Kim Tae Hee

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Kim Tae Hee

Kim Tae-hee (Korean: 김태희, born March 29, 1980) is a South Korean actress and model from Ulsan. She is best known for her roles in the TV series My Princess, Iris, Love Story in Harvard and Stairway to Heaven. Kim began her career in entertainment as a model and in television commercials. She rose to stardom via her portrayal of Han Yoori, the evil stepsister in the popular SBS TV series Stairway to Heaven. Her other TV projects include the supernatural KBS series Forbidden Love and the SBS campus romance Love Story in Harvard in which she plays a Harvard medical student. Both series were successful. For her performance in Forbidden Love, she was honored with the Best Female Newcomer award. Her first starring role in a film was in The Restless with Jung Woo-sung. The following year she appeared with Sol Kyung-gu in Venus and Mars. In 2009, she starred in the espionage action thriller Iris with Lee Byung-hun, one of the most expensive dramas ever produced. It was a critical and commercial success with an average rating of 30% and nearly 40% for the final episode. It was the top rated program every week after it’s debut. She also starred in the film Grand Prix opposite Yang Dong-geun where she portrays a horse jockey who dreams of winning the Grand Prix championship.

After the success of Iris, she played the lead in the MBC romantic comedy My Princess alongside Song Seung-heon. My Princess began airing on January 5, 2011. She played Lee Seol, an ordinary college student who discovers that she is a princess. She is well known for her natural beauty and has been dubbed "Korea's Most Beautiful Woman." Kim is one of Korea's top CF stars and has been a spokesperson for popular brands such as Cyon, Paris Baguette, LG, iriver, Hera, Ohui, Vivian, Daewoo Matiz, Klasse, SI, Samsung, Beans Avenue, Olympus, My House/Root, Crencia, KT Smard Card, Calli, ZEC, BC Card, Maxwell House, S-Oil, Corn Silk Tea, Hana Financial Bank, French cafe, Prugio and lg dios. In 2006, she became the highest paid cosmetics model when she signed a contract with the HERA brand of Amorepacific for the next five years. In 2007 she appeared in a commercial for LG Electronics' Shine TV Phone which became extremely popular and was the first, second and fourth most-searched video clips on Korean portals. Kim has an older sister and a younger brother. Her brother Lee Wan is also an actor and is making himself known through a series of dramas, including Swallow the Sun. Hailed as one of the top beauties of Korea, Kim is also well-known for her intelligence. She was a top student during middle school having an average of ‘100′ for all subjects for 3 consecutive years. She graduated from the most prestigious university in Korea, the Seoul National University, with a bachelor's degree in fashion design.