My Take
Kim Rae-won is one of those Korean actors who quietly built a career that earns more respect the longer you look at it. He broke out with the 2003 rom-com Cats on the Roof, but it was My Little Bride and the underrated Sunflower that showed he could carry real emotional weight — not just charm the screen. I love that he never seemed to chase trend; while the Hallyu wave turned plenty of his peers into pop-culture products, he kept gravitating toward grounded, complicated characters. The Doctors in 2016 pulled huge ratings and reminded everyone he belonged in the conversation for top-tier leads. He trained at Chung-Ang University, which tends to produce actors who actually think about the craft, and honestly, you can feel that in the way he holds a scene without overplaying it. Still in his early forties as of 2024, so the best chapters might still be ahead.
Overview
Kim Rae-won (Korean: 김래원; born 19 March 1981) is a South Korean actor. He first rose to fame with his appearances in the 2003 romantic comedy series Cats on the Roof. He is best known for the movies My Little Bride (2004), Sunflower (2006), The Prison (2017), as well as television series Love Story in Harvard (2004), Gourmet (2008), A Thousand Days' Promise (2011), Punch (2014–2015), The Doctors (2016), Black Knight:…
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kim Rae-won
- Name (Japanese)
- キム・レウォン
- Reading
- きむ・れうぉん
- Born
- March 19, 1981 (age 45)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Rooster
- Origin
- Gangneung, Gangwon Province, South Korea
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / film actor / model / television actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Namkang High School
- University
- Chung-Ang University
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.