Veteran actress Yeo Woon-kye passes away
by javabeans
Oh, sad. Veteran actress Yeo Woon-kye passed away on May 22 after battling cancer. She had initially been diagnosed with cancer of the kidneys in 2007, and had seemed to make a full recovery. However, it was not long ago that she found out that the disease had traveled to her lungs.
Yeo was 69 years old and enjoyed a career spanning 47 years; she had been seen in numerous dramas and films over the years — if you’ve been watching dramas for a while, chances are you’ve seen her more than a few times (she was my favorite cranky granny and a great comic as well as dramatic actress).
Yeo Woon-kye began acting in the late 1950s as a university student, although her bona fide debut came when she joined a theater company following graduation in 1962. She had said in an interview of her early days, “My family strongly opposed my becoming an actor, so I had to give it up and decided to go to school to go into teaching, but even after waiting, there was no space available at school. So that’s how I started acting. It was like fate.”
Some of her more recent roles came in dramas like Dae Jang Geum in 2003, My Name Is Kim Sam-soon in 2005, Bad Family in 2006, and Golden Age of the Daughter-in-Law in 2007.
She is survived by her husband, Cha Sang-hoon (72), a former university professor, and two children (one son, one daughter).
Via Yonhap News
Tags: deaths, Yeo Woon-kye
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1 wananie
May 22, 2009 at 10:54 AM
SAD! i love her in DJG and MNIKSS :(
rest in peace
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2 hmmm...
May 22, 2009 at 10:59 AM
RIP. I had no idea she was fighting cancer. She always appeared strong and healthy...
She'll be remembered.
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3 missmartypants08
May 22, 2009 at 10:59 AM
Wow, I remember her! She was in DJG & MNIKSS, that's so sad. RIP Yeo Woon-kye
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4 bina
May 22, 2009 at 11:00 AM
i'm so upset after reading this. i've seen her in bad housewife & sam soon drama... this is really upsetting...
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5 chu
May 22, 2009 at 11:11 AM
aw :( may she rest in peace.
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6 Lena S.
May 22, 2009 at 11:18 AM
this is so sad! i saw her several times on tv including in MNIKSS, Hello Miss and Bad Family, she will be missed...
i hope she can Rest in Peace now.
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7 xiahkixiri
May 22, 2009 at 11:19 AM
When I saw the picture first though, I started thinking (another suicide?). So, at least she had a happy life, and got to live her dream. RIP.
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8 ar_arguably romantic
May 22, 2009 at 11:44 AM
RIP. loved her in Bad Family. going to miss seeing her.
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9 zerohundred
May 22, 2009 at 11:50 AM
Totally sad! D: Rest in peace!
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10 Mumuchan
May 22, 2009 at 11:54 AM
I really loved her in MNIKSS and bad family. May she rest in peace.
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11 xiaoSxin
May 22, 2009 at 11:57 AM
this sad news for her family.. at the same time happy since she will have no more pain and suffering.
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12 Reese
May 22, 2009 at 11:57 AM
Rest in Peace. This is so sad. :(
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13 strawberryfields
May 22, 2009 at 11:58 AM
that's really sad! i hope she's happy and peaceful wherever she is right now
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14 Sere
May 22, 2009 at 12:12 PM
This is so sad! :(
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15 invisibelle
May 22, 2009 at 12:15 PM
Aww. She was so loveable in Dae Jang Geum.
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16 Christinaaar
May 22, 2009 at 12:17 PM
OMG!!! great, that just depressed my whole day. i absolutely loved her in bad family....
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17 Carol
May 22, 2009 at 12:40 PM
Great Woman R.I.P
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18 kitty
May 22, 2009 at 12:44 PM
This is so sad :( I've seen her in MNIKSS, Dae Jang Geum, Hello Miss and some other dramas where she played the cranky granny, and she was so good at what she did. I always enjoyed her performances.This is a loss to the Korean entertainment industry. My condolences to her family and friends. RIP.
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19 Samsooki
May 22, 2009 at 12:45 PM
47 years as an actress....spanning theatre, television and cinema
Just amazing.
What a tremendous life she lived.
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20 Biscuit
May 22, 2009 at 12:46 PM
One of my favorite veteran actresses!
This is really sad.
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21 le
May 22, 2009 at 12:55 PM
i just finished watching Bad Family, she was a really great actress in that.
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22 b020
May 22, 2009 at 1:00 PM
RIP
She was wonderful in Bad Family - everyone should watch it!
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23 koalabear
May 22, 2009 at 1:20 PM
so sad to hear this news...I think she lived her career successfully. too bad that she lost the battle against the Big C...may she rest in peace and she will always be remembered
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24 paula
May 22, 2009 at 1:21 PM
the young stars come and go, but it is veterans like Yeo Woon-kye who make k-dramas what they are. thank you.
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25 Pat
May 22, 2009 at 1:53 PM
Such a great loss - she will be missed not only by her family and friends but all of us who appreciate her work.
My condolences to her family and friends.
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