Son Eon-jin (Korean: 손언진; born January 11, 1982),[2][3] better known by herstage name,Son Ye-jin (손예진), is a South Korean actress who rose to fame in 2003 inThe Classic andSummer Scent, which were followed by the commercially successfulA Moment to Remember (2004). Her early roles in films garnered her the title "Nation's First Love" in Korea.[4]
Son Ye-jin was the voice ofJung Mi-jo in Park Ki-hyung's filmSecret Tears in 2000, and then took leading roles in television dramas such asDelicious Proposal,[8]Sun-hee and Jin-hee,[9] andGreat Ambition.[10] Her first high-profile role in cinema was inIm Kwon-taek'sChi-hwa-seon, which screened atCannes and took home aBest Director award in 2002.[11][12]
The biggest successes of her early career were in the filmsLovers' Concerto andThe Classic.[13][14] Both were films mid-level hits in Korea, andThe Classic in particular — being a work ofMy Sassy Girl directorKwak Jae-yong — received wide exposure in Hong Kong and Mainland China, and launched Son's East Asia stardom.[15] Son further solidified her status as aHallyu (Korean Wave) star in 2003 by taking the lead in TV dramaSummer Scent, the third installment of the season-themed tetralogyEndless Love directed by Yoon Seok-ho.[16]
Her next films also gained wide popularity in East Asia, particularly in Japan:A Moment to Remember,[17][18] based on a famous Japanese series, set box office records in Japan and sold over two million tickets in Korea,[19][20] andApril Snow, in which she co-starred with superstarBae Yong-joon,[21] which was also a hit in Japan and China.[22] Son, who assumed a pure and innocent image in her filmsThe Classic andA Moment to Remember, was given the title of the "Nation's First Love" in Korea.[23]
In 2006, Son became the highest-paid Korean actress in Korean television series when she was guaranteed a talent fee of KRW 50 million (plus incentives) per episode for her lead role in the SBS dramaAlone in Love.[24]
After filming the dark mysteryWhite Night,[33] Son acted in the romantic comedy seriesPersonal Taste,[34][35]followed by the horror-romantic comedy filmSpellbound, which became one of the top-grossing films in 2011, and by far the most successful Korean romantic comedy movie in recent years.[36][37]
In 2012, Son starred in her first blockbuster,The Tower, a remake of the 1974 Hollywooddisaster filmThe Towering Inferno.[38] She returned to television in 2013 in the revenge dramaShark (also known asDon't Look Back: The Legend of Orpheus),[39] then headlinedBlood and Ties, a thriller about a daughter who suspects that her father was involved in a kidnapping-murder case.[40]
In 2016, Son reunited withMy Wife Got Married co-starKim Joo-hyuk inThe Truth Beneath, a political thriller,[45] for which she received critical acclaim.[46] She won Best Actress at the 25thBuil Film Awards and 17thBusan Film Critics Awards for her performance. Son next playedPrincess Deokhye in thebiopicThe Last Princess, directed byApril Snow directorHur Jin-ho.[47][48] The film drew positive critical reviews and went on to become a box office hit, grossing US$40.35 million worldwide. Sung So-young of theKorea JoongAng Daily praised the film for being "interesting enough to hold the audience's interest from beginning to end," even though she felt the screenwriter's (Hur) imagination went too far in several scenes. She said major events from Princess Deokhye's life were portrayed well, and the film's biggest virtue was how it made audiences want to know more about her.[47] Rumy Doo ofThe Korea Herald said Son Ye-jin proved herself a "sensitive and technically refined performer."[49] Son was praised by critics for her "outstanding" performance in her portrayal of "the unfathomable depths on the emotional ups and downs of Deokhye," winning multiple accolades for her performance.[50][51]
In 2018, Son starred alongsideSo Ji-sub in the romantic filmBe with You, based on the Japanese novel of the same name.[52][53] That same year, Son returned to the small screen after five years with JTBC's romantic dramaSomething in the Rain.[54][55] The series achieved commercial popularity, and Son received rave reviews for her performance.[56][57][unreliable source?] Son also starred in the crime thrillerThe Negotiation, alongsideHyun Bin, playing a professional negotiator working to save hostages.[58][59]
Son was scheduled to have her Hollywood debut in 2022, starring oppositeSam Worthington in filmmakerAndrew Niccol's workThe Cross,[65] but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her agency requested a delay in filming.[66]
On January 1, 2021, it was confirmed that Son had been in a relationship with actorHyun Bin, her co-star inThe Negotiation (2018) andCrash Landing on You (2019–2020), since the prior year, afterCrash Landing on You had concluded.[70]
On February 10, 2022, Son and Hyun Bin announced their engagement in letters posted on their social media accounts.[71] They married in a private ceremony on March 31, attended by their parents and friends of both families.[72] On June 27, Son announced that she was pregnant with the couple's first child;[73] she gave birth to a son, whom she affectionately nicknamed Alkong, on November 27.[74][75][76]
^전, 형화 (January 5, 2021).[단독]손예진, 할리우드 진출작 '크로스' 4월→9월 촬영연기..왜? [Son Ye-jin, 'Cross', a Hollywood entry, April → September filming postponed.. Why?].Star News (in Korean).Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. RetrievedMarch 9, 2023.
^Kang, Hyo-jin (March 8, 2022).현빈♥손예진, 결혼 앞두고 산불 성금 2억 기부...선행 펼치는 예비부부 [Hyun Bin ♥ Son Ye-jin, donated 200 million won for forest fire before marriage... Pre-married couple] (in Korean). SPOTV News.Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. RetrievedMarch 8, 2022 – viaNaver.
^Lee Woo-joo (February 10, 2022).현빈♥손예진, 결혼 발표 "남은 인생을 함께 할 사람" [전문] [Hyun Bin ♥ Son Ye-jin, Marriage Announcement "The person I will spend the rest of my life with" [Professional]].Sports Chosun (in Korean).Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. RetrievedFebruary 10, 2022 – viaNaver.
^孙艺真生了！ 提前阵痛顺产男宝宝 [Son Ye-jin gave birth to a son, after some abdominal pains].Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese). Singapore. November 27, 2022.Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. RetrievedNovember 27, 2022.
^Hwang, So-young (November 27, 2022).현빈·손예진, 오늘(27일) 득남 "산모 아기 모두 건강" [Hyun Bin · Son Ye-jin, today (27th), "Both mother and baby are healthy] (in Korean).JTBC.Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. RetrievedNovember 27, 2022 – viaNaver.
^Kim, Myung-mi (June 30, 2021).손예진 '서른, 아홉' 출연확정, 3년만 JTBC 드라마 복귀(공식입장) [Son Ye-jin Confirmed to Appear in 'Thirty, Nine', Returning to JTBC Drama after 3 Years (Official Position)].Newsen (in Korean).Naver.Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. RetrievedJune 30, 2021.
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