Shim made her acting debut at age 9 in the 2004 TV seriesThe Woman Who Wants to Marry, and subsequently made a career as one of the best child actresses of her generation.[2] She first gained attention for her role as a sexually abused girl in the horror fairytaleHansel and Gretel,[3][4] and also starred in TV series such asHwang Jini,The Legend,Women of the Sun, andThe Great Merchant; critics say at times she even outshone her adult counterparts.[5][6]
In 2011, she successfully transitioned to a lead actress role in theretrodramedySunny, which tells the story of seven women, crosscutting between their lives in the present and the experiences that first brought them together as teenagers in the 1980s.[4] Recognized for its period detail, witty dialogue and the performances of its ensemble cast,[7][8][9] the film shattered the commonly-held belief that women-centric pictures can't be blockbusters. By appealing to a wide range of age groups,[10]Sunny's box office total reached more than 7 million admissions by the end of its long run.[11][12] DirectorKang Hyeong-cheol described Shim as someone "who is already complete as an actress."[13]
In the 2014 comedyMiss Granny, Shim played a woman in her 70s who miraculously finds herself back in her 20-year-old body.[13][17] She said, "This film is quite close to my heart as it is the first film for me to star in not as a child actor, but as full-fledged actress."[18] With 8.65 million admissions, its box office success surpassedSunny's, proving Shim's ability to carry a film.[19][4][20] She also won Best Actress at theChunsa Film Art Awards, theBaeksang Arts Awards, theDirector's Cut Awards, and theBuil Film Awards.[21][22][23][24]
In 2019, Shim made her Japanese film debut inThe Journalist and received positive notices for her performance as a Japanese reporter who looks into a government corruption scandal centered on the Abe administration.[37] She won the Best Actress award at theMainichi Film Awards,[38] and subsequently the Best Actress award at43rd Japanese Academy Awards the next year. She also starred in the filmBlue Hour, a story of an unusual friendship.[39] She won the Best Actress award at the Takasaki Film Festival for her performance.[40][41]
In 2020, Shim returned to Korean entertainment with the finance dramaMoney Game.[42]
Shim's hobbies are listening to music, readingscience fiction comics, and doingtaekwondo. She is the drummer of a band she formed with friends, Chick and Candy.[1]
After graduating from Eonbuk Elementary School and Cheongdam Middle School, Shim temporarily quit acting in 2010 to move to the U.S., explaining, "I chose a place where there aren't a lot of Korean people and decided on a high school in Pittsburgh. Studying is a goal, but I also chose this because I've grown tired mentally and physically after having acted since a young age." She finished her high school at theProfessional Children's School in 2013.[45]
She shot a commercial with rockerSeo Taiji in 2008 and played the younger version ofLee Ji-ah's character Sujini inThe Legend, but she didn't know that Lee and Seo were secretly married until 2011 when Shim was implicated in rumors that she was Seo and Lee's daughter, which she denied.[46]
Originally nominated for the Best Actress award at the2011 Grand Bell Awards for her role inSunny, Shim complained publicly through herTwitter account when the awards committee removed her name from the official list of the nominees after she notified them she could not attend the event because she was then studying in the U.S. She was one of four actors and actresses removed from the initial nomination. Shim ended up winning Best Supporting Actress for her role inRomantic Heaven;Chun Woo-hee, her castmate inSunny, accepted the honor on Shim's behalf.[47][48][49][50]
^'어린 이미연' 심은경, 9월 美유학길 오른다 [Shim Eun-kyung off to study abroad in the States].Newsen (in Korean). 30 May 2010.Archived from the original on 2011-03-17. Retrieved2012-11-23.
^Lee, Mi-ji (September 13, 2023).심은경, '더 킬러스' 프로젝트 합류 "이명세와 작업 오랫동안 염원"(공식) [Shim Eun-kyung Joins 'The Killers' Project "Longed to Work with Lee Myung-se" (Official)] (in Korean). Heraldcorp.Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. RetrievedSeptember 14, 2023 – viaNaver.
^Yeon Hwi-seon (February 18, 2022).이솜X옹성우X심은경X양동근, '별빛이 내린다' 출연...4월 크랭크인 [공식] [Esom X Ong Seong-wu X Shim Eun-kyung X Yang Dong-geun to appear in 'Starlight Falls'... April crank-in [Official]] (in Korean).OSEN.Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. RetrievedFebruary 18, 2022 – viaNaver.
^Lee Seung-gil (August 31, 2021).심은경, 일본 NHK 드라마 주인공 맡았다 [MD재팬] [Shim Eun-kyung as the main character in Japanese NHK drama [MD Japan]].MyDaily (in Korean).Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. RetrievedAugust 31, 2021 – viaNaver.
^Kim, Seong-hyun (December 14, 2022).심은경, 日 드라마 '백만 번 말할 걸 그랬어' 출연 확정… "멋진 작품 참여 기뻐 [Shim Eun-kyung confirmed to appear in Japanese drama 'Should have told you a million times'... "I'm delighted to be involved in a wonderful work] (in Korean).YTN.Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. RetrievedDecember 14, 2022 – viaNaver.
^Kim Bo-ra (February 16, 2023).'박하경 여행기' 이나영→구교환 캐스팅 확정…웨이브 공개[공식] ['Park Ha-kyung's travelogue' Lee Na-young → Koo Hwan-hwan casting confirmed... Wave Reveal [Official]] (in Korean).OSEN.Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. RetrievedFebruary 16, 2023 – viaNaver.
^Park Min-ji (January 27, 2021).심은경, 日아카데미상 MC… '기생충'도 초대.news.kmib (in Korean).Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 27, 2021.
^Kim, Kyung-hee (September 21, 2022).배우 심은경 제35회 도쿄국제영화제 경쟁부문 심사위원 위촉! [Actress Shim Eun-kyung appointed as a judge in the competition section of the 35th Tokyo International Film Festival!] (in Korean).iMBC.Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. RetrievedSeptember 21, 2022 – viaNaver.
