Kim Ha-neul was born on February 21, 1978, in Seoul, South Korea. Her given name "Ha-neul" means "sky" in Korean. Her immediate family consists of her parents and one younger brother. She attended the Seoul Institute of the Arts.
Kim married a businessman, on March 19, 2016.[1][2] On October 9, 2017, Kim announced that she is expecting her first child.[3] On May 27, 2018, she gave birth to a daughter.[4]
Kim Ha-neul started her career by modeling for clothing brand Storm in 1996. She then made her acting debut in the 1998 film Bye June alongside Yoo Ji-tae. In 1999, she starred a medical drama film Doctor K, which earned her first acting award nomination. In the same year, she made appearances in television dramas Happy Together and Into the Sunlight, and featured in the music video for "To Heaven" by Jo Sung-mo. Later, she reunited with Yoo Ji-tae in 2000's sci-fi romance Ditto, and rose to fame as an actress.[6]
2001–2007: Rise to popularity
Kim's breakout role was in romance melodrama series Piano, in which she played a pure, fragile young woman. The series was the second most successful drama of 2001, achieving a peak rating of 40.2%. She then starred in 2002 hit Romance alongside Kim Jae-won, which led her to stardom and won her Top Excellence Award in acting.[7] In 2003, she raised her profile through the huge box-office hit My Tutor Friend, where she acted as a college girl tasked with helping a delinquent student her own age graduate from high school alongside her opposite Kwon Sang-woo.[8] In 2004, she starred in Too Beautiful to Lie, as an ex-convict who pretends to be the fiancée of a man being pressured to marry by his nosy, close-knit family.[9] Due to the success of her films, Kim was dubbed "the queen of romantic comedies" by the Korean press.[10]
In 2008, Kim starred in On Air, a Kim Eun-sook penned drama which gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at a television drama production. Kim plays a top actress with an arrogant personality in the series.[14][15] The drama raised Kim's popularity and earned her acting recognition at the Korea Drama Awards.[16][17] The following year, Kim starred in spy romantic comedy My Girlfriend Is an Agent.[18] The film was a box-office success, and earned positive reviews for its quality and performance.[19]
In 2010, Kim played a medical student torn between two soldiers in Korean War drama Road No. 1.[20][21][22] Despite strong hype and a ₩13 million budget, the series received low ratings.[6][23][24]
In 2012, Kim returned to the small screen as a high school ethics teacher who falls for a playboy architect (played by Jang Dong-gun) in the hit drama A Gentleman's Dignity.[32] Made by the same team behind On Air (writer Kim Eun-sook and director Shin Woo-chul), the series revolved around the love lives of four male friends in their forties.[33][34][35][36]
2015–present: Return to the screen
In 2015, Kim was cast in her first Chinese film, romantic comedy Making Family opposite Aarif Rahman.[37][38]
^Kim Na-young (March 26, 2021). "싸이더스HQ 떠난 김하늘, 아이오케이와 전속계약...고현정과 한솥밥(공식)" [Kim Ha-neul, who left Sidus HQ, signed an exclusive contract with IOK... Go Hyun-jung and Hansotbap (Official)]. Mk Sports (in Korean). Retrieved March 26, 2021 – via Naver.
^Lee Ho-young (November 10, 2021). "김하늘 출연확정 '킬힐'로 쇼호스트 변신 [공식입장]" [Kim Ha-neul confirmed to appear as a show host with 'Kill Hill] (in Korean). iMBC. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021 – via Naver.
^Lee, Kyung-ho (July 25, 2023). "[단독]김하늘X연우진X장승조, '멱살 한번 잡힙시다'로 뭉쳤다..주연 발탁 [종합]" [[Exclusive] Kim Ha-Neul, Yeon Woo-Jin, and Jang Seung-Jo team up for 'Let's Catch a Smackdown'...they're set to star in the film [Total]] (in Korean). MT Star News. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Naver.
^Lee Joon-hyeon (May 26, 2023). "김하늘X정지훈, 디즈니+ '화인가 스캔들' 출연 확정...두 배우의 기대되는 만남" [Kim Ha-neul X Jung Ji-hoon confirmed to appear in Disney+'s 'Fine Artist Scandal'... The anticipated meeting of the two actors] (in Korean). Ten Asia. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023 – via Naver.