A beloved actor has died at the age of 74 after battling cancer.
Ahn Sung-ki was one of South Korea’s biggest film stars and enjoyed an incredible 60-year career. He has been branded “The Nation’s actor” and served as chairman of the Korean Film Actors Association.
The cinema legend passed away on Monday (January 5) at Seoul’s Soonchunhyang University Hospital. This was confirmed by his agency, Artist Company, and the hospital.
The actor had been battling with blood cancer for years. In a statement, the Artist Company said: “We feel deep sorrow at the sudden, sad news, pray for the eternal rest of the deceased and offer our heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family members.”
(Image: AP)
President Lee Jae Myung also paid tribute to the actor. In a post on Facebook, he wrote: “I already miss his warm smile and gentle voice.”
Ahn is survived by his loving wife, Oh So-yeong, and their two sons. A memorial station has since been set up at Seoul Hospital, allowing fans to pay their respects to the actor.
The film star won the Grand Bell Awards for best actor five times throughout his career – an achievement no other South Korean actor has beat. The Grand Bell Awards is Korea’s equivalent of the Oscars.
(Image: AP)
Born to a filmmaker in the southeastern city of Daegu in 1952, Ahn first appeared on screen as a child in the 1957 movie The Twilight Train. He appeared in more than 70 films as a child actor before he left the film industry to enjoy a childhood away from the limelight.
In 1970, Ahn studied at Seoul’s Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, majoring in Vietnamese. Ahn graduated with top honours but failed to land jobs at big companies, likely due to a strong belief that his Vietnamese major was largely useless following the communist victory in the Vietnam War back in 1975.
In 1977, he returned to the film industry and soon regained stardom in the 1980s, taking on the role of Lee Jang-ho in Good, Windy Days. The coming-of-age film became a huge hit.
He went on to star in a series of highly successful and critically acclaimed movies, scooping up several awards and becoming one of the country’s most popular actors in the 80s and 90s. Past public surveys have chosen Ahn as South Korea’s most beloved actor and deserving of the nickname ‘The Nation’s actor’.
Some of his memorable roles included a Buddhist monk in 1981’s Mandara, a beggar in 1984’s Whale Hunting, and a Vietnam War veteran-turned-novelist in 1992’s White Badge. He also portrayed a corrupt police officer in 1993’s Two Cops, a murderer in 1999’s No Where to Hide, a special forces trainer in 2003’s Silmido, and a devoted celebrity manager in 2006’s Radio Star.
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