Nam Ji-hyun

Biography

Nam Ji-hyun (Korean: 남지현; born September 17, 1995) is a South Korean actress. Nam began her career in 2004 as a child actress in the television series Say You Love Me (2004). She is best known for her roles in Queen Seondeok (2009), Suspicious Partner (2017), 100 Days My Prince (2018), 365: Repeat the Year (2020), Good Partner (2024), and To My Beloved Thief (2025).

== Early life and education == Nam Ji-hyun was born on September 17, 1995 at Incheon, South Korea. When she was six, She and her family relocated to Bupyeong District. She attended Baekun Elementary School and Sangjeong Middle School before continuing her education at Incheon Choeun High School. In 2014, she gained admission to Sogang University as a Psychology major in 2014, through regular admissions. She finished her degree in February 2020, despite her busy schedule as an active actress in between her studies.

== Career ==

=== 2004–2012: Beginnings as a child actress === In February 2004, Nam began her acting career through MBC television series titled Say You Love Me (2004). Before her official debut, she worked as a child model for a magazine and appeared on the MBC entertainment show Radio Report. In 2005, Nam made her film debut by portraying the younger version of Yoon So-yi's character in Shadowless Sword. Nam secured a lead role the following year in the 2006 film My Captain, Mr. Underground, directed by Song Chang-soo. She played the bubbly second-grader Ji-min, whose family unit consists of her grandfather (played by Lee Do-kyung) and her dog, Yeoboya. Her next project was the SBS drama My Love, where she played Kim Min, a performance that earned her the Best Young Actress Award at the 2006 SBS Drama Awards. That same year, she appeared in the SBS Christmas special drama My Love Clementine, written by Park Beom-soo and directed by Hong Chang-wook. She took on the role of the main character, 9-year-old Ba-da, the adopted daughter of Dal-ho (Son Hyun-joo). After a tragic car accident claims her adoptive mother's life, Dal-ho suffers memory loss and desperately struggles to protect Ba-da while preserving their cherished memories.

Nam appeared in the 2007 film Mapado 2: Back to the Island. That same year, she starred in the SBS drama Lobbyist, portraying the young version of Yoo So-young, a character played by Jang Jin-young. Her performance stood out, earning her a nomination for the Best Young Actress Award at the 2007 SBS Drama Awards. In 2008, Nam portrayed the young Queen Soheon in the KBS2 drama The Great King, Sejong, a role played by Lee Yoon-ji as an adult. That same year, Nam gained recognition for her role as the childhood version of Kim Ji-hyun (adult version was portrayed by Han Ji-hye) in the MBC drama East of Eden. Her performance earned her the Best Young Actress award at the 2008 MBC Drama Awards. In 2009 she returned to prominence as the young Deok-man (young Queen Sondeok), the childhood version of Lee Yo-won's character in the MBC historical drama Queen Seondeok. This performance earned her the Best Young Actress award at the 2009 MBC Drama Awards. Later that year, Nam starred in Will It Snow for Christmas?, portraying the teenage Han Ji-wan, the love interest of Cha Kang-jin (played by Kim Soo-hyun). The adult versions of Han Ji-wan and Cha Kang-jin were later portrayed by Han Ye-seul and Go Soo, respectively. In 2010, Nam portrayed the young Jeong-yeon (Park Jin-hee's character) in the SBS drama Giant. That same year, she was cast in the film Mr. Go and spent a year rehearsing and honing her Chinese and circus skills. However, due to Chinese investment in the production, she was replaced by a local actress at the request of Chinese authorities, leading to the cancellation of her role. In 2011, Nam starred in the dark fantasy films A Reason to Live (2011), co-starring Song Hye-kyo. She delivered a compelling performance as a young genius grappling with the aftermath of domestic violence. Director Lee Jung-hyang praised her interpretation and insight, noting her impressive emotional expression on set. He marveled at her combination of diligence and giftedness. She later appeared in the miniseries Girl Detective, Park Hae-sol (2012). Her performance earned her the Best Young Actress award at the 2012 KBS Drama Awards. She then made a special appearance in the youth drama To the Beautiful You (2012) as Hong Da-hae, an aspiring violinist and a childhood frenemy of Cha Eun-gyeol (Lee Hyun-woo).

=== 2013–2014: Transition period ===

Nam transitioned from a child actress to more mature roles, notably appearing in Jang Joon-hwan film Hwayi: A Monster Boy (2013), as Yu-kyung, the love interest of the protagonist Hwayi (played by Yeo Jin-goo). The film marked a turning point for both Yeo and Nam as they rebranded from child actors to full-fledged actors. For this role, Nam was nominated for Best New Actress at the 2013 Blue Dragon Film Awards. She followed this with the SBS drama Angel Eyes (2014). In this series, she portrayed the younger Yoon Soo-wan, a blind woman whose life intertwines with that of her childhood friend, Park Dong-joo, played by Kang Ha-neul. The adult versions of Yoon Soo-wan and Park Dong-joo were later portrayed by Koo Hye-sun and Lee Sang-yoon, respectively. That same year she appeared in the KBS2 family weekend drama What Happens to My Family? (2014) as Kang Seo-wool, a country girl with a strong Chungcheong dialect who moves to Seoul hoping to marry Cha Dal-bong (Park Hyung-sik). Her on-screen chemistry with Park Hyung-sik won them the Best Couple Award at the 2014 KBS Drama Awards, and Nam also received the Best New Actress award. In 2015 she was nominated for Best New Actress at the 51st Baeksang Arts Awards.

=== 2016–2020: Rising popularity and leading roles ===