Gil Hae-yeon

Gil Hae-yeon was born in Paju, Gyeonggi Province on April 11, 1964 and raised in Seoul.^[6] She showed her writing talent from a young age and won many awards in elementary school. She attended Pungmoon Girls' High School, where she took literature class because of her dream of becoming a writer.^[7] During high school, she watched Jean-Paul Sartre's play The Dead without burial [fr], that elevated her awareness of the charm of theatre. Still, She never dreamed of acting.^[8][9]

In 1983, She enrolled in the Korean Literature Department at Dongduk Women's University. When she was a freshman, she chose bowling for her physical education class. She also joined a theater club.^[8] Her senior in the theater class asked her to come.^[9]

In 1986, during her fourth year of college, she co-founded the theater company 'Little Shinhwa' with friends from around ten university drama clubs, including Sogang University, Chung-Ang University, and Kookmin University.^[6][10] It marked the beginning of her career in theater.^[11] They created a theater company with the idea of just doing it for 10 years.^[9][12]

The theater company's motto is "With the Heart of Sprinkling a Lantern of Water in the Desert!".^[5] Gil serves as the vice president of 'Little Shinhwa.'^[8][13] One notable work by 'Little Shinhwa' is the play 'New Year's Day,' which premiered at the Dongsung Arts Center in 2001. 'New Year's Day' achieved significant recognition, winning the 10th Daesan Literary Award in the play category upon its premiere. It was also selected as one of the BEST3 plays by the Korea Theater Critics Association in 2001 and received the Best Picture, Best Directing (Choi Yong-hoon), and Acting Award (Hong Seong-kyung) at the 2002 Donga Theater Awards.^[14]

After graduating, she also became an acting lecturer. Since the early 1990s, she has been working with children through children's theater classes.^[6]

She made her film debut in 2003 with the film If You Were Me.^[15]

She was featured as DongA Theatre Princess of the Month in December 2010.^[16] The 47th Donga Theater Awards took place on January 24, 2011, at the Grand Theater of Daehakro Arts Theater in Daehakro, Seoul. Actress Gil Hae-yeon, known for her role in "Here Comes Love" (written by Bae Bong-gi and directed by Shim Jae-chan), received the acting award at the ceremony.^[17]

In 2011, Gil Hae-yeon was honored with the 'Theater of the Year Award' at the '16th Hiseo Theater Awards'. The awards ceremony took place on December 30 on the 3rd floor of Arko Arts Theater.^[18] This year, Gil Hae-yeon appeared in encore such as "Here Comes Love", 'Dream within a Dream', and 'New Year's Day', and was praised for creating a deeper character than when she first performed.^[19]

She made her TV debut in 2012 through director Ahn Pan-seok's series How Long I've Kissed. In the series, she portrayed the character Ha Seom-jin, a Korean-Chinese domestic helper. Her realistic acting in the role received praise, as she convincingly portrayed a native Yanbian. After that, her collaboration with Director Ahn continued. In the following years, she worked on one drama each year, including "The End of the World," "Secret Affair," and "Heard It Through the Grapevine.^[6]

In 2013, She joins forces with Lee Ho-jae and Kim Young-pil (Theater Company Alleyway) in the Strindberg's play Creditors. which commences on the 10th at the small theater of Arko Arts Theater in Daehakro. The Creditors is a poignant work reflecting the writer's personal experience of an unhappy marriage and his misogynistic beliefs. This tragicomedy follows Gustav (portrayed by Lee Ho-jae), a scholarly ex-husband who seeks revenge against his unfaithful wife, Thekla, and her new husband, the painter Adolf (played by Kim Young-pil), employing his cunning wit and eloquence. The play has been translated by Seong Su-jeong and embellished by Dong Lee-hyang.^[20]

Gil made her mark in 2015 when she appeared in director Ahn Pan-seok's drama Heard It Through the Grapevine. Her role as Yang Jae-hwa, the secretary to Han Jeong-ho (played by Yoo Jun-sang), resonated with viewers and left a lasting impression.^[6]

She left a deep impression by portraying the roles of Son Ye-jin and Han Ji-min's mother in director Ahn Pan-seok's dramas "Something in the Rain" and "Spring Night," respectively. In "Something in the Rain," she portrayed a snobbish and obnoxious villain, while in "Spring Night," she exhibited respect for her daughters' decisions, showcasing a contrasting character portrayal.^[21]

In 2023, Gil was cast in director Bae Doo-ri's independent film "Dolphin" alongside Kwon Yuri. Since its premiere at the Jeonju International Film Festival, the film has garnered attention as it was invited to prominent domestic and international film festivals, including the Seoul Independent Film Festival, the Muju Mountain Film Festival, and the Vancouver Asian Film Festival in Canada.^[22]

Gil married Cho Won-ho, a fellow founding member of the theater group Little Shinhwa, and they had a son. Unfortunately, Gil's husband suddenly passed away in 2007 due to a myocardial infarction.^[23][24] She became a single mother to her son, who was still in middle school and dealing with an illness. She remained busy with five or six theater appearances, working as a college lecturer, and conducting acting lessons every year. As a result, she earned the nickname "Guillery," a portmanteau of her surname and "Hillary." This nickname reflected the perception that she was even busier than Hillary Clinton.^[6]

Film

Television series

Web series

• Gil Hae-yeon at IMDb
• Gil Hae-yeon at HanCinema