South Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun is nothing short of exceptional.
One of the most recognizable Hallyu stars as of the moment, Ji-hyun shot to stardom because of her performance in many well-loved K-drama series like 'My Love From the Star' and 'My Sassy Girl.'
She is also more than a pretty face. She has proved to everyone that she is as a bonafide actress winning trophies in the 35th Paeksang Arts Award for Best New Actress in 1999 and bringing home the Best Actress recognition in the 39th Daejong Film Award.
Seven years ago, Ji-hyun won the Grand Prix award in the 2014 SBS Awards Festival beating her on-screen partner Kim Soo-hyun.
Get to know more about Jun Ji-hyun, who also goes by her international name Gianna Jun, in this gallery.
South Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun is also known by her English name Gianna Jun.
At first, Jun Ji-hyun's childhood dream was to become a flight attendant but later gave up on it after a plane flight experience. By the age of 16, she was scouted by a photographer and became a model for Ecole Magazine in 1997.
Jun Ji-hyun became well known after the breakout film 'My Sassy Girl.' The story revolves around a gullible college student with a slightly unhinged girlfriend. The film became the highest-grossing Korean comedy and spent two weeks at No. 1 in Hong Kong.
Because of the success of 'My Sassy Girl,' Jun Ji-hyun became one of Korea's rising stars in the Chinese-language market thus projecting her status as a Hallyu star.
Jun Ji-hyun then starred in several movies after her big break including 'The Uninvited,' 'Windstruck,' 'Daisy,' and 'Blood: The Last Vampire.'
14 years after her first television debut, Jun Ji-hyun made her highly-anticipated television return with the fantasy romance 'My Love from the Star.'
In the Korean rom-com series, Jun Ji-hyun plays an actress who falls in love with an alien who landed on Earth in the year 1609 during the Joseon Dynasty.
In 2016, Jun Ji-hyun made her small-screen comeback in the fantasy romance drama 'Legend of the Blue Sea' with actor Lee Min Ho.
During Jun Ji-hyun's wedding with banker Choi Joon Hyuk, more than 600 guests were invited including celebrities and close friends.
Jun Ji-hyun is a mom of two. She gave birth to the couple's first child, a boy, on February 10, 2016. She then gave birth to their second child on January 26, 2018.
Jun Ji-hyun is making another TV comeback in Netflix's period thriller series 'Kingdom' starring opposite Korean actor Jun Ji Hoon. As of writing, no details have been reported on whether or not her character is a villain in the series.
Ji-hyun stands at least 5'8" (173.5 cm)
According to reports, Jun Ji-hyun's paycheck per episode was priced at $120,000, making her one of the highest-paid actors in South Korea for 2021.
British luxury brand Alexander McQueen announced this 2021 that Ji-hyun is their first Korean ambassador
She's currently being managed by Culture Depot
In June 2021, rumors broke out that she and her husband businessman Choi Jun-hyuk have reportedly separated and are already preparing for divorce. Culture Depot immediately issued a statement denying the “false rumors” and issued a stern warning about it.
Part of the statement reads, “We therefore plan to investigate the exact truth behind the distorted, false facts, and we will take strong legal action against the spread of false information through erroneous articles and comments.”
Jun Ji-hyun made a comeback in the 2021 mystery-thriller, 'Jirisan.' She portrays the character of Seo Yi Kang, a park ranger with extensive experience in navigation and tracking lost people.
Jun Ji-hyun is one of the most in-demand celebrity endorsers in South Korea. In 2016, Jun Ji-hyun earned ₩14 billion (Php 597 million) for the 14 commercials she made that year.
Jun Ji-hyun studied Theater and Film at Dongguk University. She went on to pursue graduate school at the university's Digital Media and Contents department.