Byun Hee-bong

Byun Hee-bong
Byun in 2017
Born	Byun In-chul (1942-06-08)8 June 1942[1] Jangseong County, Zenranan-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan (now South Jeolla Province, South Korea)
Died	18 September 2023(2023-09-18) (aged 81) Seoul, South Korea
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1970–2019
Honours	Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit (2020)
Korean name
Hangul	변희봉
Hanja	邊希峰
Revised Romanization	Byeon Hui-bong
McCune–Reischauer	Pyŏn Hŭibong
Birth name
Hangul	변인철
Hanja	邊仁徹
Revised Romanization	Byeon In-cheol
McCune–Reischauer	Pyŏn In-chŏl

Byun Hee-bong (Korean: 변희봉; born Byun In-chul; 8 June 1942 – 18 September 2023) was a South Korean film, television and voice actor. In 1963, he embarked on his voice acting career by making his debut in the first season of DBS Donga Broadcasting. He further expanded his experience by joining the second season of MBC Culture Broadcasting in 1965.

Making his acting debut in 1970, he was known as director Bong Joon-ho's personal favorite actor, and his performances in the director's films have sparked a fresh wave of recognition for his unique contributions as a supporting actor. He appeared in four of Bong Joon-ho's feature films. In Barking Dogs Never Bite, he portrayed a peculiar apartment security guard with a deep affinity for bone soup. In Memories of Murder, he took on the role of a local detective chief, while in The Host, he captivated audiences as Park Hee-bong, the grandfather of the film's protagonist's family. For this role, Byun also won several awards, including the 27th Blue Dragon Film Awards for best supporting actor.^[2] In Okja, Byun made a special appearance as Joo Hee-bong.