Kim Hee-ae (김희애) is a South Korean actress born on April 23, 1967. A graduate of Chung-Ang University with degrees in theater and film, and later in communications and journalism, she began her career in the entertainment industry in 1982 as a commercial model. She then turned to acting and quickly became one of the leading figures in South Korean television.
She landed her first leading role in the series A Woman’s Heart in 1986. In the early 1990s, she cemented her popularity with Beyond the Mountains and above all Sons and Daughters, which earned her several Grand Prix titles. After taking a break to focus on her family life, she returned to the competition and achieved further successes Wife and Perfect Love in 2003. She then made a name for herself in My Husband's Woman (2007), in which she plays a woman having an affair with her best friend's husband.
In the 2010s, Kim Hee-ae continued her career with Midas, How Long I've Kissed and Secret Affair. In this latest series, she plays the director of an arts foundation who falls in love with a talented young pianist. She also appears in Mrs. Cop and Second to Last Love.
In 2020, she enjoyed tremendous success thanks to The World of the Married. Her portrayal of Ji Sun-woo, a doctor dealing with her husband's infidelity, earned her the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actress.
In film, she has played memorable roles in Thread of Lies, Herstory, Moonlit Winter, The Moon, Dead Man and A Normal Family. In 2023, she plays a political communications expert in Queenmaker, and then an ambitious deputy prime minister in The Whirlwind in 2024.
In 2026, she joined the series Gold Digger in the role of Min Young-joo and appears on the show Hello Bakery. Having received numerous awards for her performances, Kim Hee-ae remains one of the most respected actresses in the South Korean film industry.
