Shin Sung-rok
Quick Facts
Biography
Shin Sung-rok (born November 23, 1982) is a South Korean actor. He appears in films and television series, but is most famous and active in musical theatre.
Career
Shin Sung-rok had wanted to become an actor since high school, so when an injury cut short his career as an amateur basketball player (his brother is Shin Je-rok, formerly of the Anyang KT&G Kites), he decided to major in Theater and Film at Suwon University (though he later dropped out). Shin made his acting debut in 2003, but found it difficult to find acting jobs since directors were reluctant to cast the 187 centimeter-tall aspiring actor in supporting or minor roles. Thinking he would have a better chance if he gained more acting experience and honed his craft on the stage, Shin switched gears and joined the theater company Hakchon.
When Shin performed in his first musical Moskito, there were only 20-25 audience members in the 500-seat hall. Despite feeling depressed and frustrated, he said the experience made him strong and helped him become an actor with plenty of guts.
While doing the musical Dracula, Shin was cast in his first substantial onscreen role, in the risqué cable drama Hyena (2006). Supporting roles in dramas and films followed, notably in Thank You (2007) and My Life's Golden Years (also known as All About My Family, 2008). He also appeared on season 1 of the MBC dating reality show We Got Married as a "fake couple" with female comedian Kim Shin-young.
Mainstream breakthrough still eluded Shin, but in theater his star was rising. In 2007 Shin was picked from 400 auditionees for the lead role Solomon in Dancing Shadows, a musical adaptation of the realist play Forest Fire by celebrated Korean playwright Cha Beom-seok. He later received a Best New Actor nomination from the Korea Musical Awards.
As Shin starred in one hit musical after another, he continued to impress critics with his acting performances, his strong and powerful baritone vocals and his delicate and clear alto notes. He is now considered a top musical star, even drawing fans from outside Korea to his shows.
Definitely Neighbors (2010) further boosted his TV profile; for his role as a difficult chef who falls in love with an older divorcee, Shin won Best Supporting Actor in a Weekend/Daily Drama at the 2010 SBS Drama Awards. But his most popular drama yet was the romantic comedy My Love from the Star (2013), in which he appeared as a villainous businessman. This was followed by supporting roles in the 2014 series Trot Lovers (as a talent agency CEO), Liar Game (as the host of a reality show), and The King's Face (as a face reader).
Despite branching out to film and television, Shin has maintained that his heart will always belong to the stage. "I feel more affection toward the stage (than TV). I think it is the stage where actors learn life and understand the meaning of acting. It is where I learned how to act and where I gained confidence. I think the core of my life will remain on the stage" (The Korea Herald, 2007). "The musical is like my old home and it made me what I am now, so I can't stop performing the musicals however busy I get. I always covet a good musical and try to do it because a good musical won't wait for me [...] I like musicals because I can communicate with the audience. Also, TV dramas and films are good at portraying characters in detail. I will show better performances in my new work. [...] I hope many become familiar with me through more diverse channels and come to see the musicals and boost musical culture. Personally, I want to let my name become widely known to general audiences." (The Korea Times, 2009)
Personal life
Shin began dating ballerina Kim Joo-won in 2011; Kim was a principal dancer with the Korea National Ballet for 15 years from 1988 to 2003, and currently teaches at Sungshin Women's University. The pair broke up after four years of dating in August 2015. In June 2016 he married a non-celebrity office worker
Filmography
Television
Year | Title | Role | Network |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | Shoot for the Stars | SBS | |
2003 | A Problem at My Younger Brother's House | SBS | |
2006 | Hyena | Lee Seok-jin | tvN |
2007 | Thank You | Choi Seok-hyun | MBC |
Drama City "I'm a Very Special Lover" | Lee Jin-ho | KBS2 | |
2008 | The Art of Seduction | Hyun-soo | OCN |
One Mom and Three Dads | Na Hwang Kyung-tae | KBS2 | |
My Life's Golden Age | Go Kyung-woo | MBC | |
2009 | We Got Married Season 1 | Himself with Kim Shin-young | MBC |
2010 | Definitely Neighbors | Jang Gun-hee | SBS |
2013 | My Love from the Star | Lee Jae-kyung | SBS |
2014 | Trot Lovers | Jo Geun-woo | KBS2 |
Liar Game | Kang Do-young | tvN | |
The King's Face | Kim Do-chi | KBS2 | |
2016 | On the Way to the Airport | Park Jin-suk | KBS2 |
Film
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2005 | All for Love | Basketball player |
2007 | The Worst Guy Ever | Kwon Jae-hoon |
2008 | Lovers of Six Years | Lee Jin-sung |
2010 | Bloody Innocent | Dong-shik |
Finding Mr. Destiny | Captain Choi (cameo) | |
2011 | The Story of My Life | Sung-rok |
Pitch High | Kang Dae-hyun (cameo) |
Theater
Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | Moskito | ||
Singin' in the Rain | Dong-hyun | ||
2006 | Dracula | Dracula | |
Finding Kim Jong-wook | Kim Jong-wook | ||
Passion of the Rain | |||
2007 | Dancing Shadows | Solomon | |
Hamlet | Prince Hamlet | ||
Separated Man and Woman | Kang Yeon-oh | ||
Finding Kim Jong-wook | Kim Jong-wook/First Love | ||
2008 | Separated Man and Woman | Kang Yeon-oh | |
Fiddler on the Roof | Perchik | ||
2009 | My Scary Girl | Hwang Dae-woo | |
Roméo et Juliette | Romeo | ||
2009-2010 | Jack the Ripper | Daniel | |
2010 | Monte Cristo | Edmond Dantès | |
The Story of My Life | Thomas Weaver | ||
Tick, Tick... Boom! | Jon | ||
2010-2011 | Hero | An Jung-geun | |
2011 | Monte Cristo | Edmond Dantès | |
2013 | Closer | Dan | |
Carmen | Don José | ||
2014 | Le Roi Soleil | Louis XIV | |
2015 | Elisabeth | Death | |
2016 | Daddy Long Legs | Jervis |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | 13th Korea Musical Awards | Best New Actor | Dancing Shadows | Nominated |
2008 | MBC Drama Awards | Best New Actor | My Life's Golden Age | Nominated |
2010 | SBS Drama Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Weekend/Daily Drama | Definitely Neighbors | Won |
2014 | 7th Korea Drama Awards | Hot Star Award | My Love from the Star | Won |
3rd APAN Star Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | ||
22nd Korea Culture and Entertainment Awards | Excellence Award, Actor in a Drama | Won | ||
SBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actor in a Drama Special | Won | ||
KBS Drama Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Trot Lovers | Won |