Hyun Bin (현빈)

Tall, handsome oppas seem to be a dime a dozen these days, but only time can tell who among today’s crop of rising stars have the power to stay. More than 20 years since his debut in the drama Bodyguard, Hyun Bin has proven several times over that he is in a league of top Hallyu celebrities that can withstand the whims of a public obsessed with finding the next big thing.

Photo from HanCinema

Birthday: September 25, 1982 Instagram (agency): Vast Entertainment

Although there’s no denying that his majestically good looks-- impossibly broad shoulders, impeccable bone structure, and killer dimples--have won the hearts of fans around the world, his longevity may be attributed to his range as an actor, the intelligence with which he has navigated his career, as well as his quiet and dignified mystique.

Hyun Bin (born Kim Tae-pyung) has taken on roles as varied as a young mathematical genius (Snow Queen, 2006), a psychiatric patient (I am Happy, 2009), a suave gigolo in Seattle (Late Autumn, 2011), a chaebol with a split personality disorder (Hyde, Jekyll, Me, 2015), and a devilish hostage taker (The Negotiation, 2017).

His most iconic roles--as an arrogant chaebol who occasionally swaps bodies with a poor stuntwoman (Secret Garden, 2010) and as an upright yet inner softie North Korean soldier opposite his then soon-to-be wife Son Ye-jin (Crash Landing on You, 2019) earned him not just international adulation but two Daesang (Grand Prize) Awards.

While he has yet to return to k-dramaland since CLOY, he has been busy making movies. He has starred in The Point Men with Hwang Jung-min, based on the 2007 South Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan, and the sequel to Confidential Assignment 2.

On top of being one of Korea’s most highly-paid actors and commercial endorsers, Hyun Bin is a successful businessman who established his own agency, actively invests in real estate, and gives generously to charitable causes.

These days he's cherishing his new favorite role, as a doting appa to his son with Son Ye-jin.