Youn Yuh-jung (born June 19, 1947) is a South Korean actress. In a film and television career spanning nearly 40 years, Youn is best known for starring in Kim Ki-young's Woman of Fire (1971) and Im Sang-soo's The Housemaid (2010).

Biographie

When Yoon was a freshman at Hanyang University majoring in Korean literature, she was chosen as a TV actress in a public audition by TBC. Yoon was cast in the lead role in Mister Bear (Mister Gom) one year after her debut, and gained popularity. The public found her fast way of speaking and atypical appearance refreshing and she frequently took roles in TV dramas depicting a modern woman of the new generation. She then took an unconventional step towards her acting career when she played unimaginable, sensational female characters in grotesque movies such as Woman of Fire and The Insect Woman directed by Kim Ki-young, Korea’s first style-conscious director. Her performance in Woman of Fire garnered her several Best Actress awards. However, Yoon retired from her career after she married singer Jo Young-nam, then immigrated to the United States. In 1985, she came back home to Korea, divorced Jo, and returned to acting. Making such a stellar comeback after taking a long break was an unusual feat for a middle-aged actress.

Most actresses her age play cliched motherly characters, but Yoon has a diverse, colorful acting range thanks to her artistic talent and unique characteristics. A Good Lawyer’s Wife marked another big moment in her career. She gained critical acclaim for her nonchalant acting as a mother-in-law who neglected her husband dying of liver cancer and enjoyed extramarital affairs. Her freewheeling and confident persona manifested itself in the semi-documentary style film Actresses which discussed the daily lives of actresses. Yoon is an interesting actress who can add a stylish touch to movies and TV dramas even when she plays minor roles, notably her award-winning scene-stealing turn in The Housemaid. In The Taste of Money Yoon reunites with director Im Sang-soo for the fourth time, as the center of the drama that unfolds and touches upon the themes of corruption, greed and sex. She says, "I don’t mind being called an old actress, but I do worry about how to carry on my acting career without looking like an old fool."



^ "YOUN Yuh-jung". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-02-09.

^ "윤여정" [Yoon Yeo-jeong]. Korean Movie Database (KMDb) (in Korean). Retrieved 2010-02-09.

^ "1970년대 ‘충무로 누벨 바그’ 윤여정". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2010-02-09.

^ Beck, Una (11 December 2009). "INTERVIEW: Yoon Yeo-jung - Part 1". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-12-19.

^ Beck, Una (11 December 2009). "INTERVIEW: Yoon Yeo-jung - Part 2". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-12-19.

^ Beck, Una (11 December 2009). "INTERVIEW: Yoon Yeo-jung - Part 3". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-12-19.

^ Beck, Una (7 June 2010). "Yoon Yeo-jung's Movie Picks". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-12-19.

^ Kim Hyo-eun, Cho Jae-eun (18 May 2012). "At 64, Yoon Yeo-jeong won’t let age get in the way of a sex scene". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-20.