Actor the late Kim Seong-chan has been gone from our side for 26 years.
The late Kim Seong-chan died on Nov. 7, 1999, of acute malaria. He was 45.
Kim Seong-chan, who crossed between television and film, sometimes bringing cheerful laughter and sometimes a weighty presence, suddenly died at the age of only 45 when he was in the prime of his acting life. Because of that, longing for him remains deep even now, 26 years later.
Born in 1954, Kim Seong-chan debuted as part of MBC's sixth class of public entertainers in 1973 and entered the path of an actor. In 1980, he delivered an impressive performance in the film "A Windy, Good Day" and won the Baeksang Arts Awards film rookie actor award that year, and already the previous year, in 1980, he won the Baeksang Arts Awards theater rookie award for the play "Professor Hwang's Profession," establishing himself early on as a talented actor recognized by the theater and film communities. He was a 'luxury supporting actor' who sometimes outshone leads. At times he was clumsy and comic; at others he brought a chilling charisma, serving effectively as the spice of the drama.
An indispensable work in his acting life is the KBS historical epic "Tears of the Dragon." In that work he played the eunuch Choi, who served Grand Prince Yangnyeong, leaving a deep impression on home audiences with his uniquely sly yet loyal performance.
Kim Seong-chan, who was so active, died in 1999, bringing great sadness. At the time, Kim Seong-chan visited a remote area on the Laos-Thailand border to shoot KBS2's "Challenge! Earth Exploration Team." Driven by enthusiasm for the shoot, he undertook a difficult remote expedition and contracted cerebral malaria locally. His condition worsened immediately after returning home; he received treatment but ultimately could not overcome the illness and died.
The tragic news that he did not return from the location where he went with only passion for the shoot shocked many at the time. It became not just the death of an actor but an occasion that sounded a social warning about poor broadcasting production conditions and a "safety complacency."
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