Martial Arts Movie Star Nam Seok-hoon Passes Away in Hawaii at Age 85

Film Actor and Director Active in the 1960s and 1970s

Actor and singer Nam Seok-hoon has passed away at the age of 85. According to the film industry on the 13th, he died on the 7th in Hawaii, USA.

Movie 'Akmyeong' Still Cut

He was an active film actor and director during the 1960s and 1970s. Born in Pyongyang in 1939, he spent his childhood in Seoul. He debuted as a singer in 1958 after graduating from high school. He performed on stages such as the US 8th Army and earned the nickname "the Elvis Presley of Korea."

His acting career began in 1962 when he appeared in director Im Kwon-taek's film Goodbye, Duman River. He mainly appeared in youth films such as director Yoo Hyun-mok's The Blue Dream Will Shine (1963), and in the 1970s, he gained popularity for his spectacular action in martial arts films. He consecutively hit the box office with films like director Jung Chang-hwa's Iron Man (1972), director Byun Jang-ho's Black Butterfly (1974), and the Korea-Hong Kong co-production Black Panther (1974).

He also took the director's chair himself. His first directed film was the action movie Notorious (1974). He also starred in it, playing a man who tries to escape the ruthless world of violent organizations but meets a tragic end. He directed other Korea-Hong Kong co-productions such as The Secret Agent (1975), Jung Mu Moon (Sequel) (1977), and Shaolin Tong Tian Men (1977).

His daughter Nam Hee-joo, born from his first wife who passed away, also worked as an actress. She debuted in the 2002 film Coastline and appeared in Scent of Chrysanthemums (2003) and Beast (2006).