Kim Rae-won initially wanted to become a professional basketball player, but when an injured
ankle tendon ended that childhood dream, he turned to acting and studied Theater and Film at
Chung-Ang University. He made his acting debut in the 1997 teen drama
Me, in the role of a newbie at the broadcasting club of his high school. This was followed by another teen drama,
School 2 (1999) and
coming-of-age film Plum Blossom (2000). In 2002, Kim rose to fame after starring in the romance comedy drama
My Love Patzzi. His popularity further increased in 2003, playing a law student slacker who
cohabitates with a girl (
Jeong Da-bin) in the popular romance series
Cats on the Roof. He then played a carefree photographer who enters the life of an introverted girl in
melodrama ...ing and starred in the
romantic comedy film
My Little Bride, in the role of a college graduate forced to marry a high school girl (
Moon Geun-young).
My Little Bride became a
sleeper hit and was the second top-grossing Korean film of 2004. Kim continued playing romantic heroes on television, in
dramas such as
Snowman (2003),
Love Story in Harvard (2004), and
Which Star Are You From (2006). But on the big screen, he focused on darker, more masculine fare. He played a lowlife-turned-cop in
Mr. Socrates (2005), a former
gangster attempting to turn over a new leaf in
Sunflower (2006), and an
antihero art restorer in
Insadong Scandal (2009). In 2008, Kim played an elementary school teacher who falls for a Korean-Japanese jewelry designer (
Mirai Yamamoto) in the Japanese film . Later that year, he starred as a genius aspiring chef in
Gourmet, a hit series based on
Huh Young-man's
manhwa Sikgaek. Kim then explored the
melodrama genre in ''
A Thousand Days' Promise'' (2011), by renowned TV screenwriter
Kim Soo-hyun. Kim impressed the audience with his portrayal of a character torn between the longtime girlfriend whom his parents approve of, and the woman he truly loves (
Soo Ae) who has
early-onset Alzheimer's disease. In the 2012 film
My Little Hero (released internationally as
A Wonderful Moment), Kim played a cynical
music director who "discovers" a young boy in an audition contest. He next starred in 2014 legal thriller
Punch, where he wowed critics with his portrayal of a prosecutor who is diagnosed with a terminal illness and decides to use his remaining six months to bring down the corrupt officials within the legal system. This was followed by
Gangnam Blues, a 2015 noir action film by director
Yoo Ha about the seedy underbelly behind the rapid real estate development of
Gangnam in the 1970s. Kim shed 15 kilograms to make his role as a fist-fighting gangster more realistic. He then made his small-screen comeback in the SBS's medical drama
Doctors opposite
Park Shin-hye. The drama topped viewership ratings and popularity charts during its 10-week broadcast. Following
Doctors, Kim experienced a rise in popularity and commercial offers. In 2017, Kim starred in the crime action film
The Prison alongside
Han Suk-kyu, playing a former detective behind bars. The film became a
surprise hit at the box office and received critical acclaim; and Kim was praised for his realistic execution of action scenes. Kim next starred in mystery thriller film
RV: Resurrected Victims by
Kwak Kyung-taek. The same year, Kim made his television comeback in fantasy romance drama
Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me. In September 2018, Kim was cast in the action film
Long Live The King alongside
Won Jin-ah, based on a webtoon of the same name. Kim took the role of a mob boss who campaigned and became a politician. In 2019, Kim was also cast in the romantic comedy film
Crazy Romance alongside
Snowman co-star
Gong Hyo-jin. In July 2021, HB Entertainment's contract ended and Kim decided not to renew it. In 2022, Kim returns to the small screen with the SBS drama
The First Responders, his first terrestrial television in six years since 2016. The second season premiered in 2023. In April 2022, it was reported that Kim had formed the Whale Company, an entity Kim founded as a sole agency. ==Personal life==