Kim Hye-soo (김혜수) is a South Korean actress born on September 5, 1970, in Busan. An iconic figure in Korean film and television since the 1980s, she is known for her charisma, the diversity of her roles, and her exceptional longevity. She began her career in 1985 in a commercial before making her film debut in Ggambo (1986), a role that earned her the Baeksang Arts Award for Best New Actress. She went on to establish herself as one of the biggest stars of her generation thanks to First Love (1993), becoming the youngest winner of the Blue Dragon Award for Best Actress.
Over the decades, Kim Hye-soo has successfully balanced film and television roles. She has made a name for herself in notable films such as Tazza: The High Rollers (2006), The Thieves (2012), The Face Reader (2013), Coin Locker Girl (2015), A Special Lady (2017), Default (2018), The Day I Died (2020) and Smugglers (2023). Her portrayals of strong, ambitious, or morally ambiguous women have earned her numerous awards and made her one of South Korea’s most respected actresses.
She has also enjoyed immense success on television with The Queen of the Office (2013), Signal (2016), Hyena (2020), Juvenile Justice (2022) and Under the Queen's Umbrella (2022). Her role as Detective Cha Soo-hyun in Signal This earned her, among other honors, the Baeksang Arts Award and the Best Actress Award at the tvN10 Awards.
In 2025, she played the lead role of Oh So-ryong in the series Unmasked. The following year, she reprised her iconic role as Cha Soo-hyun in The Second Signal and joins the series The Affair Was Just the Beginning as Park Kyung-hee.
Throughout her career, Kim Hye-soo has won numerous prestigious awards, including several Blue Dragon Film Awards, Baeksang Arts Awards, and KBS Drama Awards. Admired for her professionalism, her influence, and her commitment to young actors, she remains one of the most prominent figures in the South Korean entertainment industry.
