Ahn Jae-wook (Korean: 안재욱; born September 12, 1971) is a South Korean actor and singer.
Career
Ahn Jae-wook spent most of his childhood in his hometown, the district of Donam-dong in Seoul, before graduating from Seoul Institute of the Arts, where he majored in theater. After graduating in 1994, Ahn made his acting debut in Song of a Blind Bird, which was based on a real-life story, followed by supporting roles in several 1995–96 television series such as Hotel and Their Embrace.[1] In 1997 he and costar Choi Jin-sil shot to stardom in the highly popular trendy dramaStar in My Heart, which reached ratings of over 49%. It not only ignited trends in hairstyle, fashion and products featured in the series,[2] Ahn also became a Korean Wave star, extending his popularity to China, Japan and Southeast Asian countries.[3]
Star in My Heart likewise kick-started Ahn's music career. Forever, which was featured in the series' ending during the concert of his character Kang Min, sold over 700,000 copies, and became the title song of his debut album.[4] He continued to compose and sing over the years, holding numerous concerts in Japan and China, and releasing albums such as Memories and Reds in Ahn Jae-wook.
In 1998, he played lead roles in three films – Rub Love with Lee Ji-eun, Tie a Yellow Ribbon with Kim Hye-soo, and First Kiss with Choi Ji-woo—but did not meet with box office success despite his popularity at the time. He also starred in Garden of Heaven with Lee Eun-ju in 2003, and the Korea-Japan telecinema project Triangle in 2009.
Instead, Ahn focused on the small screen, appearing in over 10 television series from the late 1990s and throughout the 2000s. Among these were Goodbye My Love with Kim Hee-sun, Oh Pil-seung and Bong Soon-young (also known as Oh Feel Young) with Chae Rim, and I Love You (also known as Saranghae) with Seo Ji-hye.[5]
As he entered his forties and his matinee idol status gave way to younger actors, Ahn returned to his stage roots.[6] He played Daniel in Jack the Ripper (a Korean adaptation of the Czech musical Jack Rozparovač [cs]) from 2009 to 2011,[7][8] then reprised the role in the musical's run in Tokyo, Japan in 2012.[9][10]
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of broadcaster MBC, Ahn headlined Lights and Shadows in 2011.[11] The sprawling drama, which spotlights Korean show business against the backdrop of history in the 1960s to the 1980s, was number one in its timeslot for 20 consecutive weeks.[12]
In February 2013 Ahn underwent brain surgery in the U.S. for a subarachnoid hemorrhage.[14][15][16][17][18] After resting for a year, Ahn returned to work in April 2014 via the musical Le Roi Soleil.[19] He celebrated his 20th anniversary in entertainment by holding a concert titled One Fine Day in October 2014.[20]
In September 2017, It was confirmed that Ahn will be a fixed cast member in Netflix's variety show Busted!.[21] Ahn's involvement in a drunk driving incident in February 2019 caused him to be omitted in the promotions of Busted's second season - including removal from the opening credits and promotional posters, as well as to skip the already-scheduled musical "Hero".[22]
Personal life
Ahn married musical theatre actress Choi Hyun-joo on June 1, 2015.[23][24] The couple met in 2014 when they were cast as lovers in the stage musical Rudolf.[25] The couple have a daughter and a son.[26]
^Ha, Su-jeong. "'9살 연하♥' 안재욱, 반백살에 학부모 됐다..가족 총출동" ['9 years younger ♥' Ahn Jae-wook, became a parent at the age of half a hundred...]. OSEN [ko] (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
^Kang Nae-ri (August 18, 2021). "김승우 연출작 '더 드라이버', 안재욱·이태란 등 출연…9월 첫 촬영" ['The Driver' directed by Kim Seung-woo, Ahn Jae-wook, Lee Tae-ran, etc. first shoot in september]. YTN (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
^Kim Na-young (January 10, 2022). "김승우 연출 '더 드라이버' 2월 방송, 안재욱·이태란·안길강 출연" [Directed by Kim Seung-woo, ‘The Driver’ aired in February, starring Ahn Jae-wook, Lee Tae-ran, and Ahn Gil-kang] (in Korean). MK SPORTS. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022 – via Naver.
^Han Seon Han (September 9, 2021). "안재욱, '천공의 성채' 출연 확정..김선아·이미숙 만날까[공식]" [Ahn Jae-wook confirmed to appear in 'Castle in the Sky'... Shall we meet Kim Seon-ah and Lee Mi-sook [Official]]. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2021 – via Naver.
^Jang Woo-young (December 19, 2022). "오은영 게임' MC 신동엽·이민정→안재욱·정준호·문희준·이대호·소이현 총출동 [공식]" ['Oh Eun-Young Game' MC Shin Dong-yeop · Lee Min-jeong → Ahn Jae-wook · Jung Jun-ho · Moon Hee-joon · Lee Dae-ho · So Yi-hyun all out [Official]] (in Korean). OSEN [ko]. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kang Jin-ah (October 11, 2022). "뮤지컬 '드라큘라', 김진환·유승우 합류...11월 개막" [Musical 'Dracula' joins Kim Jin-hwan and Yoo Seung-woo... Opening in November] (in Korean). Newsis. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kang Jin-ah (April 4, 2023). "류정한·안재욱·이건명·임태경, 뮤지컬 '할란카운티' 출연" [Ryu Jeong-han, Ahn Jae-wook, Lee Geon-myung, Lim Tae-kyung, appear in the musical 'Harlan County] (in Korean). Newsis. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via Naver.
