Renowned actor Oh Hyeon Kyeong has passed away at the age of 88.
Oh Hyeon Kyeong passed away at around 9:11 a.m. on the 1st of March at a nursing home in Kimpo, Gyeonggi Province, as reported by his family. He had been battling illness for over 6 months since collapsing due to a cerebral hemorrhage last August.
Born in 1936 in Suseong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, he was the grandson of poet Oh Il-do. During his time at Seoul High School in 1954, he created the school’s drama club and won an award at the “National High School Drama Competition” for his role in the play “Soyukshin” where he also directed. After enrolling in the Korean Language and Literature department at Yonsei University, he became a member of the Yonsei Theater Arts Research Society and actively pursued acting and directing. He went on to act in various plays continuing his acting career for over 60 years.
As a KBS 1st generation talent, he also participated in TV dramas in the 1960s. During the TBC days, he gained popularity for portraying a naive bachelor character competing with a handsome wealthy youth. Particularly, from 1983 to 1993, he received much love from the public for his role as Manager Lee Jang-soo, symbolizing the plight of a salesman, in the KBS drama “TV Son-in-law’s Law.” His acting always showcased precise pronunciation, stable emotional expression, and movements on stage, small screen, and big screen.
Despite briefly halting his acting career due to esophageal and stomach cancer, he returned to the theater in 2008 with the play “The Protagonist,” winning the Male Acting Award at the Seoul Theater Festival for his role as Choi Pal-yeong. In 2009, he won the Male Acting Award at the Korea Theater Awards for his role as a father in “Spring Day.” He continued to display his stable acting skills in various roles in Chungmuro.
Even before collapsing due to a cerebral hemorrhage, he never left the theater stage. In May last year, he briefly appeared in the joint performance “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by graduates and current students of the Yonsei Theater Arts Research Society. This play became his final work on stage. He also received various awards across his long career.
Actress Yoon So-jeong, who passed away in 2017, was his wife. He is survived by his daughter Oh Ji-hye and son Oh Se-ho. His funeral hall is located at Yonsei University Sinchon Funeral Hall Room 12. The funeral will be held on the 5th, and his final resting place will be at Cheonan Park Cemetery.
May his soul rest in peace.
Source: (A)
