Jun Ji-hyun

Jun Ji-hyun (Hangul: 전지현; hanja: 全智賢; born Wang Ji-hyun, 30 October 1981), also known as Gianna Jun, is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her role as "The Girl" in the romantic comedy My Sassy Girl (2001), one of the highest-grossing Korean comedies of all time. Other notable films include Il Mare (2000), Windstruck (2004), The Thieves (2012), The Berlin File (2013), and Assassination (2015), as well as the television series My Love from the Star (2013-2014).

Early life

Jun Ji-hyun was born in Seoul, South Korea. Her mother and her mother's friends all encouraged her to be an model or actress due to her tall and slim body shape. Her childhood dream was to become a flight attendant, but later gave up after a plane flight experience. At the age of 16, her high form friend who was a model discovered her and introduced her to a photographer. Using the stage name Jun Ji-hyun, she began her career as a model for Ecole Magazine in 1997.

Career

1997-2003

Jun first became well known as a commercial model and as a TV actress. Although she made her film debut in the little-watched White Valentine in 1999, it was not until later in the year when she was featured in a commercial for Samsung My Jet Printer that she became a popular sensation. The dancing and attitude expressed in the ad made her into an icon for Koreans in their late teens and early twenties.