Youn Yuh-jung arrives at the 93rd Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Monday. Reuters-Yonhap via The Korea Herald/Asia News Networkbest supporting actress award at the 93rd Academy AwardsWith the win, Youn became the first South Korean to win an Oscar for acting. No other Korean actor, including those in the Oscar-winning “Parasite,” has ever been nominated for an Academy Award.
“Minari” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January last year, where it won jury and audience prizes. Youn debuted in 1966 and it did not take long for the Korean public to notice her. She rose to stardom through her role as housemaid Myung-ja in hit thriller “Woman of Fire” directed by acclaimed filmmaker Kim Ki-young. She also made a strong impression with her performance of Jang Hui-bin, a historical figure who has often been portrayed as a Joseon-period villain, in the MBC drama series “Jang Hui-bin” in 1971.
Writer Kim Soo-hyun was one of the few that gave her work. Youn appeared on multiple dramas written by Kim including “What is Love” and “Men of the Bath House” . Even for the actor who was unafraid of taking on unconventional roles, playing an elderly woman character in “The Bacchus Lady” directed by E J-yong, with whom Youn had worked several times before, was not easy.
Source: Entertainment Trends (entertainmenttrends.net)