Gil also writes children's plays and children's books.[3] She has written over 10 children's books and children's play scripts. She also wrote 'Intensive for Children' based on her experience teaching children in a children's theater class.[4]
In 2020, Gil took office as third Chairman of The Korea Theater Welfare Foundation which was established in 2005 to support theater practitioners so that they do not give up theater even in difficult circumstances and are guaranteed basic treatment. The first Chairman Park Jeong-ja and the second Chairman Yoon Seok-hwa.[5]
Early life and education
Gil Hae-yeon was born in Paju, Gyeonggi Province on April 11, 1964 and raised in Seoul.[6] She showed her writing talent from a young age and won many awards in elementary school. She attended Pungmoon Girls' High School, where she took literature class because of her dream of becoming a writer.[7] During high school, she watched Jean-Paul Sartre's play The Dead without burial [fr], that elevated her awareness of the charm of theatre. Still, She never dreamed of acting.[8][9]
In 1983, She enrolled in the Korean Literature Department at Dongduk Women's University. When she was a freshman, she chose bowling for her physical education class. She also joined a theater club.[8] Her senior in the theater class asked her to come.[9]
Career
In 1986, during her fourth year of college, she co-founded the theater company 'Little Shinhwa' with friends from around ten university drama clubs, including Sogang University, Chung-Ang University, and Kookmin University.[6][10] It marked the beginning of her career in theater.[11] They created a theater company with the idea of just doing it for 10 years.[9][12]
The theater company's motto is "With the Heart of Sprinkling a Lantern of Water in the Desert!".[5] Gil serves as the vice president of 'Little Shinhwa.'[8][13] One notable work by 'Little Shinhwa' is the play 'New Year's Day,' which premiered at the Dongsung Arts Center in 2001. 'New Year's Day' achieved significant recognition, winning the 10th Daesan Literary Award in the play category upon its premiere. It was also selected as one of the BEST3 plays by the Korea Theater Critics Association in 2001 and received the Best Picture, Best Directing (Choi Yong-hoon), and Acting Award (Hong Seong-kyung) at the 2002 Donga Theater Awards.[14]
After graduating, she also became an acting lecturer. Since the early 1990s, she has been working with children through children's theater classes.[6]
She was featured as DongA Theatre Princess of the Month in December 2010.[16] The 47th Donga Theater Awards took place on January 24, 2011, at the Grand Theater of Daehakro Arts Theater in Daehakro, Seoul. Actress Gil Hae-yeon, known for her role in "Here Comes Love" (written by Bae Bong-gi and directed by Shim Jae-chan), received the acting award at the ceremony.[17]
In 2011, Gil Hae-yeon was honored with the 'Theater of the Year Award' at the '16th Hiseo Theater Awards'. The awards ceremony took place on December 30 on the 3rd floor of Arko Arts Theater.[18] This year, Gil Hae-yeon appeared in encore such as "Here Comes Love", 'Dream within a Dream', and 'New Year's Day', and was praised for creating a deeper character than when she first performed.[19]
She made her TV debut in 2012 through director Ahn Pan-seok's series How Long I've Kissed. In the series, she portrayed the character Ha Seom-jin, a Korean-Chinese domestic helper. Her realistic acting in the role received praise, as she convincingly portrayed a native Yanbian. After that, her collaboration with Director Ahn continued. In the following years, she worked on one drama each year, including "The End of the World," "Secret Affair," and "Heard It Through the Grapevine.[6]
In 2013, She joins forces with Lee Ho-jae and Kim Young-pil (Theater Company Alleyway) in the Strindberg's play Creditors. which commences on the 10th at the small theater of Arko Arts Theater in Daehakro. The Creditors is a poignant work reflecting the writer's personal experience of an unhappy marriage and his misogynistic beliefs. This tragicomedy follows Gustav (portrayed by Lee Ho-jae), a scholarly ex-husband who seeks revenge against his unfaithful wife, Thekla, and her new husband, the painter Adolf (played by Kim Young-pil), employing his cunning wit and eloquence. The play has been translated by Seong Su-jeong and embellished by Dong Lee-hyang.[20]
Gil made her mark in 2015 when she appeared in director Ahn Pan-seok's drama Heard It Through the Grapevine. Her role as Yang Jae-hwa, the secretary to Han Jeong-ho (played by Yoo Jun-sang), resonated with viewers and left a lasting impression.[6]
She left a deep impression by portraying the roles of Son Ye-jin and Han Ji-min's mother in director Ahn Pan-seok's dramas "Something in the Rain" and "Spring Night," respectively. In "Something in the Rain," she portrayed a snobbish and obnoxious villain, while in "Spring Night," she exhibited respect for her daughters' decisions, showcasing a contrasting character portrayal.[21]
In 2023, Gil was cast in director Bae Doo-ri's independent film "Dolphin" alongside Kwon Yuri. Since its premiere at the Jeonju International Film Festival, the film has garnered attention as it was invited to prominent domestic and international film festivals, including the Seoul Independent Film Festival, the Muju Mountain Film Festival, and the Vancouver Asian Film Festival in Canada.[22]
Personal life
Gil married Cho Won-ho, a fellow founding member of the theater group Little Shinhwa, and they had a son. Unfortunately, Gil's husband suddenly passed away in 2007 due to a myocardial infarction.[23][24] She became a single mother to her son, who was still in middle school and dealing with an illness. She remained busy with five or six theater appearances, working as a college lecturer, and conducting acting lessons every year. As a result, she earned the nickname "Guillery," a portmanteau of her surname and "Hillary." This nickname reflected the perception that she was even busier than Hillary Clinton.[6]
^The Dong-A Theater Awards [ko](동아연극상) established in 1964 to expand and develop the base of Korean theater, have contributed to the revitalization of Korean theater by selecting and awarding performers, theater troupes and organizations that have performed outstandingly every year.
^The Hi-seo Theater Awards (히서연극상) was established in 1996 by theatre critic Gu Hee-seo (구히서) (1939 to 2019). In 1996, the first year started with the Theatre of the Year Award. Since 1997, two winners were selected, one each for The Theater Man of the Year and The Theatre Award. Winners were given plaques and prizes funded from The Metaa wine party auction that takes place a month before the awards ceremony. The last award ceremony was in 2015.[97]
^ ab"길해연 한국연극인복지재단 이사장 인터뷰 - 서울지방변호사회 회보" [Interview with Gil Hae-yeon, Chairman of the Korea Theatre Welfare Foundation - Seoul Regional Bar Association]. news.seoulbar.or.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-03-19.
^ abcdefWon, Jun-hee; No, Jung-yeon (2015-12-01). "지금, 우리 곁에 길해연" [Now, Gil Hae-yeon by our side]. Lady Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-03-19.
^"[제25회 이해랑 연극상] '배우 노릇 계속하라'는 자격증 받은 것 같아요" [[The 25th Lee Hae-rang Theatre Award] I think I got a certificate of 'Continue to be an actor'.]. art.chosun.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-03-19.
^ abc"[인터뷰] '미저리' 길해연, '연기 연금술사'의 뜨거웠던 여름" [[Interview] 'Mizuri' Gil Hae-yeon, the hot summer of 'Acting Alchemist']. 싱글리스트 (in Korean). 2019-08-24. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
^ abc""힘들 땐 울자, 그러나 울고만 있지 말자"" ["Let’s cry when times are hard, but let’s not just cry"]. “힘들 땐 울자, 그러나 울고만 있지 말자” (in Korean). 2022-03-26. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
^Kim, Sun-hee; Ye-sol, Kang. "무사히 할머니가 될 수 있을까?" [Will I be able to become a grandmother safely?]. Marie Claire Korea (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-03-19.
^Jeon Hyung-hwa (November 23, 2021). "김서형·한선화·안내상·권유리, KAFA 장편 신작 출연" [Seohyung Kim, Seonhwa Han, Ahn Nae Sang, Yuri Kwon to appear in a new feature film at KAFA] (in Korean). Star News. Retrieved November 23, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kim, Bo-young (December 5, 2024). "'대가족' 최무성·길해연→심희섭·서범준…혜안으로 발굴한 조연 보석함" ['Big Family' Choi Moo-sung, Gil Hae-yeon → Shim Hee-seop, Seo Beom-jun... A jewel box of supporting actors discovered with wisdom]. Edaily (in Korean). Retrieved December 15, 2024.
^"등장인물 소개" [Character introduction] (in Korean). JTBC. June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
^Jeon Hyo-jin (May 17, 2022). "지창욱·성동일·최수영·원지안, '당신이 소원을 말하면' 출연…8월 첫방송 [공식]" [Ji Chang-wook, Sung Dong-il, Choi Soo-young, and Won Ji-an to appear in 'If You Say Your Wish'... First broadcast in August [Official]] (in Korean). Sports Donga. Retrieved May 17, 2022 – via Naver.
^Jang Ah-reum (August 4, 2022). "멘탈코치 제갈길' 정우·이유미·권율·박세영, 긍정 에너지 넘친 첫 리딩 [N컷]" [Mental Coach Je Gal-gil' Jung Woo, Lee Yu-mi, Kwon Yul, Park Se-young, the first reading full of positive energy [N cut]] (in Korean). News1. Retrieved August 4, 2022 – via Naver.
^Jeong Hye-yeon (September 2, 2021). "길해연, '유미업' 합류..윤시윤과 모자 케미 발산" [Haeyeon Gil joins 'You Me Up'..Shiyoon Yoon and mother-in-law chemistry]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Retrieved September 2, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kim Bo-ra (February 16, 2023). "'박하경 여행기' 이나영→구교환 캐스팅 확정…웨이브 공개[공식]" ['Park Ha-kyung's travelogue' Lee Na-young → Koo Hwan-hwan casting confirmed... Wave Reveal [Official]] (in Korean). OSEN. Retrieved February 16, 2023 – via Naver.
^"이호재·전무송·윤소정, 중견배우 한 연극 출연 이유" [Lee Ho-jae, Jeon Moo-song, Yoon So-jung, the reason for appearing in a play by a middle-level actor]. No Cut News. 2010-05-24. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
^ abc"'봄날은 간다' 절제된 내면연기로 돌아온 연극파 배우 길해연" ['Spring Day Goes' Theatre actor Gil Hae-yeon who returned with an understated inner acting]. 문화뉴스 (in Korean). 2014-06-17. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
^Go, Seung-hee (2022-08-09). "'햄릿' 박건형·박지연 "굳은살 도려내고 배우로의 시간 돌아보는 날들"" ['Hamlet' Park Gun-hyung and Park Ji-yeon "Days of looking back on time as an actor"]. 헤럴드경제 (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-01-19.
^Kim Hyun-jung (May 17, 2022). "권성덕·전무송·손숙·유인촌→박지연·김수현, '햄릿' 세대 초월" [Kwon Seong-deok, Jeon Moo-song, Son Sook, Yoo In-chon → Park Ji-yeon and Kim Soo-hyun, transcending the 'Hamlet' generation] (in Korean). xportsnews. Retrieved May 17, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kim Hyun-jung (December 27, 2022). "영화 못지 않아"…'미저리' 김상중·길해연·이일화·서지석의 자신감 [종합]" ["It's not like a movie"... Confidence of Kim Sang-joong, Gil Hae-yeon, Lee Il-hwa, and Seo Ji-seok in 'Misery' [Comprehensive]] (in Korean). X-port News. Retrieved December 27, 2022 – via Naver.
^"2002 서울공연예술제 대상에 아지드현대무용단" [Azit Hyundai Dance Company at the 2002 Seoul Performing Arts Festival]. entertain.naver.com (in Korean). 2002-06-10. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
^"5월 30일 문화단신". 5월 30일 문화단신 (in Korean). 2008-05-29. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
^"히서연극상". Hi-seo Theatre Award. Archived from the original on 2022-07-30. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
^"'히서연극상' 최용훈·서이숙씨" [Choi Yong-hoon and Seo Yi-suk for 'Hi-seo Theatre Award']. Munhwa Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
^"[2015에이판] 이경영·길해연·채정안, 男女연기상 수상" [[2015 Edition] Lee Kyung-young, Gil Hae-yeon, and Chae Jung-an won the Men's and Women's Performance Award]. 스포츠동아 (in Korean). 2015-11-28. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
^"'힐링캠프' 길해연, 연극계 아카데미 '이해랑 연극상' 수상" ['Healing Camp' Gil Hae-yeon won the 'Li Hae-rang Theatre Award' from the Academy of Theatre]. 이투데이 (in Korean). 2015-06-30. Retrieved 2024-03-19.