Byun entered the
MBC actor's auditions in 1965, and made his acting debut in 1970. A year later in 1971, he became a regular on the landmark
police procedural Chief Inspector. At the time of his debut, he used his real name, Byeon In-cheol, but in 1977, in an attempt to improve his image as a villain, he used the stage name Byun Hee-bong. Throughout the 1970s, he became known on TV as a
character actor who played eccentric men who didn't quite fit in with mainstream Korean society. He transitioned to the big screen in the 1980s, and earlier in his film career, starred in the classic
Lee Doo-yong film
Eunuch (1986) and
A Surrogate Father (1993). In 2000, Byun appeared in a memorable supporting role in
Bong Joon-ho's directorial debut
Barking Dogs Never Bite, playing a bizarre apartment maintenance man with a love for
dog meat. It rejuvenated his career, and Bong would later cast him in the short film
Sink & Rise (2004), and his seminal works crime drama
Memories of Murder (2003) and monster movie
The Host (2006).
The Host became the
top-grossing Korean film of all time, and Byun won much acclaim for his performance as the strong-willed patriarch of a "loser" family, including Best Supporting Actor awards at the
Asia Pacific Film Festival and
Blue Dragon Film Awards. Among Byun's other notable roles were in martial arts fantasy
Volcano High (2001), rural dramedy
My Teacher, Mr. Kim (2003), horror comedy
To Catch a Virgin Ghost (2004),
body swap thriller ''
The Devil's Game (2008), and espionage film The Spies'' (2012). Byun was also known for being active in
television, with his portrayals of endearing, humorous fathers/grandfathers, or stern, cunning professionals. ==Death==