Actor Yoon Suk-hwa / Yonhap
Yoon uk-hwa, a number one determine in Korea’s first era of recent theater actors, died Friday after battling a mind tumor. She was 69.
The Korean Actors Affiliation stated Yoon died at 9:54 a.m. at Severance Hospital in Seoul, with members of the family and shut acquaintances at her facet. Stories of her demise had circulated earlier within the day earlier than her passing was formally confirmed a number of hours later.
Actor Yoon Suk-hwa performs as Ophelia within the 2016 manufacturing of “Hamlet.” Courtesy of Seensee Firm
Yoon had been in remedy since October 2022, when she underwent surgical procedure for a malignant mind tumor. Earlier that very same 12 months she had appeared as Ophelia in a manufacturing of “Hamlet.” After publicly disclosing her sickness, she made her last stage look in 2023 with a quick visitor function within the play “Toccata” at LG Arts Middle in Seoul.
Gil Hae-yeon, chair of the Theater Folks Welfare Basis of Korea, stated Yoon was “a central pillar of Korea’s theater neighborhood and somebody who acknowledged and put into observe the significance of artists’ welfare sooner than anybody else.”
“Her dedication to laying the inspiration for the inspiration and to defending the rights of theater artists and increasing welfare applications will stay an enduring legacy in Korea’s performing arts neighborhood,” Gil mourned. “We provide our deepest condolences and lengthen our heartfelt sympathies to her bereaved household.”
Yoon Suk-hwa performs as Agnes in a Eighties manufacturing of “Agnes of God,” which she translated and starred in. Korea Occasions file
Born in Seoul in 1956, Yoon made her stage debut in 1975. She earned widespread recognition for her performances in acclaimed productions, equivalent to “Agnes of God,” “Hamlet” and “A Letter to My Daughter,” and was extensively credited with serving to set up and popularize fashionable Korean theater.
Over her decades-long profession, Yoon additionally labored throughout musical theater, tv and movie. Her musical credit included “Guys and Dolls” and “The Final Empress,” whereas tv audiences knew her from dramas equivalent to KBS’ 2018 collection “The Miracle We Met.”
Yoon Suk-hwa in a 1995 manufacturing of the Korean musical “The Final Empress” / Korea Occasions file
Past performing, Yoon was energetic in theater manufacturing and directing. In 2002, she established Theater Jungmiso in Daehangno, the center of the nation theater scene. The area grew to become generally known as a hub for experimental works, with Yoon’s personal productions equivalent to “Wit” and “Harold and Maude” now thought-about fashionable classics by theatergoers. The theater closed in 2019 as a consequence of monetary difficulties. Its last manufacturing was Arnold Wesker’s play “Letter to a Daughter” starring Yoon.
She additionally directed the Korean manufacturing “Saturday Night time Fever” and took part in producing “Prime Hat” within the U.Okay. The latter went on to win the Laurence Olivier Award, a notable achievement for Korean theater on the worldwide stage.
Actor Yoon Suk-hwa performs a tune throughout a press occasion for the play “A Letter to My Daughter” in Seoul, Could 16, 2019. Yonhap
All through her profession, Yoon obtained quite a few honors, together with 4 Baeksang Arts Awards for finest actress. She was awarded a Presidential Commendation in 2005 and obtained the Korean In style Tradition and Arts Award in 2009.
The actor is survived by her husband and two youngsters. A longtime advocate for adoption, Yoon adopted a son and a daughter and recurrently organized charity concert events to boost consciousness and help for adoptive households.
