Oh Young-soo

Oh Young-soo, born O Se-kang on October 19, 1944, in Kaiho District, Japanese-controlled Korea (now Kaepung County, North Korea), is a veteran South Korean actor. His grandfather was a local educator and landlord. After the 38th parallel line was drawn across Korea, he and his family moved to Paju, South Korea. During the Korean War, his father was killed and his brother was kidnapped by North Korean forces. He began his acting career on stage in 1963 as part of “The Square” theatre crew, and later joined the National Theater Company of Korea from 1987 to 2010. During this time, he appeared in over 200 plays, including notable productions like *A Confession for a Black Prostitute*, *A Streetcar Named Desire*, and *The Merchant of Venice*.

Throughout his career, Oh Young-soo has consistently delivered performances in diverse stage productions. In 2014, he played Prospero in the National Theater of Korea’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s *The Tempest*, celebrating Shakespeare’s 450th birth anniversary. He also took on the titular role in *King Lear* in 2017. His screen career often involved portraying monks due to his background in Buddhist plays. In 2003, he appeared as the Old Monk in the film *Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring* and as the Temple Master in *A Little Monk*.

In 2021, Oh Young-soo achieved global recognition for his role as Oh Il-nam in the first season of the Netflix survival drama series *Squid Game*. This role earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 2022, making him the first Korean actor to receive this award. He also received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In November 2021, he threw the first pitch at that year’s Korean Series, and in July 2022, he was appointed Ambassador for Korean Performance Tourism.