Photo: 롯데엔터테인먼트 / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Kwak Do-won is one of those South Korean actors who genuinely makes every scene feel heavier and more dangerous just by showing up. I first took notice of him in The Yellow Sea, where he played a crime boss with this terrifying stillness — the kind of performer who does more with a look than most actors do with a monologue. His turn in Na Hong-jin's The Wailing is masterclass stuff, deeply unsettling in the best way, and The Attorney proved he could hold his own opposite Song Kang-ho without disappearing into the background. What I love about him is that he's never tried to be a leading-man heartthrob; he's a character actor's character actor, the person directors call when they need someone to feel genuinely threatening or morally complex. Korean cinema's golden era wouldn't have the same teeth without him.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kwak Do-won
- Name (Japanese)
- クァク・ドウォン
- Reading
- くぁく・どうぉん
- Born
- May 17, 1974 (age 52)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Tiger
- Origin
- South Korea, United States
- Occupation
- film actor / actor / stage actor / television actor
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Kwak Do-won born?
Born May 17, 1974 (age 52).
Where is Kwak Do-won from?
Kwak Do-won is from South Korea, United States.
What does Kwak Do-won do?
Kwak Do-won works as film actor, actor, stage actor, television actor.
Film actor — see all → · Actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.