'Known as "Korea's Elizabeth Taylor," veteran actress Kim Ji-mi (real name Kim Myung-ja), who symbolized the golden age of Korean cinema, has died. She was 85.
According to the film industry on the 10th, Kim Ji-mi recently died in Los Angeles, United States, after her health deteriorated. She had been battling illness after contracting shingles and did not recover.
■ Debuted at 17 after a street casting… the "face of an era" who left 700 films
Born in 1940 in Daedeok County, Chungnam, Kim Ji-mi entered the film industry in 1957 while attending Duksung Girls' High School when director Kim Ki-young discovered her on the Myeongdong street. Beginning with her debut film "Twilight Train," she quickly established herself as the face representing the era.
Her pure appearance and overwhelming screen presence immediately captivated the public, and she continued vigorous activity to the extent that her life's film appearances reached 700, including "The Nun," "Gilsotteum," "Land," "Ticket," "Chun-hee," and "Eulhwa."
Her presence in the 1960s and '70s was unrivaled. She handled a breathless schedule that at times included more than 30 films a year, and it was said that most Korean film posters of that period were filled with her face. Critics and the press at the time called her "Korea's Elizabeth Taylor."
■ A top star who swept acting awards… a "film person" who broadened horizons to production and administration
There was no doubt about her acting ability. Kim Ji-mi cemented her unique position as a "box-office star and a serious actor," sweeping major awards of the time such as the Baeksang Arts Awards, Blue Dragon Film Awards, Grand Bell Awards, and Buil Film Awards.
In the 1980s she founded the production company Jimmy Film and worked as a producer. Films by Im Kwon-taek such as "Gilsotteum" and "Ticket," and Lee Jang-ho's "Myeong-ja, Love Me Once More" passed through her hands, and later were regarded as important works in Korean film history, proving her eye as a producer.
After the 1990s she also contributed to film industry administration. She served as chairperson of the Korea Film Artists Association, commissioner of the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), and cochair of the emergency committee to defend the screen quota, contributing to the development of the industry as a whole. In 2016 she was awarded the Silver Crown Order of Cultural Merit in recognition of her service.
■ Four marriages, five divorces… a personal life that was glamorous and turbulent
Kim Ji-mi's private life was a pop culture story for the public of that era. In 1958, one year after her debut, she married director Hong Seong-ki, who was 16 years her senior, but they divorced after four years. She later remarried actor Choi Moo-ryong and had a daughter, Choi Young-suk, but they parted in 1969 after leaving the words "we part because we love".
In the late 1970s she lived in a common-law relationship with national singer Na Hoon-a for six years, attracting great attention. She later remarried a doctor in 1991 but divorced again in 2002, leaving behind a turbulent record of four marriages and five divorces.
■ Moved to the United States after retirement… remembered as a film person until the end of her life
After retiring from active work, Kim Ji-mi lived quietly in Los Angeles, U.S., spending her remaining years in peace. Several retrospectives were held at the Busan International Film Festival, and respect and reassessment of the deceased continued until recently.
When news of her death became known, the film industry expressed deep condolences. A representative of the Korea Federation of Film Workers said she was "an actor and film person who represented an era" and mourned that "her very existence was the history of Korean cinema."
■ "A filmography of 700"… a chapter of Korean cinema closes
Kim Ji-mi left behind 700 films, a 40-year career, and dozens of awards. Some remember her as the "most beautiful woman of her time," and others praise her as "an actor who moved the history of Korean cinema." But the clear fact is that one actor's life was, in itself, an era.
Meanwhile, the funeral for the deceased will be held as a film industry funeral hosted by the Korea Federation of Film Workers.<
[Photo] OSEN DB
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