Yoo Hai-jin (born January 4, 1970) is a South Korean actor.As a child
Yoo Hai-jin would often slip in through the backdoor of a cultural
center near his home to watch events that were being held there. After
seeing a play in eighth grade, the teenager decided on acting as his
future career. He begged to be sent to an arts high school, but his
family was conservative and not financially capable. So in his junior
year in high school, Yoo joined an acting troupe. In the beginning, he
ran errands for the other actors and tried to copy what they did from
a distance. Though introverted, Yoo slowly began to learn how to act
on stage. After applying twice for a Theater and Film course in
college and getting rejected because of his looks, Yoo majored in
Fashion Design instead. But acting remained his passion and he
concentrated on his theater work rather than his fashion subjects,
barely graduating. Due to a special selection process for college
graduates based solely on their grades, Yoo was finally accepted to
the theater department of the Seoul Institute of the Arts.Yoo then
began doing bit roles in films, graduating to supporting roles where
he acquired a reputation as a scene stealer. Despite a short screen
time, his performances made a strong impression on audiences and
critics. As Korean films became more diverse in terms of genre, Yoo
found opportunities in increasingly weighty roles, and now has become
a bonafide marquee name in the box office. He has since established
himself as one of the top character actors in the country, notably in
King and the Clown, Small Town Rivals, Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist
Wizard, Moss, The Unjust, The Pirates, The Classified File, Minority
Opinion, Veteran, and Public Enemy and its sequels. 2017 was a
successful year for Yoo - he had roles in three high-grossing films;
Confidential Assignment, A Taxi Driver and 1987: When the Day Comes.
In particular, A Taxi Driver earned him a Best Supporting Actor award
at the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards and a nomination at
the Asian Film Awards.Thereafter, Yoo began to take up lead roles. His
lead starring film, Luck Key, surpassed 5 million viewers. He next
starred in family comedy Love+Sling, and Intimate Strangers, a remake
of the Italian comedy film Perfect Strangers. In 2018, he was cast in
the historical war film Battle.
Yoo Hai-jin would often slip in through the backdoor of a cultural
center near his home to watch events that were being held there. After
seeing a play in eighth grade, the teenager decided on acting as his
future career. He begged to be sent to an arts high school, but his
family was conservative and not financially capable. So in his junior
year in high school, Yoo joined an acting troupe. In the beginning, he
ran errands for the other actors and tried to copy what they did from
a distance. Though introverted, Yoo slowly began to learn how to act
on stage. After applying twice for a Theater and Film course in
college and getting rejected because of his looks, Yoo majored in
Fashion Design instead. But acting remained his passion and he
concentrated on his theater work rather than his fashion subjects,
barely graduating. Due to a special selection process for college
graduates based solely on their grades, Yoo was finally accepted to
the theater department of the Seoul Institute of the Arts.Yoo then
began doing bit roles in films, graduating to supporting roles where
he acquired a reputation as a scene stealer. Despite a short screen
time, his performances made a strong impression on audiences and
critics. As Korean films became more diverse in terms of genre, Yoo
found opportunities in increasingly weighty roles, and now has become
a bonafide marquee name in the box office. He has since established
himself as one of the top character actors in the country, notably in
King and the Clown, Small Town Rivals, Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist
Wizard, Moss, The Unjust, The Pirates, The Classified File, Minority
Opinion, Veteran, and Public Enemy and its sequels. 2017 was a
successful year for Yoo - he had roles in three high-grossing films;
Confidential Assignment, A Taxi Driver and 1987: When the Day Comes.
In particular, A Taxi Driver earned him a Best Supporting Actor award
at the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards and a nomination at
the Asian Film Awards.Thereafter, Yoo began to take up lead roles. His
lead starring film, Luck Key, surpassed 5 million viewers. He next
starred in family comedy Love+Sling, and Intimate Strangers, a remake
of the Italian comedy film Perfect Strangers. In 2018, he was cast in
the historical war film Battle.
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