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Kwak Do-won

Kwak Do-won

Actor · Born May 17, 1974 (52) · Seoul, South Korea

Kwak Do-won (born Kwak Byung-kyu on May 17, 1973) is a South Korean actor. Kwak is known for his roles in the films The Yellow Sea (2010), Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time (2012), The Attorney (2013), The Wailing (2016), Asura: The City of Madness (2016), Steel Rain (2017) and the television series Phantom (2012). In May 2019, Kwak signed with new agency Mada Entertainment.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 17, 1974 (52)
From
Seoul, South Korea
Works as
Actor
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 38 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 20% in 30 days

What are Kwak Do-won's films like?

Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 87th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
24%
Bonds
20%
Power
18%
Survival
17%
Self
13%
Society
5%
Ideas
3%
Survival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 13

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 11 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 2

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 11

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 4

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 1 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 9

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 1 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 11

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

9 analyzed roles

Usually the Mentor: 2 of 9 analyzed roles.

Mentor
2 of 9
Shadow
2 of 9
Ally
2 of 9
Threshold guardian
2 of 9
Hero
1 of 9
Show the 9 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
15
Dread
7
Melancholic
8
Thrilling
4
Hopeful
2
Other
5

How their films linger

Haunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic5
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Kwak Do-won's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Kwak Do-won's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

38 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Villains (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Show 8 episodes · as Jang Joong-hyuk

  • The Firefighters(2024)

    as Jin-seob

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Never Give Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 16 episodes · as Goo Pil-soo

  • CCTV (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Actor

  • The Golden Holiday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    as Byeong-soo

  • Steel Rain 2(2020)

    as Park Jin-woo

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Man Standing Next(2020)

    as Park Yong-gak

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Steel Rain(2017)

    as Kwak Cheol-woo

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • The Mayor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Shim Hyeok-soo

  • Asura(2016)

    as Kim Cha-in

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Wailing(2016)

    as Jong-goo

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Magician (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Gwi-mol

  • The Shameless(2015)

    as Moon Ki-beom

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Barracks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Bus driver

  • Tazza: The Hidden Card(2014)

    as Jang Dong-sik

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Mad Sad Bad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Teacher (segment "Ghost")

  • Man in Love(2014)

    as Han Young-il

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Attorney(2013)

    as Cha Dong-yeong

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • An Ethics Lesson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Soo-taek

  • The Berlin File(2013)

    as Blue House Investigator

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Good Doctor(2013)

    Show as Kang Hyeon-tae

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • A Company Man(2012)

    as Jong-tae (Gwon Jong-tae)

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Ghost Sweepers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Shim-in

  • Ghost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 20 episodes · as Kwon Hyuk-joo

  • Love Fiction(2012)

    as Director Hwang

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time(2012)

    as Jo Beom-seok

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Head (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Senior Jeong

  • Double Clutch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Lawyer

  • The Yellow Sea(2010)

    as Professor Kim Seung-hyun

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Hero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Actor

  • Midnight FM(2010)

    as Journalist Jang

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Man from Nowhere(2010)

    as Detective Kim

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Running Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Mother(2009)

    as Charcoal Fire Man

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Sisters on the Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Truck driver

  • Handphone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Police Captain

  • The Good, the Bad, the Weird(2008)

    as Ghost Market Gang

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Ogu, A Hilarious Mourning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Byung-Gu

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 37 titles from 2003 to 2025; peak year 2016.

Biggest box office

The Attorney (2013)

$79M worldwide

Highest rated

The Attorney (2013)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

The Wailing (2016)

Film career

20032025

Peak 2016 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 7 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting37 of 37: 37 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score83rd

By decade

2000s5 · acting2010s25 · acting2020s7 · acting

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 6% of 18 roles
0914

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Kwak Do-won's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 83rd percentile, the median of all 19; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 77th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser13
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

Steel Rain 2 (2020)

56th percentile spread · 21% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Mother (2009)

Midcredits 98th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the acting 77/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Kwak Do-won's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 49 · moderateMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Kwak Do-won work with?

People who share at least 2 of Kwak Do-won's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kim Jae-beom shares the most, 5.

Directors

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers