Actor

Kim Hye-ja

1941 - today

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Her biography is available in 18 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 15 in 2024). Kim Hye-ja is the 979th most popular actor (up from 1,947th in 2024), the 86th most popular biography from South Korea (up from 128th in 2019) and the 5th most popular South Korean Actor.

Actor Kim Hye-ja is most famous for her iconic portrayal of the archetypal, self-sacrificing Korean mother in long-running television series like Country Diaries (1980–2002), which made her a beloved household name over decades, as well as in dramas such as What Is Love? (1991), Mom's Dead Upset (2008), The Light in Your Eyes (2019), Our Blues (2022), and the recent Heavenly Ever After (2025), while earning international acclaim for her powerful, intense lead performance as a fiercely protective mother in Bong Joon-ho's acclaimed noir thriller film Mother (2009), which won her numerous Best Actress awards. She is widely regarded as the "nation's mother" in South Korea for her wholesome, enduring image that also led to nearly 30 years of product endorsements. Something surprising about her is that she is a dedicated humanitarian who has been actively involved in charity work for decades, including as a World Vision ambassador, starting with relief efforts in Ethiopia around 20 years ago, and she dropped out of Ewha Womans University (where she studied art) to pursue acting despite beginning her career later at age 29.

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Among Actors

Among actors, Kim Hye-ja ranks 979 out of 13,578. Before her are Terry O'Quinn, Thomas Kretschmann, Jason Clarke, Angelique Rockas, Frank Langella, and Linda Thompson. After her are María Casares, Pier Angeli, Rod Taylor, Angie Bowie, Helen Hayes, and June Carter Cash.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1941, Kim Hye-ja ranks 124. Before her are Florinda Bolkan, Graham Chapman, Jacqueline Boyer, Abdelkader Bensalah, Louis Ignarro, and Dag Solstad. After her are Bertrand Tavernier, Jorge Solari, Aimé Jacquet, Beniamino Stella, William Nordhaus, and Hage Geingob.

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In South Korea

Among people born in South Korea, Kim Hye-ja ranks 86 out of NaN. Before her are Yi I (1536), Lee Soo-man (1952), Kim Kyu-sik (1881), Heo Jeong (1896), Royal Noble Consort Huibin Jang (1659), and Lee Min-ho (1987). After her are T.O.P (1987), Kim Jong-pil (1926), Song Joong-ki (1985), Ko Un (1933), Song Hye-rim (1937), and Jennie (1996).

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Among Actors In South Korea

Among actors born in South Korea, Kim Hye-ja ranks 5. Before her are Lee Byung-hun (1970), Lee Jung-jae (1972), Ma Dong-seok (1971), and Lee Min-ho (1987). After her are Song Joong-ki (1985), Song Hye-rim (1937), Gong Yoo (1979), Kim Soo-hyun (1988), Lee Sun-kyun (1975), Soon-Tek Oh (1932), and HoYeon Jung (1994).

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