comedy drama after 5-year hiatus".
49. Jeong Hee-yeon. (3 May 2022). link. Sports Donga
50. Chae Tae-byong. (22 July 2022). link. [[Money Today]]
51. (2 January 2013). "Kim Tae-hee Admits to Dating Rain". [[The Chosun Ilbo]].
52. (1 January 2013). "Top actress Kim Tae-hee admits romantic relationship with Rain". [[Yonhap News Agency]].
53. 문, 완식. "Rain♥Kim Taehee, marriage scene go public.. 'We became married couple' {{!}} 비♥김태희, 결혼식 장면 공개..'부부가 됐습니다'".
54. Jie Ye-eun. (23 May 2017). "Kim Tae-hee, Rain expect first baby". [[The Korea Herald]].
55. Hong You-kyoung. (26 October 2017). "Rain and Kim Tae-hee welcome a baby girl". [[Korea JoongAng Daily]].
56. (25 October 2017). "Star couple Rain, Kim Tae-hee welcomes first child". [[Yonhap News Agency]].
57. Kim So-yeon. (25 October 2017). "Rain, Kim Tae-hee welcome first daughter". [[The Korea Herald]].
58. 이, 지현. (26 February 2019). "[Official] Kim Taehee♥Rain "Second child pregnant, predicting September as birth month and giving themselves on prenatal education {{!}} [공식]김태희♥비 "둘째 임신, 9월 출산 예정으로 태교 전념 중"". [[Sports Chosun]].
59. link. 김. 은애. (September 19, 2019). Chosun Ilbo Company
60. "K-pop royalty Rain to marry his queen, actress Kim Tae-hee, in modest Catholic wedding". South China Morning Post.
61. link. [[Catholic Times (South Korean newspaper). Catholic Times]]. (13 July 2014)
62. (11 July 2014). "Catholics produce Koinonia music video to welcome papal visit". [[Korea.net]].
63. Rausch, Franklin. (13 August 2014). "Opinion: Why is Pope Francis going to South Korea?". CNN.
64. (5 February 2017). "K-pop star Rain, Kim Tae-hee sing 'Happy Me' at post wedding party [VIDEO]".
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