Childhood & Early Life
Han Joo-wan was born on January 10, 1984, in Seoul, South Korea. Since his childhood, he wished to be one of the shining stars of the South Korean entertainment industry. However, what really made him different from other aspirants was the fact that he was more interested in acting than becoming famous and earning a lot of money.
He started acting while he was in school. His decision to join theater turned out to be a life-changing experience for him. He started leaning quickly, and by the time he was out of high school, he was already a pretty competent actor.
Apart from acting, he loved singing and playing sports during his free time. He paid great attention to what he ate and was physically fit.
He enrolled at the ‘Seoul Institute of the Arts’ and received a bachelor’s degree in theater.
He did not stop doing theater after graduation. Sometime in his mid-20s, he started approaching new and young filmmakers for collaborations and became part of a few award-winning short films.
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Career
His auditions fetched him a role in the short film ‘A Young Stallman’ in 2009. Hans followed it up with ‘Broken Night’ and ‘Suddenly, Last Summer.’ However, one short film in particular, titled ‘Exit,’ which was featured at the ‘Jeonju International Film Festival’ received immense appreciation.
His small, independent acting stints helped him improve his acting skills. Before venturing into mainstream projects, he decided to take the path less travelled and accepted only those roles that appealed to him.
In 2013, ‘Wang’s Family’ turned out to be a big breakthrough and put him on the map instantly. Han played ‘Choi Sang-nam,’ an intelligent high school drop-out. His next venture was the ‘Drama Special’ episode ‘Yeonu’s Summer,’ released in the same year.
Han received immense appreciation for both the roles and won the ‘KBS Drama Award’ for the ‘Best New Actor.’ Thus, Han was off to a dreamy start in the industry.
He made his film debut in 2013, with the film ‘Hwayi: A Monster Boy,’ a successful action thriller. Han played the role of one of the key comrades of the former chairman, which was a small role. Han also appeared in the segment ‘Exit’ of the short-film collection ‘Shorts Meets Shorts.’
His initial roles helped him get acquainted with the way the industry worked and earned him a few more roles. One such role was for the 2014 series ‘Gunman in Joseon.’ The historical drama featured Han as a lonely orphan who falls in love with his caretaker’s daughter, while she thinks of him as a brother.
Another ‘Drama Special’ episode, ‘The Tale of the Bookworm,’ followed. Its complex subject matter proved that Han was different from his contemporaries who only took up commercially viable roles.
Han then became a part of the historical romantic–drama series ‘Splendid Politics,’ in which he essayed a major role. The drama was a success. Han followed it up with the main role in ‘Devil’s Diary,’ a short-lived fantasy drama, which saw Han playing an evil otherworldly being.
In 2016, Han had a stint with the romantic series ‘Blow Breeze,’ which revolved around the budding romance between a North Korean girl and a South Korean man. It won him a nomination for the ‘Excellence Award’ at the ‘MBC Drama Awards.’
He ended the year 2016 with yet another ‘Drama Special’ episode, titled ‘Twenty Thousand Won to Pyongyang.’ The series revolved around the plight of the North Korean public and showed how South Koreans sympathize with them. Han’s performance earned him another nomination for the ‘Excellence Award’ at the ‘KBS Drama Awards’ that year.
In ‘School 2017,’ which revolved around a group of young South Korean teenagers, Han played the role of a high-school teacher, who falls in love with a police officer. Critics applauded the series, and all the cast members, including Han, received further recognition for their roles.
In March 2017, Han was seen in the crime-drama film ‘The Prison,’ which revolved around an investigation officer who imprisons himself in order to find the truth about a case he had been working on. Han’s performance in this moderately successful film was appreciated.
Han exhibited his singing skills for the soundtrack of his debut drama ‘Wang’s Family.’ He sang a duet, ‘That Person,’ with one of his co-stars.
