Shin Eun-kyung

Shin Eun-kyung (born 15 February 1973) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading roles in Downfall (1997) and My Wife Is a Gangster (2001).

Career

Shin Eun-kyung began doing commercials in 1986 at the age of 13, and made her television debut in 1988 on KBS. Throughout the late eighties and early nineties she acted in a great number of films and TV dramas (notably in the 2001 medical drama General Hospital), garnering fame for her warm screen presence. In 1997, however, she took on her most daring role as a prostitute in veteran director Im Kwon-taek's Downfall. The film was a box-office success, leading her to star status.

In 1999 she starred in two films, including the Korean-Japanese co-produced horror film The Ring Virus, based on the novel by Koji Suzuki. Her success in this role led to her being cast in a small role for a Japanese film, Uzumaki (also known as Spiral). Around this time Shin was also working as an MC for a television game show.

In 2002 Shin starred in her most famous role as a tough, female gang boss in My Wife Is a Gangster. The film drew more than 5 million spectators and became a strong hit throughout Asia. She also appeared in the sequel, My Wife Is a Gangster 2, but the film faltered at the box office in 2003. Other roles Shin starred in around this time were as a detective in This Is Law (also known as Out of Justice), as a professional matchmaker in the romantic comedy A Perfect Match, and as a naval officer in the box office bomb Blue.