Education
Born in Seocheon County, South Chungcheong Province in 1968, Sol Kyung-gu studied Theater and Film at Hanyang University (Class of "86).
Born in Seocheon County, South Chungcheong Province in 1968, Sol Kyung-gu studied Theater and Film at Hanyang University (Class of "86).
Upon graduation in 1994, he appeared in numerous theatrical productions, such as the hit Korean adaptation of the German rock musical Subway Lincolnshire 1, and productions of Sam Shepard"s True West and A. R. Gurney"s Love Letters. In the mid-1990s he began taking on minor roles in feature films, but it was not until 1999 that he made his breakthrough with major roles in The Bird That Stops in the Air, Rainbow Trout, and above all else, Peppermint Candy in which he played a suicidal man devastated by the two-decades of historical change his country undergoes. The critical acclaim and larger-than-expected popular appeal of this film instantly transformed Sol into one of the most respected young actors in of Korea.
After the rather heavy-themed work of his early career, Sol then appeared in a mix of genre movies and more serious work.
He starring in the romantic comedy I Wish I Had a Wife with Jeon Do-yeon in 2001, and then acted in a Japanese television drama produced by Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai. The year 2002 was huge for Sol, starring in three major films which effectively made him into one of the most popular actors in of Korea. Finally in November, he acted together with Cha Seung-won in the smash hit Jail Breakers by popular director Kim Sang-jin.
His next role was as the title character in Rikidōzan, about the legendary ethnic Korean pro wrestler who became a national hero in Japan in the 1950s. Sol gained 20 kilograms for the role and also delivered 95% of his lines in Japanese.
Despite winning great praise for his performance, however, the film vastly underperformed on its local release.
In 2005, Sol starred in the sequel Another Public Enemy, which ended up outgrossing the original. This was followed by a second sequel, Public Enemy Returns in 2008. His other films Haeundae (2009), The Tower (2012) and Cold Eyes (2013) have also been box office hits.
Sol also began teaching acting in 2014 at his alma mater Hanyang University, as an adjunct professor in the College of Performing Arts.
As a violent and unscrupulous police detective in Public Enemy he won both local acting awards and many new fans as the film drew close to 3 million viewers. In August, he starred in Lee Chang-dong"s highly acclaimed third film Oasis, which won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival. Sol"s portrayal of mildly mentally-retarded outcast with sociopathic inclinations won him yet more acting awards in of Korea. Sol continued his hot streak in 2003 when he starred in Silmido directed by Cinema Service founder Kang Woo-suk, which became the first Korean film in history to gross 10 million admissions.
