Father of ballet dancer Yoon Hyejin passes away
Appeared in over 100 films
Veteran actor Yoon Ilbong, who starred as the leading man in romance films from the 1960s to the 1980s, passed away on December 8. He was 91 years old.
According to the film industry, Yoon Ilbong, who was the father of ballet dancer Yoon Hyejin and the father-in-law of actor Uhm Taewoong, passed away on this day.
Born in Goesan County, North Chungcheong Province, Yoon Ilbong entered the film industry as a child actor in "Railroad Story" (1947) and "Blue Hill" (1948). He began his acting career in earnest as the lead in director Min Kyungshik's "Love of Salvation" in 1955.
He went on to star in films such as "Confession of Plea" (1957), "Conditions of Happiness" (1959), and "The Day Love Bloomed and Withered" (1960), becoming a beloved leading actor in melodramas.
In 1956, he also appeared on stage in the play "Hero Im Kkeokjeong," but his main stage remained the cinema, with appearances in approximately 100 films throughout his life.
He showcased his versatility in roles in films such as "Man of the Storm" (1968), "Detective Marie" (1975), and "Chobun" (1977). In films like "The Woman I Abandoned" (1977), "The Man I Abandoned" (1979), and "The Wooden Horse That Went to the Sea" (1980), he portrayed middle-aged men who fall into tragic love with young female leads.
Alongside Shin Sungil and Namkoong Won, he was considered one of the representative handsome actors of the 1970s and stood shoulder to shoulder with Shin Sungil in the film "Heavenly Homecoming to Stars" (1974).
He also left behind notable works such as "Aeha" (1967), "A Woman's Trap" (1982), and "Gagopa" (1984).
From 1998 to 1999, he served as the 11th president of the Korean Film Promotion Corporation and contributed to the development of the film industry in various capacities, including as president of the Korean Actors Association and as a member of the Korean Film Council.
He received the Best Actor award at the Grand Bell Awards in 1984, the Order of Cultural Merit (Silver Crown) at the Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards in 2012, the Korean Film Achievement Award at the Grand Bell Awards in 2015, and the Achievement in Film Award from the Korean Association of Film Critics in 2021.
He married the late Yoo Eunyi, the older sister of actor Yoo Donggeun, in 1951. His wife passed away last year.
The funeral hall has been set up at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, and the funeral will be held on December 10.
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