Nam Joo-hyuk (Korean: 남주혁; born February 22, 1994) is a South Korean actor and model. He began his career as a model in 2013 and made his acting debut in 2014. He is widely recognized for his leading roles in various popular television dramas, including Who Are You: School 2015 (2015), Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016), The Light in Your Eyes (2019), Start-Up (2020), and Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022).
Early Life and Career
Nam Joo-hyuk was born in Busan, South Korea, and later moved to Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, at the age of six. He initially aspired to be a professional basketball player, playing for three years before an injury forced him to abandon this dream.He began his career in the entertainment industry as a model. In 2013, he won the Top Model contest sponsored by K-Plus (now YG KPlus), and subsequently made his runway debut at the SONGZIO Homme Spring/Summer 2014 show.
Nam Joo-hyuk transitioned into acting in 2014, making his debut with a supporting role in the tvN drama The Idle Mermaid.
Breakthrough and Mainstream Recognition
Nam Joo-hyuk gained significant attention in 2015 with his role as Han Yi-an in the KBS2 teen drama Who Are You: School 2015, which earned him a nomination for Best New Actor at the 8th Korea Drama Awards and a win at the APAN Star Awards.His popularity continued to rise with subsequent projects:
- In 2016, he starred in the critically and commercially successful romantic-comedy series Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo, where he played a university swimmer. This role is often cited as one of his most beloved performances.
- He took on his first lead role in a fantasy romance drama, The Bride of Habaek, in 2017.
- In 2018, he made his feature film debut in the historical war film The Great Battle, for which he won the Best New Actor award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.
- His performance in the critically acclaimed 2019 drama The Light in Your Eyes (also known as Dazzling) showcased his mature acting skills and earned him a nomination for Best Actor at the Baeksang Arts Awards.
- In 2020, he starred as a genius software developer in the tvN drama Start-Up, which garnered him significant international recognition.
- His role as Baek Yi-jin in the highly successful 2022 coming-of-age drama Twenty-Five Twenty-One, opposite Kim Tae-ri, further solidified his status as a leading actor in South Korea and internationally, earning him another Best Actor nomination at the Baeksang Arts Awards.
- In 2023, he starred in the Disney+ vigilante crime thriller Vigilante.
Filmography
Television Series
- The Idle Mermaid (tvN, 2014) – Park Dae-bak
- Who Are You: School 2015 (KBS2, 2015) – Han Yi-an
- Glamorous Temptation (MBC, 2015) – young Jin Hyeong-woo
- Cheese in the Trap (tvN, 2016) – Kwon Eun-taek
- Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (SBS, 2016) – Baek-ah
- Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (MBC, 2016) – Jung Joon-hyung
- The Bride of Habaek (tvN, 2017) – Habaek
- The Light in Your Eyes (JTBC, 2019) – Lee Joon-ha
- Start-Up (tvN, 2020) – Nam Do-san
- Twenty-Five Twenty-One (tvN, 2022) – Baek Yi-jin
- Vigilante (Disney+, 2023) – Kim Ji-yong
Film
- The Great Battle (2018) – Sa-mool
- Josée (2020) – Lee Young-seok
- Remember (2022) – Park In-gyu
Awards and Nominations
- 2015 4th APAN Star Awards: Best New Actor (Who Are You: School 2015) – Won
- 2016 MBC Drama Awards: Best New Actor (Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo) – Won
- 2018 39th Blue Dragon Film Awards: Best New Actor (The Great Battle) – Won
- 2019 55th Baeksang Arts Awards: Best Actor – Television (The Light in Your Eyes) – Nominated
- 2020 Asia Artist Awards: Actor of the Year (Start-Up) – Won
- 2022 58th Baeksang Arts Awards: Best Actor – Television (Twenty-Five Twenty-One) – Nominated