Career
Kim"s theater background first led him to be cast in minor roles on film and television His breakout role came as the villain in gambling film Tazza: The High Rollers (2006), but it was his performance as a pimp and ex-cop in surprise hit The Chaser (2008) that brought him acting awards and stardom in his forties. Kim has since become an acclaimed leading actor in Korean cinema, in films such as Running Turtle (2009), The Yellow Sea (2010), Punch (2011), and The Thieves (2012).
After many years in theater, he began acting in film and television late in his career, at first appearing in minor roles.
A leading role followed in 2008 with The Chaser, directed by Na Hong-jin. He successfully portrayed the morally ambiguous character of a retired-cop-turned-pimp hunting down a serial killer.
The thriller was a critical and commercial hit, and Kim became a major player in the Korean film industry. In 2010 Kim reunited with The Chaser costar Ha Jung-woo in Na"s ambitious sophomore film The Yellow Sea.
The year after, Punch became the third highest grossing film of 2011, in which Kim portrayed an ill-tempered teacher giving courage to a youth from the slums.
Kim once again triumphed in 2012, as his heist movie The Thieves became the second best-selling Korean film of all time. He continued working with of Korea"s leading directors, in Yim Soon-rye"s South Bound, Jang Joon-hwan"s Hwayi: A Monster Boy, and Kwak Kyung-taek"s The Classified File.