Won Bin

Won Bin (born November 10, 1977 as Kim Do-jin in Jeongseon, Gangwon-do, South Korea) is a Korean actor and model. He is a popular actor and is well-known throughout East & Southeast Asia.

Won Bin was born and raised in a hamlet in the north of Jeongseon in Gangwon-do, South Korea. He is the youngest of five siblings, with one older brother and three older sisters. His father used to work in a mine and his mother worked in the farm (both retired now). Like other kids living in mountaineous regions, Won Bin spent most of his time playing around with friends in the mountains and rivers, and came back home at sunset with black and dusty face. But Won Bin was more quiet than other boys. His shy and introspective character hasn't changed even after he grew up.

Though he is not talkative or outgoing but he is good in sports. He learnt Taekwondo and achieved the grade of Black Belt level 3. When he was a teenager, he initially planned to become a car mechanic because he liked car racing and motorcycling. He entered a mechanical high school and studied car mechanic and auto repair.

In November 1995, a cable TV station recruited new actors and Won Bin's application was accepted. At that time he was in his last semester of his high school years. He started to take acting classes at the TV station and appeared in several dramas. In December 1995, he signed contract with a talent agency and continued to take acting classes arranged by the agency.

Won Bin made his screen debut with a supporting role in 1997 in drama Propose. His role in Ready Go! (1998) helped hone his acting chops. After Ready Go!, he took a break and entered a college called Paekche Institute of the Arts in 1998 to take acting classes. In 1999, he came back to the screen with a lead role in drama Kwangki from which he was recognized as a promising young actor and a teen heartthrob.

Source: Wikipedia