Meet Dubber and Veteran Actor Jang Gwang!
If you’re an avid K-drama fan, you might be familiar with this actor’s face. You’d most likely see him playing the role of a friendly father, a villain in the Joseon era, or a greedy chaebol. Little did you know, this veteran actor has been active in the Korean industry since 1978! His name is Jang Gwang and he started first as a dubber and then build a career as an actor since he played in his first drama, Korea Gate in 1995. He has been most often cast as a supporting actor, both in films and television series, so it’s no wonder his face is so familiar.
Now, are you curious to know more about Jang Gwang? Scroll down this article below to find out all the details about him!
Full Profile of Jang Gwang
- Name: Jang Gwang (장광)
- Birthday: January 5, 1952
- Place of birth: South Korea
- Education: Dongguk University
- Active years: 1978 – present
- Agency: H Star Company
- Height: 170 cm
- Weight: 57kg
- Star sign: Capricorn
- Notable drama appearances: Oh My Baby (2020), When My Love Blooms (2020), A Korean Odyssey (2017), Bad Thief, Good Thief (2017), Defendant (2017), Love in the Moonlight (2016), Yong Pal (2015), Missing Noir M (2015), Pinocchio (2014), Flower Grandpa Investigation Unit (2014), Gap Dong (2013), Ojakgyo Brothers (2011)
- Notable movie appearances: White Day (2020), Killing Diva (2020), The Negotiation (2018), Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017), Minority Opinion (2015), Miss Granny (2014), The New World (2013), Confession of Murder (2012), Masquerade (2012), Silenced/The Crucible (2011)
Debut as a Voice Actor
After Jang Gwang graduated from Dongguk University’s Theater and Film major, he started his career in the entertainment world when he debuted in the DBS channel as a voice actor. He then joined KBS in 1978 and is still active as a freelance voice actor now.
His voice has been appearing in many movies and animations. Although it seems that he is more known as an actor to the new fans, he also has a very splendid performance and career as a voice actor. He is one of the legends of the voice actor world along with Kim Hwan-jin, Seol Young-beom, and Lee Jeong-gu.
He is mainly in charge of middle-aged men, grandfathers, fathers, and mentor characters, but sometimes, he also fills the role of a youth character. He often plays villains, but he is especially famous for his exclusive voice for actor Gary Oldman. In the movie Leon, he played the role of a drug-stricken detective Norman Stansfield. In addition, he is also a dedicated voice actor for Gerard Depardieu, Liam Neeson, and Sam Neill. He also delivered great voice skills for the trickster characters such as Joker and Shrek, which he both represented in 1990. He is also the voice behind some of the famous anime characters such as Van Hohenheim (Fullmetal Alchemist) and Jiraiya (Naruto). He filled out these characters with ease and no awkwardness at all.
Becoming an Actor
Although he began his career as a voice actor, the IMF financial crisis that severely broke out in 1997 was the reason for his turning point as an actor. At that time, due to the interruption of foreign currency importation by broadcasting companies, income decreased, and as a result of being scammed in the business and generating a large amount of debt, he ran a 3 job at once: voice actor, actor, and even truck driver. And now, years later, it seems that the reputation of a movie star has already overwhelmed his reputation as a voice actor.
Not only in the animation, but Jang Gwang is also often offered the role of a villain as an actor. He often appears in political dramas and in Joseon-dynasty dramas, playing the role of the high-position villain. He plays these cruel villain characters due to his strong appearance and facial expressions. His most notable roles include the title of some famous films and dramas such as Silenced/The Crucible (2011), Yong Pal (2015), Love in the Moonlight (2016), Bad Thief, Good Thief (2017), Oh My Baby (2020), etc.
Jang Gwang Notable Appearances
As you have already guessed, Jang Gwang has been very active as an actor in the 1990s era and thus, has generated many roles both in dramas and movies. People might not always know his name, but they surely have seen him on TV a lot. As it is impossible to keep track of his many past and upcoming appearances, we have concluded some of his notable appearances below:
Movie – Silenced (2011)
Silenced or The Crucible is arguably one of Jang Gwang’s most notable films. Bringing the issue of sexual harassment case, Silenced is a very touching story that gained many critical acclaims. When it aired in 2011, this film was flooded with positive reviews and managed to dominate the South Korean box office. The film was adapted from a novel called Dokani by Kong Ji-young and it is said that the story was inspired by a true incident at a special school for deaf students in Gwangju, South Korea. The film starred Gong Yoo and Jung Yu-mi as the main characters,
The story begins when a teacher named Kang In-ho (Gong Yoo) is assigned to teach at a special school for deaf students in Mujin City. In-ho is passionate about teaching his new students. However, the children at the school actually like to be alone and deliberately avoid him. The rejection shown by his students doesn’t make him give up. ] Gradually, the students at the school began to open up with In-ho. Then, In-ho discovered an astonishing fact that the school had managed to cover up neatly which was that many students have experienced physical and even sexual violence. In order to expose the crimes committed at school, In-ho collaborates with Seo Yoo-jin (Jung Yu-mi), a Human Rights activist.
Jang Gwang played a critically acclaimed role as the villain of the year in the movie, which is the school principal. He played dual roles as the principal has a twin brother. In one of the scenes, he acted sickeningly as he tried to sexually assault a young student in the bathroom. This role has earned him a top name as a movie actor.
Check out the trailer below!
Drama – Grandpas Over Flowers Investigation Team (2014)
Grandpas Over Flower Investigation Team is a 12-episodes drama that aired on tvN in 2014 and starred Lee Soon-jae, Byun Hee-bong, Jang Gwang, and Kim Hee-chul. It tells the story of three detectives in their 20s who turn into 70-year-old men (Lee Soon-jae, Byun Hee-bong, Jang Gwang) overnight and one elite detective (Kim Hee-chul) who fortunately remains as young as himself. This funny and entertaining drama focuses on telling the story of three detectives who are trying to get their young bodies back.
Jang Gwang played the role of 70 years old version of Jeon Kang-seok (Park Doo-shik) who originally a 28 years old man. He is a former national boxer but in his elderly body, he can’t show off his physical strength.
Check out a glimpse of the drama in the video below!
Drama – Oh My Baby (2020)
In 2020, Jang Gwang starred as a supporting character in the tvN drama, Oh My Baby. The drama itself tells the story of 39 years old workaholic woman named Jang Ha-ri (Jang Na-ra) who has been single in the past decade but suddenly she wants to have a baby on her own. When she has been content with her singlehood decision, three men appear in her life (Go Jun, Park Byung-eun, and Jung Gun-joo)
In the drama, Jang Gwang plays a supporting role named Chairman Jo.
Check out the drama trailer below!
Jang Gwang Celebrity Family
Aside from his TV roles, Jang Gwang is also notable for having a full celebrity family. His wife is an actress named Jeon Seong-ae, and they had two children that are both entertainers. His son, Jang Young, is an actor, while his daughter, Jang Yoon-hee (who’s more famous for her stage name Mija) appeared in a comedy skit in MBC.
The family also often appears together in Korean TV variety shows. Check out one of their performances where they are showing their house in the video below!
So, that is all the information that you need to know about veteran and supporting actor Jang Gwang, from his profile, debut as a voice actor and turning as a screen actor, to his celebrity family. What do you think of him? What are your favorite roles of him? Share your thoughts in the comment section!
