Song Ji-hyo

Cheon Seong-im (born 15 August 1981), better known by her stage name Song Ji-hyo, is a South Korean actress and model. She first made her acting debut in Wishing Stairs (2003), one of the films in the Whispering Corridors film series. Her notable roles include being the ballerina Min Hyo-rin in the popular television series Princess Hours (2006), Lady Ye So-ya in Jumong (2007), the Queen in the movie A Frozen Flower (2008), Oh Jin-hee in Emergency Couple (2014).

Song gained international fame for being the only female member of the popular Korean variety show Running Man, which made her popularity rise across Asia. Her strong and easy-going personality endeared her to many Korean and international fans.

Early life

Song was born in Pohang, one of the main seaport cities in North Gyeongsang, on 15 August 1981. She has a younger brother and a younger sister. She attended Daerim Elementary School, Hwagye Middle School and Ilsan Convention High School. Song dreamed of being an actress during her high school years after watching Park Shin-yang in the 1998 South Korean film, Promise.^[1] She graduated with a tax and accounting degree from Kyungmoon University (now Kookje College), located in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi. Before entering the acting world, it was revealed that Song was cast while working on a part-time job at a cafe.^[2]

Career

2001-09: Early work

Before Song's debut as an actress, she was a model for Kiki Magazine. She chose "Song Ji-hyo" as her stage name as she was inspired by the two famous actors Song Seung-heon and Song Hye-kyo. Song then appeared in the music video for Lee Soo-young's "And I Love You" and appeared in another music video for JTL's "Just Say Goodbye". She also made a cameo appearance in the last episode of the television drama Age of Innocence.

Song made her feature film acting debut in the 2003 Korean horror film Wishing Stairs, playing a young student who studied ballet. She then starred in the 2004 crime thriller Some, opposite Go Soo.

In 2006, Song rose to fame for her role in the MBC romantic comedy drama Princess Hours, where she played a ballet dancer who dreams to be a ballerina. In the same year, she played the role of Lady Ye So-ya, the first wife of Jumong and the mother of King Yuri in the historical drama Jumong. The series was a commercial hit, receiving the highest viewership ratings of all the Korean dramas that aired in 2006. Song was nominated for Best New Actress in the TV category at the 43th Baeksang Arts Awards.

In 2007, she appeared in the comedy film Sex Is Zero 2 the sequel to the 2002 comedy film Sex Is Zero. Song was also the co-host, with Super Junior's Heechul, of SBS's weekly live music show Inkigayo from 11 November 2007 to 4 May 2008.

In December 2008, she played the Queen in Yoo Ha's film A Frozen Flower which was one of the highest-grossing films of the year.^[3] She later commented, "When I decided to do this film, nudity was not the central issue. How much I expose is not important to me; I thought without that scene, it would be difficult to portray the subtle changes in emotion. What mattered to me at the time was working on my facial expressions apart from the posture that the director wanted me to convey." ^[4]

2010-2014: Running Man and Collaboration works

Song is currently a cast member of the popular SBS variety show Running Man. She was requested to join the show by Kim Joo Hyung PD (aka Myeok PD) whom Song worked with and was close to while hosting Inkigayo (Myeok PD has left Running Man to re-join Inkigayo in 2014, but later returned to Running Man after 2 years). She was originally a guest for the second to fifth episodes, and officially joined the program in episode 6 but was unable to attend until episode 7.^[5]

Song joined C-JeS Entertainment in Early 2011. She then appeared in Choo Chang-min's film Late Blossom. In March 2011, she played a reporter in Crime Squad, opposite Song Il-gook and Lee Jong-hyuk. In July 2011, she starred as Eun-go, the Queen of King Uija in the historical drama Gyebaek, for which she won the Producer's Award at the MBC Drama Awards. She has also appeared in two music videos: "In Heaven" by JYJ and "It’s Nothing Serious" by Young Jee.

In 2012, Song starred opposite label-mate Kim Jaejoong of JYJ in the film Code Name: Jackal where she played a clumsy female assassin who kidnapped a Hallyu star (played by Jaejoong).^[6] She received extensive training before the start of filming in May, and her first scenes involved a flip off from a 2-meter-high stack. Her other scenes also includes scaling walls and hand-to-hand combat.^[7][8]

In 2013, Song participated in dubbing for the animated movie Maritime Police Marco as the voice of Lulu, with her fellow Running Man member Lee Kwang-soo. In February 2013, she starred in Park Hoon-jung's crime drama film, New World, playing a female detective. In April 2013, she starred opposite Lee Dong-wook in KBS's historical drama The Fugitive of Joseon. In November 2013, she attended MAMA 2013 as a presenter along with Running Man co-host Kim Jong-kook.

In January 2014, Song starred as a girl who divorced and later meets her ex-husband again as fellow interns in the same hospital in tvN's romantic-comedy drama Emergency Couple along with Choi Jin-hyuk. The series was a commercial hit and broadcasting rights have since been sold to nine countries.

In Spring 2014, Song collaborated with NBA in a collaboration titled "NBA X Song Ji Hyo". In this collaboration, Song will release her own cap series called "CHO.2". Known for creating basketball merchandise, NBA’s collaboration with Song brought about a different style than the usual sports affiliated look. The "CHO.2" cap was seen on the episode of Running Man when the actress wore the cap while filming in Australia. "CHO.2" stands for two Chinese characters — 뛰어넘을초 (exceed "超") and 처음초 (initial "初"), both having the sound of the Korean word "초" (CHO)—that sums up Song’s motto "to never lose the original heart so that you will do everything." The motto matches perfectly with her character on Running Man as she is often seen trying new things and doing her best.^[9]

Song then filmed for her first Chinese film 708090, set to be shown in cinemas in 2016, with Taiwanese singer and actor Kenji Wu. On 19 August 2014, Banila Co. endorsed Song as an official model due to her "flawless skin, natural beauty and huge international fan base." A rep from Banila Co. said, "Song Ji Hyo's natural beauty and refined charm complement banila co.'s urban, upbeat concept well."

2015-present: Television Appearances in Korea and China

In 2015, Song took on the lead role in the romantic-comedy drama Ex-Girlfriend Club, starring opposite Byun Yo-han. The drama filming started in March and first aired on 8 May 2015. It was originally scheduled for 16 episodes, but tvN later decided that the drama would have 12 episodes instead of 16 in order "to maintain high quality of the remaining episodes".^[10]

In April, Song collaborated again with Kenji Wu, featuring in his track "You Are So Cute" and appearing in its music video. The music video received a hot response, topping the MV chart in Hong Kong and Taiwan on popular video sharing site YinYueTai.^[11]

On 10 July 2015, it was reported that Song and C-JeS Entertainment have mutually decided to part ways after 4 years.^[12]

On 30 October 2015, it was announced that Song would be starring in her second Chinese film Super Express, a collaboration action-comedy film between Korea, China, and France. Song represents Korea, while Michael Chen and action star David Belle would be representing China and France respectively.^[13]

On 29 December, Song was announced to be appearing on Gary's music video for his single "Lonely Night" featuring Gaeko.^[14]

On January 2016, it was confirmed that Song and Taiwanese actor Chen Bolin will be partnering up as a virtual couple on the Chinese version of We Got Married called We Are In Love.^[15] Filming began on 23 January in the city streets of Seoul.^[16]

On 27 April, Song and actor/model Hong Jong-hyun have been named as the main models of Very Korean.^[17] Together, they walked the Hallyu fashion show on 30 April at Bift Park in Beijing, China.^[18]

In June 2016, it was announced that Song will be making a special appearance on upcoming tvN drama Entourage, which stars fellow Running Man member Lee Kwang-soo.^[19] Entourage is scheduled to air in November 2016.

On 9 August, reps confirmed that Song will star as the female lead in the upcoming drama My Wife's Having an Affair this Week on cable channel JTBC alongside actor Lee Sun-kyun. The drama, a remake of a Japanese daily drama that aired on Fuji TV, centers on a man who communicates with people through SNS after finding out about his wife's affair.^[20][21] It is slated to air in October 28.

On December 2016, Song signed with new management agency 'My Company'.^[22]

Personal life

She enjoys wake-boarding, cycling and it was revealed in an interview that she once cycled from her home to her filming site. Some of Song's closest friends include her Running Man members, actor Lee Dong Wook, actress Choi Yeo Jin, actress Kim Ji Soo, Super Junior's Kim Heechul, and singer Young Jee whom she attended high school with. She is also friendly with Taiwanese actors Kenji Wu and Chen Bolin.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Variety shows

Music video appearances

Discography

Singles

• 2015 - Kenji Wu - "You are So Cute" feat. Song Ji Hyo

Endorsements

Awards and nominations

Goodwill ambassador

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Song Ji Hyo.