Park Hae-il

Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Park Hae-il

Role / Field:

Acclaimed South Korean actor known for versatile roles from historical epics to thrillers.

Born:

1977-01-26

Century / Era:

1977s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Park Hae-il (Korean: 박해일; born 26 January 1977) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in theater, but soon gained the film industry's attention in 2003 with Scent of Love and Memories of Murder. Park's film career took off, with leading roles in notable films, including Rules of Dating (2005), The Host (2006), Moss (2010), Eungyo (2012), Whistle Blower (2014), The Last Princess (2016), The Fortress (2017), and Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022). For his performances in the historical drama War of the Arrows (2011) and romantic thriller Decision to Leave (2022), Park received multiple Best Actor honors including the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Grand Bell Awards. Park Hae-il began appearing in theatre productions ever since childhood, and he first established himself on stage rather than on the screen.

Career & Major Achievements

In 2000 he was awarded the Best New Actor award in the theatre category of the Baeksang Arts Awards for his role in the play Cheongchun-yechan ("Ode to Youth"). His film debut was in a minor role in Yim Soon-rye's Waikiki Brothers, however he left a major impression in his second film Jealousy Is My Middle Name, in which he played a conflicted young man who develops a fascination/hatred for his boss, who has stolen two women from him. The film won the top prize at the Busan International Film Festival in 2002, and was released commercially the following spring. Throughout his career, Park has been cast in two different types of roles: innocent-looking, boyish characters, or else men who hide a dark streak under a nice-looking exterior. After Jealousy, Park would take on his darkest role of all in the acclaimed smash hit Memories of Murder, where he portrayed a man suspected of committing serial murder.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Yet the following year he was just as effective appearing in a romantic role opposite Jeon Do-yeon in time-travel drama My Mother, the Mermaid. In 2005, he once again played characters of completely opposite temperament. In Rules of Dating, he plays a dirty-minded, scheming high school instructor who sets his mind on a pretty student teacher played by Kang Hye-jung, while in Boy Goes to Heaven he plays a young boy who suddenly finds himself an adult one day, like Tom Hanks in Big. 2006 saw him return to work with acclaimed director Bong Joon-ho in the big-budget monster movie The Host which went on to become the best-selling Korean film of all time. Murder mystery Paradise Murdered was a surprise hit in 2007, with Kyu Hyun Kim of Koreanfilm.org calling Park "an inspired choice for the ostensible protagonist, projecting fatigued compassion and cold calculation in equal measure, his obsidian pupils glistening with streaks of chilling obsession." In 2008, he starred in the period drama Modern Boy, a dramatic love story set in 1930s Gyeongseong or old Seoul, when Korea was under Japanese colonization (1910–45).

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1977 (1977-01-26): Birth of Park Hae-il — Acclaimed South Korean actor known for versatile roles from historical epics to thrillers.
2. 2000: 2000 Milestone — In 2000 he was awarded the Best New Actor award in the theatre category of the Baeksang Arts Awards for his role in the play Cheongchun-yechan ("Ode to Youth").
3. 2002: 2002 Milestone — The film won the top prize at the Busan International Film Festival in 2002, and was released commercially the following spring.
4. 2003: 2003 Milestone — He began his acting career in theater, but soon gained the film industry's attention in 2003 with Scent of Love and Memories of Murder.
5. 2005: 2005 Milestone — Park's film career took off, with leading roles in notable films, including Rules of Dating (2005), The Host (2006), Moss (2010), Eungyo (2012), Whistle Blower (2014), The Last Princess (2016), The Fortress (2017), and Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022).
6. 2006: 2006 Milestone — 2006 saw him return to work with acclaimed director Bong Joon-ho in the big-budget monster movie The Host which went on to become the best-selling Korean film of all time.
7. 2007: 2007 Milestone — Murder mystery Paradise Murdered was a surprise hit in 2007, with Kyu Hyun Kim of Koreanfilm.
8. 2008: 2008 Milestone — " In 2008, he starred in the period drama Modern Boy, a dramatic love story set in 1930s Gyeongseong or old Seoul, when Korea was under Japanese colonization (1910–45).
9. 2011: 2011 Milestone — For his performances in the historical drama War of the Arrows (2011) and romantic thriller Decision to Leave (2022), Park received multiple Best Actor honors including the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Grand Bell Awards.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Park Hae-il

True or False: “Park Hae-il's film debut was in a major role that won the top prize at the Busan International Film Festival.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): His film debut was in a minor role; his film that won the top prize at the Busan International Film Festival was Jealousy Is My Middle Name.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada — Contemporary (Died in 1977) (1977): Pioneering global spread of Krishna consciousness teachings and the Hare Krishna mantra.
• A Certain Ratio — Contemporary (Born in 1977) (1977): English post-punk band known for blending funk, disco, and Latin percussion.
• Abdel Halim Hafez — Contemporary (Died in 1977) (1977): Iconic Egyptian singer and actor, known as 'The Brown-Skinned Nightingale'.
• A. E. van Vogt — Shared historical date (01-26 · Died) (2000): Influential Canadian-American science fiction writer known for bizarre narratives.
• Achim von Arnim — Shared historical date (01-26 · Born) (1781): German Romantic poet and novelist, key figure in German literature.
• Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani — Historical peer (Died in 1977) (1977): Emir of Qatar (1960–1972) whose reign oversaw the nation's oil boom and independence.
• Akiva Schaffer — Historical peer (Born in 1977) (1977): American filmmaker, comedian, and musician known for The Lonely Island.
• Alberto Sordi — Historical peer (Died in 2003) (2003): Pillar of Italian Cinema, master of Commedia all'italiana comedy.
• Alija Izetbegović — Historical peer (Died in 2003) (2003): Bosnian politician, Islamic philosopher, and author who led Bosnia through its tumultuous independence.
• Ahmed Zaki (actor) — Historical peer (Died in 2005) (2005): Iconic Egyptian actor celebrated for intense dramatic performances and masterful impersonation.
• 1977 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1977
• January 26 (01-26) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on January 26

Frequently Asked Questions about Park Hae-il