Yeom Hye-ran

Yeom Hye-ran (born October 30, 1976) is a South Korean actress, with a portfolio of film, television, and theatre performances. Yeom began her career in theater in 1999 and made her screen debut in 2003. She has since played supporting roles in film and television, notably Dear My Friends, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016), I Can Speak, The Most Beautiful Goodbye (2017), Life (2018), When the Camellia Blooms, Innocent Witness (2019), Chocolate (2019–2020), The Uncanny Counter (2020–2023), The Glory (2022–2023), and Mask Girl (2024).

Early years
Yeom was born on October 30, 1976, in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, South Korea. She comes from a family of farmers and her mother was also a market rice seller.

Yeom's original career aspiration was to be a Korean language teacher. Hence she attended Department of Korean Literature of Seoul Women's University, where she discovered her love of acting as member of college theater club.

Debut and early careers
By chance, Yeom saw flyers of member recruitment from Yeonwoo Theater Company (Yeonwoo Mudae). In 1999, she auditioned and was accepted as a member. The following year, Yeom debuted as an actress with the play "Teacher Choi" (최선생).

Yeom made her screen debut in Bong Joon-ho's film Memories of Murder, which was released in 2003. It was during Yeom's portrayal of So-hyeon's mother in Yeonwoo's play This Lee (이 爾) that Director Bong witnessed her talent and invitated her to audition in his film.

In 2003, Yeom took part in a play produced by the theater company Iwa-sam, written and directed by Jang Woo-jae. The play, titled The Charyeoksa and the Accordion, depicts the story of an accordionist who wanders around the country looking for his runaway wife, his honest friend Cha Charyeoksa, a third-rate theater actor Yang Yang-sook, and a naive virgin girl called Sunny. Yeom's performance as Sunny was praised as chilling.

The play was selected as 2003 Culture and Arts Promotion Agency New Artist Support and had an encore performance in 2004 thanks to the audience's response. Yeom reprised her role Sunny in the encore performance. In December 2004, Yeom won Popular Actress Award from 1st Beautiful Play Award voted by theater netizen for her performance as Sunny.

Theater Iru and award-winning theater works
In 2004, former Yeonwoo member, Son Ki-ho established Theater Company Iru (극단 이루) based in Seondol Theater. Yeom and fellow actress Woo Mi-hwa followed him to be founding members. Iru first founding performance was the play "Ask the Blind Father for Directions" (하류인생에도 삶은 있어). Written and directed by Son Ki-ho, it premiered on June 4 at Dongsung Stage Small Theater in Daehangno, Seoul, and ran until July 4, 2004. The story centered in a family of three consisting of a son, So Seon-ho who was diagnosed by cancer with a parent with disability. Yeom acted as Seon-ho's mother, opposite Kim Hak-sun who acted as the father. Yeom was praised for her performances and even called as the second Hwang Jung-min. Her costar also praised her performance and said,

The play "Ask the Blind Father for Directions" (하류인생에도 삶은 있어) won an award at The 16th Geochang International Theatre Festival and received support from the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture. From March to July 2005, Yeom reprised her role in the play "Ask the Blind Father for Directions" at National Theater, Seoul Arts Theater and other theaters. In February 2006, Yeom won the Rookie Award at the 42nd Dong-A Theater Award for her role in the play.

In 2008, Yeom acted as Park Mi-cheon in Son Ki-ho's play "The person who lived in Gampo, Deokyi, and Yeolsu" (감포사는 분이, 덕이, 열수). She reprised the role in 2009. In 2009, at the 14th Hee-seo Theater Award, Yeom won the Expected Theater Actress Award.

In May 2010, Iru's play "The person who lived in Gampo, Deokyi, and Yeolsu" performed at the 2010 Seoul Theater Festival. Yeom won Acting Award and the play won Popularity Award.

Venture into small screen and other recent projects
Yeom debuted in television with Noh Hee-kyung's drama Dear My Friends in 2016. Directed by Hong Jong-chan, it had star-studded casts, starring Go Hyun-jung, Kim Hye-ja, Na Moon-hee, Go Doo-shim, Park Won-sook, Youn Yuh-jung, Joo Hyun, Kim Young-ok and Shin Goo. Yeom acted as Soon-yeong, adopted eldest daughter of Moon Jung-ah (played by Na Moon-hee), who struggled with domestic violence. Yeom was praised for her daughter-mother lasting impression performance with Na Moon-hee.

She was cast in the drama by chance. Writer Noh Hee-kyung came to watch Na Moon-hee's play Goodnight Mom, where Yeom played her daughter, Jessi. After watching her performance in the play, writer Noh offered her role in her upcoming drama, trough Na. "'Teacher Na Moon-hee and the writer are very close, so they came to see the performance. Dear My Friends was in the planning stage, and she said that it would be nice to appear. Thanks to practicing and performing together, it was a great help to the drama. If I had met her for the first time during the drama filming, I would have frozen in front of her since he was a senior I respect so much.'"In the same year, Yeom acted as a villain in her next drama Guardian: The Lonely and Great God. She took on the role of Ji Yeon-sook, Ji Eun-tak's maternal aunt who bullied her niece Eun-tak (played by Kim Go-eun) for her sister's death insurance. Ji was a villain, but somehow Yeom lively acting, which makes people laugh, was a feat to watch.

In 2017, Yeom reunited for the second time with Noh Hee-kyung and director Hong Jong-chan with four episode dramas The Most Beautiful Goodbye. It was a remake of the drama of the same name by Noh that aired in 1996 on MBC. Yeom played Shin Yang-soon, Kim Geun-deok's wife, acted opposite Yoo Jae-myung, who played Kim Geun-deok, In-hee's brother. In 2018, Yeom worked for the third time with Noh Hee-kyung's drama Live as Yeom Sang-soo's mother (role played by Lee Kwang-soo). Yeom also reunited for the third time with director Hong Jong-chan in drama Life as Kang Kyung-ah, manager of Sangkook University Hospital. It was written by.

In the same year, Yeom also had reunion project with Na Moon-hee in feature film I Can Speak. She played market shop owner Jin Ju-daek, who has close relationship with main character, Na Ok-bun (Na Moon-hee). Yeom was cast in I Can Speak after the casting director watched the audition video for Secret Sunshine from a decade ago.

In 2019, Yeom starred as supporting role in drama When the Camellia Blooms. Yeom acted as Hong Ja-young, a sophisticated divorce lawyer and wife to Gyu-tae (played by Oh Jung-se). Hong Ja-young is a confident and charismatic woman, who also had trust issues with her husband. Her acting in the drama garnered favorable reviews from viewers who see her character as girl crush, affectionately called the nation older sister. Her chemistry with Oh, made them won Best Couple at KBS Drama Awards, in which she won Best Supporting Actress Award. Yeom also received nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 7th APAN Star Awards and 56th Baeksang Arts Awards.

In 2021, Yeom starred in OCN drama The Uncanny Counter with Jo Byung-gyu, Yoo Jun-sang, and Kim Se-jeong. Yeom acted as Choo Mae-ok, a former photographer, who had powerful healing abilities. She joins the Counters after being possessed by her Son Su-ho's spirit. Yeom received Best Supporting Actress Award at 57th Baeksang Arts Awards for this role.

After over two decades of debut, Yeom had her first title role in Bae Jong-dae's mystery film Blacklight, which was released in February 2021. Produced by One Take Film, New Life, it depicts two women who their fate entangled through their husbands' car accidents. Yeom acted as Yeong-nam, a single mom, who had to care for daughter and her comatose husband. Yeom garnered critical acclaim for her role and nominated in 8th Wildflower Film Awards and 30th Buil Film Awards. She won the Best Actress Award at the 21st Jeonju International Film Festival.

In 2022, she starred in the Netflix revenge thriller web series, The Glory, starring Song Hye-kyo playing the role of Kang Hyeon-nam, a battered wife who became a revenge accomplice to Hye-kyo's character. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress Award at 58th Baeksang Arts Awards for this role.

Personal life
In 2005 Yeom married her non-celebrity husband. They have a daughter together. She gave birth in 2012 and took a break from acting for a while.