Kim Seon-ho

Kim Seon-ho (Korean: 김선호; born May 8, 1986) is a South Korean actor. He began his career on stage and appeared in numerous plays before making his screen debut in 2017 with Good Manager. He rose to prominence with the television series Start-Up (2020) and gained more recognition for his main role in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021), which aired on tvN and Netflix.

2009–2016: Theatrical work

After graduating from high school, Kim studied at the Seoul Institute of the Arts where he received a degree from the Department of Broadcasting and Entertainment. While in college, he joined a theatre group and began acting in plays. His first stage role was in New Boeing Boeing (an adaptation of the French play of the same name) in 2009, which he reprised in 2013. He found minor success appearing in the popular Daehakro (comparable to Off-Broadway) plays Rooftop House Cat and Goal of Love, which were both romantic comedies. Later, he expanded his repertoire with darker roles, and gained critical recognition in works such as True West and Kiss of the Spider Woman in 2015, and Closer in 2016.

2017–2019: Television debut

Kim made his screen debut at the beginning of 2017 in the KBS2 office drama Good Manager, after auditioning at the suggestion of producer Lee Eun-jin [ko] who watched his performance in the play Closer. Kim's next project Strongest Deliveryman, for which he initially auditioned for a supporting role, marked his first appearance in a main role onscreen. Later in 2017, he starred in the action comedy Two Cops as a sly conman, which earned him two awards at the 2017 MBC Drama Awards. While the drama was still airing, he reprised his role onstage as Valentin in Kiss of the Spider Woman. In 2018, Kim portrayed the lead role of an artist in the drama special You Drive Me Crazy, which had a four-episode broadcast in May. He also starred in the historical drama 100 Days My Prince, which became one of the highest-rated series in Korean cable television history. In September that year, Kim joined Salt Entertainment after the expiration of his contract with his former theatre company.

In March 2019, Kim played an aspiring singer in the JTBC comedy Welcome to Waikiki 2. In October the same year, he starred in the tvN investigative crime drama Catch the Ghost opposite veteran actress Moon Geun-young, in his first leading role in a full-length series. On November 5, Kim joined the cast in fourth season of the KBS2 reality show 2 Days & 1 Night; he received the Rookie Award at the 2020 KBS Entertainment Awards for his work on the show. In his final project of 2019, he appeared in the play Memory in dream[sic].

2020–present: Breakthrough and mainstream success

Kim returned to the small screen in October 2020 through the tvN drama Start-Up. His portrayal of a start-up investor with a tragic past was well-received by viewers and garnered him a nomination for the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Supporting Actor – Television. During the airing of Start-Up, Kim topped the monthly brand reputation ranking index by the Korean Business Research Institute and experienced a surge in popularity domestically and internationally. He made his comeback to theatre in January 2021 through the play Ice by Jang Jin, in which he played a detective trying to inculpate a young man in a murder case. Kim collaborated with Epitone Project to release the single "Reason" in May, which he sang and co-wrote, having previously appeared in the latter's music video.

In August 2021, he starred in the tvN drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha alongside Shin Min-a where he played an officially unemployed but all-around handyman in a seaside village of Gongjin. In September 2021, during Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha's airing, Kim once again topped Korean Business Research Institute's brand reputation ranking index. The series was both a domestic and international hit with audience ratings peaking at 13.322% and went on to become one of the highest-rated television series in Korean cable television history.

On October 17, 2021, a woman claiming to be the ex-girlfriend of "Actor K" (later revealed to be Kim) made allegations on a Korean internet forum that the actor had coerced her into getting an abortion while the two were dating.On October 20, 2021, he issued a vague public apology through his agency. As the ex-girlfriend's claims gathered public attention, a few companies such as Domino's Pizza quickly pulled their advertisements featuring Kim. Kim also stepped down from being a permanent cast member of the KBS variety show 2 Days & 1 Night, and subsequently withdrew from film projects Dog Days and Lee Sang-geun's romantic comedy 2 O'clock Date.

On October 20, 2021, Kim's ex-girlfriend issued a new statement, stating that there were some misunderstandings between them. She also apologised for causing unintentional damage. On October 26, 2021, new evidence challenging the claims and accusations of Kim's ex-girlfriend was published by a Korean media outlet, which cited sources from close acquaintances of both Kim and his ex-girlfriend. Screen-captures of chat conversations from acquaintances revealed that the ex-girlfriend had been the one to suggest the abortion. The pair then split up about a year after the abortion due to questionable circumstances surrounding the ex-girlfriend's personal life. Testimonies from acquaintances of both Kim and his ex-girlfriend continued to surface, refuting various claims previously made by the ex-girlfriend. Following the new reports, most companies began resuming advertisements featuring Kim. The production team of the film Sad Tropics also announced their decision to proceed their project with Kim as the lead actor.

Following his rise in popularity in 2020, Kim has been chosen as the face of various brands in South Korea and Southeast Asia. His endorsements have included clothing, electronics, cosmetics, food, e-commerce and more.

Film

Television series

Reality show

Music video

Singles

Listicles