Veteran Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki dies at 74
Veteran Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki has passed away at the age of 74.
Sung-ki’s agency, Artist Company, announced that he died at 9:00 a.m. on Jan. 5 after a battle with blood cancer.
According to multiple outlets, the actor was first diagnosed in 2019 and was in remission in the following year. However, the illness recurred during follow-up monitoring, and he had recently been undergoing treatment.
Artist Company remembered Sung-ki as someone who deeply valued dignity and responsibility as a human being and referred to him as a “national actor” in the truest sense.
“His performances were always directed toward people and life itself, and through countless projects, he offered deep resonance and comfort across eras and generations,” it stated.
His funeral will be held on Jan. 9 at the Seoul St. Mary's Hospital and he will be laid to rest at Byeolgeurida in Yangpyeong.
"The works and spirit of actor Ahn Sung-ki will remain with us for a long time to come and be remembered by many," the agency added.
Ahn Sung-ki is regarded as one of South Korea’s most respected and beloved screen actors. His six-decade-long career saw him appear in more than 130 films, including Silmido (2003) and Radio Star (2006).
He began his acting career at just five years old in Kim Ki-young’s The Twilight Train (1957) and later appeared in The Housemaid (1960). His early success earned him the Best Child Actor award at the 1960 San Francisco Film Festival for Defiance of a Teenager.
Sung-ki put his acting on hold to focus on his studies and would later graduate with high honors from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
He made his acting comeback in the late 70s and went on to appear in over 100 films.
During his stint on TV and film, he bagged numerous accolades, including the Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actor for Mandala, Village in the Mist, Flower on the Equator, The Age of Success, and Unbowed, as well as the Grand Prize (Daesang) in film in 1994. In 2013, the award-giving body recognized him with a Lifetime Achievement Award for social contributions.
Sung-ki also achieved several historic milestones, including becoming the first Korean actor to leave his footprints at the iconic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in 2012. He was also appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
“Whenever encountering children, we learned how much greater the joy of giving is than receiving. To us, he was a beloved actor with a kind smile, and to children worldwide, he was a steady pillar of hope. Goodwill Ambassador Ahn Sung-ki, who stood by children with unwavering affection for over 40 years, has now left our side,” UNICEF said in a statement.
Sung-ki is survived by his wife and two children.
