Kim Hee-won

Kim Hee-won is a South Korean actor recognized for portraying forceful, morally compromised, and often unexpectedly humorous supporting characters in film and television. He became widely known through the 2010 action thriller The Man from Nowhere, directed by Lee Jeong-beom and starring Won Bin. Kim played Man-seok, one of the criminal brothers involved in the film’s organ-trafficking operation. The role placed him opposite Won Bin’s withdrawn former special agent, Cha Tae-sik, and helped establish Kim as a memorable screen antagonist. He continued to appear in major Korean films during the early 2010s. In Choi Dong-hoon’s 2012 heist movie The Thieves, he played Zampano, a member of the multinational team assembled to steal the “Tear of the Sun” diamond from a Macau casino. The ensemble included Kim Yoon-seok, Lee Jung-jae, Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Hye-soo, Simon Yam, and Angelica Lee. The film became one of the highest-grossing Korean films of its time in South Korea. Kim also appeared in Miracle in Cell No. 7, the 2013 comedy-drama about an intellectually disabled father who is wrongfully convicted of murder and imprisoned. The film, starring Ryu Seung-ryong and Kal So-won, became a major domestic box-office success. That same period included his work in the crime film The New World, directed by Park Hoon-jung, and the gambling-themed drama Tazza: The Hidden Card. On television, Kim received particular attention for Misaeng: Incomplete Life, the 2014 tvN workplace drama adapted from Yoon Tae-ho’s webtoon. He played Park Jong-shik, a senior employee at the trading company One International. The series follows Jang Geu-rae, portrayed by Im Si-wan, as he enters office life without the conventional credentials expected of his colleagues. Kim’s character contributed to the drama’s depiction of hierarchy, rivalry, and pressure inside a large corporation. His later film work includes The Divine Move: The Wrathful, The Merciless, The Beauty Inside, and Pawn. In Pawn, released in 2020, he appeared with Sung Dong-il and Ha Ji-won in a story involving debt collectors who become responsible for a young girl. Kim has also worked in television dramas including The Light in Your Eyes, The Sound of Magic, and Behind Your Touch. Across his career, Kim Hee-won has frequently been cast in crime thrillers, action films, ensemble comedies, and socially grounded dramas. His performances are notable for their controlled delivery and ability to shift between menace, frustration, and warmth within supporting roles.