1990–1994: Early work and breakthrough While a student at the Theater and Film department of
Dongguk University, he sang in an amateur folk rock band. He took a brief, year-long contract as
voice actor at
KBS, before moving on to TV and film acting. After a debut in the 1990
MBC campus drama
Our Paradise, Han rose to stardom as "Hong-shik" in
The Moon of Seoul (1994), a charming gigolo from the slums determined to attain wealth at all cost in the big city. "Choon-seop", an old friend from hometown played by
Choi Min-sik, struggles hopelessly to stop "Hong-shik" from his self-ruin. The partnership of Han and Choi as uneasy allies or foes, parlayed into two flagship films of the 1990s:
No. 3 and
Shiri. Both the series and "Hong-shik" character have since become beloved icons, as part of the Korean television's golden era before the advent of
Korean Wave.
1995–1999: Prominence Before the end of the 20th century, Han headlined films that were critically acclaimed (
Green Fish,
No. 3) and commercially successful (
The Contact,
Christmas in August,
Shiri — the latter two making particular impact in Japan). Han's experience in the early stages of Korean cinema renaissance in the 1990s, cemented his belief in a script-driven model for movie-making. Thus the founding of "Makdong Script Festival" (named after his role in
Green Fish), with co-sponsor film magazine
Cine 21. Winners may claim two cash prizes funded by Han, with the potential to launch directing careers based from their own scripts. The annual contest is now extant over 10 years, with two titles produced so far: the comedy
2424 (2002) and
Private Eye (2009) starring
Hwang Jung-min.
2000–2010: Hiatus and career fluctuations Han went into an extended hiatus in 1999 declining several lucrative opportunities with name directors as he suffered disc problem. Han returned in 2003 with espionage film
Double Agent. The film, which netted one million admissions, was seen as a failure for a star labeled by the media as "box office guarantee." This was followed by a sizable
backlash from
netizens and the press, who rushed to bury the co-self-produced spy thriller as the public disgrace of a former golden boy. His press and image took further beating in the next two, even more polarizing films: the unforeseen tragedy surrounding
The Scarlet Letter, and the incendiary political content of ''
The President's Last Bang''. Nonetheless, these controversial works screened at Cannes, and were featured in a tribute to the actor at the Austrian FilmAsia festival. Despite this rocky return to feature films, Han remains well regarded by such major directors as
Park Chan-wook,
Lee Joon-ik,
Kang Woo-suk and
Jang Jin. Compared to his peak popularity in the 90s, his work may seem an acquired taste for general audiences, although some cult following ensued for his ultra-sadistic turn in
A Bloody Aria. He remained self-managed until as late as 2006, before joining the KM Culture agency due to increased regimentation of the industry. Making 2006 a busy year, Han starred in period sex comedy
Forbidden Quest, followed by black comedy film
A Bloody Aria and melodrama film
Solace. Stylish thrillers followed, where Han starred alongside
Cha Seung-won in
Eye for an Eye and
Son Ye-jin in the adaptation of
Keigo Higashino novel of
White Night. Han then starred in
Villain and Widow with
Kim Hye-soo.
2011–2015: Resurgence and return to small screen Han returned to the spotlight with his performance in historical drama
Deep Rooted Tree, where his performance of
King Sejong earned him the Grand Award at the 2011
SBS Drama Awards. In 2013, Han starred in the action thriller film
The Berlin File, playing a South Korean agent. He then starred in musical film
My Paparotti, playing a music teacher who is stuck in a rut until he meets a delinquent teenager. He returned to the small screen in the historical drama
Secret Door, playing
King Yeongjo. This was followed by period film
The Royal Tailor, about a rivalry between two tailors at the
Sangŭiwŏn. However, both projects were less successful.
2016–present: Established actor Han bounced back with the hit medical drama
Dr. Romantic, written by acclaimed screenwriter
Kang Eun-kyung. The drama garnered over 20% viewership ratings, and Han received positive reviews for his performance. He also won the Grand Prize (Daesang) Award at the
2016 SBS Drama Awards. Han returned to the big screen in crime drama film
The Prison. Han is slated to star in upcoming thrillers
Idol and ''Father's War
, and period drama film Astronomy''. In 2019, Han starred in OCN's thriller drama
Watcher as a detective. In 2020, Han reprised his role of Teacher Kim in
Dr. Romantic 2. ==Image and influence==