Kim Soo-hyun (; born February 16, 1988) is a South Korean actor. One of the highest-paid actors in South Korea, his accolades include four Baeksang Arts Awards, two Grand Bell Awards and one Blue Dragon Film Award. From 2012 to 2016 and in 2021, he has appeared in Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 list. He was selected as Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year in 2014 and was featured by Forbes in their 30 Under 30 Asia list of 2016. Kim took acting classes during his school years on his mother's recommendation to overcome his introvert personality. Following a few theatrical works, he made his television debut in 2007 with the family sitcom Kimchi Cheese Smile. He went on to establish himself with starring roles in the television dramas Dream High (2011), Moon Embracing the Sun (2012), as well as in the top-grossing films The Thieves (2012) and Secretly, Greatly (2013). His performance as King Lee Hwon in Moon Embracing the Sun won him the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actor – Television. Kim became a top Hallyu star as he gained further success with the fantasy romantic comedy My Love from the Star (2013–14), and the variety-drama The Producers (2015), which earned him three Daesang (Grand Prize). Following the box-office failure Real (2017), he enlisted to complete his mandatory military service. He marked his return to acting with the romantic comedy It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) and the thriller One Ordinary Day (2021). Early life and education Born on February 16, 1988, Kim's father is Kim Chung-hoon and was the lead singer of the 80's band "Seven Dolphins". Kim's mother encouraged him to take acting classes during his school years to help him overcome his shy and introverted personality. His aspirations to be an actor really took off between his middle school and high school. His first major acting was in a stage play of Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream delivering the role of Puck. His later work in the theatre includes the role of Kenickie and Hamlet in the musical Grease and tragedy Hamlet. By 2006, Kim completed elementary, middle and high school in Gangnam, Seoul and debuted as a TV actor in 2007 after auditions. He enrolled at Chung-Ang University's Film and Theater Department in 2009. Career 2007–2010: Television career beginnings Kim made his television debut with a supporting role in the 2007