Childhood & Early Life
Jo Yoon-hee was born on October 13, 1982, in South Korea. After graduating from high school, she went to ‘Dongduk Women's University’ (DWU) in Seoul, South Korea where she studied broadcasting and entertainment.
She started her acting career in 1999 when she landed an opportunity to appear in Lee Soo-young's music video ‘I Believe.’ The following year, she was seen in singer Lee Ji-hoon's music video ‘For You.’ In 2001, she appeared in five music videos, namely ‘Doll,’ ‘Charari,’ ‘Bus Stop,’ ‘Fantasy,’ and ‘Café.’
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Career
Jo Yoon-hee made her television debut in 2002 when she appeared in ‘SBS’ network's ‘Orange.’ In the same year, she was also seen in a couple of variety shows, namely ‘Music Plus’ and ‘Soulmates.’
She made her film debut in 2003 when she was cast to play Lee Jae-rim in Son Yeong-guk-directed film ‘The Last Supper.’ She then played Jung Yu-ri in a TV series titled ‘Love Letter,’ before appearing in music videos, such as ‘Goodbye,’ ‘Left Alone,’ ‘I Still Bite My Lips,’ and ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.’ In the same year, she was also seen in a variety show titled ‘The War of Roses.’
In 2004, she played Ji-won in a TV series titled ‘MBC Best Theater Butterfly’ and then played Tsukihara Minako in ‘Snow White: Taste Sweet Love.’ In the same year, she was also seen playing actor Won Bin's on-screen granddaughter in Kang Je-gyu-directed film ‘Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War.’
In 2006, she played Kang Hee-soo in ‘MBC’ network's television series ‘Love Can't Wait.’ In the same year, she was also seen in a music video titled ‘Confession’ by the popular R&B group ‘4Men.’ The following year, she was cast to play Hong Seo-yeon in ‘KBS’ network's TV series ‘Drama City.’
In 2008, she played Chae Myung-eun in Kim Do-hoon-directed television series ‘Spotlight.’ She then went on to play Noh Yoo-jin in the 2008 film ‘Living Together, Happy Together.’ In 2009, she was seen playing Min Da-hae in a television series titled ‘Hot Blood’ for which she was nominated for ‘Best New Actress’ at ‘KBS Drama Awards.’
2009 turned out to be a busy year for Jo as she also appeared in other series, such as ‘Hometown Legends’ and ‘Smile, You.’ She also made a cameo appearance in Lee Sang-yong-directed thriller film ‘4th Period Mystery.’
Jo Yoon-hee won the ‘Best New Actress’ award at the 2010 ‘MBC Drama Awards’ for playing Han Ji-min in ‘MBC’ network's television series ‘Golden Fish.’ In 2011, she was cast to play Oh Yoon-joo in ‘SBS’ network's ‘Lie To Me.’ In the same year, she was also seen in a variety show titled ‘I'm Real: Jo Yoon-hee.’
Jo received her breakthrough role in 2012 when she landed an opportunity to play Bang Yi-sook in Kim Hyung-suk-directed television series ‘My Husband Got a Family.’ She won the ‘New Icon’ award at the 5th ‘Style Icon Awards’ in 2012. She also won the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ award at ‘KBS Drama Awards’ for her performance in the series. In 2012, she was also seen in films, such as ‘Doomsday Book’ and ‘The Traffickers.’
In 2013, she won the ‘Top Excellence Award’ at the 6th ‘Korea Drama Awards’ for playing Joo Min-young in ‘TVN’ network's TV series ‘Nine.’ In the same year, she was also nominated for ‘Excellence Award’ (Actress in a Special Project Drama) at the ‘MBC Drama Awards’ for playing Woo Ah-mi in ‘MBC’ network's TV series ‘The Scandal.’ In 2013, she was also seen in a couple of variety shows, namely ‘Koica's Dream’ and ‘Jo Yoon-hee: Dressed Up in Beverly Hills.’
She received a nomination for ‘Excellence Award’ (Actress in a Mid-length Drama) at the 2014 ‘KBS Drama Awards’ for playing Kim Ga-hee in a television series titled ‘The King's Face.’ In 2014, she also played Eun-ha in Kim Hong-sun-directed South Korean heist film ‘The Con Artists.’ The following year, she played Bo-eum in Kim Dae-seung-directed period fantasy film ‘The Magician.’ She then made cameo appearances in a TV series titled ‘The Producers.’
In 2016, she won the ‘Excellence Award’ at ‘KBS Drama Awards’ for portraying Na Yeon-sil in 'KBS2' network's ‘The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop.’ In the same year, she also played Yeo Myung-ha in ‘TVN’ network's ‘Pied Piper’ and then played Kang Ri-na in Lee Gae-byok-directed action comedy film ‘Luck Key.’
In 2018, she started appearing in ‘KBS2’ network's talk show ‘Happy Together.’ The show is currently rated as one of the most popular shows on Korean free-to-air networks. It celebrated its 200th episode on July 7, 2011.
Family & Personal Life
Jo Yoon-hee dated Lee Dong-gun who appeared alongside her in ‘The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop.’ On May 2, 2017, it was announced that Jo had registered her marriage with Lee Dong-gun and that the couple is expecting their first child. On September 29, 2017, Jo and Lee held a private wedding ceremony. On December 14, 2017, they were blessed with a daughter named Lee Roa.
Jo Yoon-hee is active on social media platforms, such as Instagram. Her Instagram page ‘mixnutcookie’ has managed to collect more than 65,000 followers. Jo Yoon-hee is a dog lover. Her Instagram page is packed with pictures of different kinds of dogs. Apart from depicting her interests, pictures posted on her Instagram account also depict her personal life.
