Who is Son Sook, Bridgerton star Yerin Ha’s grandmother and award-winning actress?
The war survivor fell in love with acting in high school and has won numerous awards, including South Korea’s equivalent of the Oscars
Here’s everything to know about Yerin Ha’s actress grandmother, Son Sook.
She lived through the Korean war
Son Sook was born in 1944 and lived in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province. Unfortunately, the Korean war broke out during her junior school years. “I still vividly remember studying on a blackboard set up on a pine tree by the river or on rocks in the fields, and renting a warehouse in the winter. In that environment of war and poverty, the arrival of American military trucks carrying relief supplies like powdered milk and school supplies was a truly welcome experience,” Son shared in a 2013 interview.
She went on to attend high school in Seoul where she fell in love with acting after watching Eugene O’Neill’s play Long Day’s Journey into Night at the Namsan Drama Center.
She’s an award-winning actress
She was studying history at Korea University when she was cast as the female lead in a production of Spanish playwright Alarcón y Ariza’s The Three-Rounded Hat, kicking off her acting career. She went on to star in several plays and TV shows, winning three Baeksang Arts Awards for best theatre actress, one of the most prestigious accolades for artists in Korea and equivalent to the Oscars, for her performances in Active Volcano (1975), Guest (1979) and Mother (1999).
Off the stage, Son is also a former politician who briefly served as the sixth minister of environment in 1999, but resigned only a month into the role. Controversies arose regarding a monetary gift of US$20,000 she received from the National Federation of Entrepreneurs after a successful theatre performance in Moscow. The gift was perceived as problematic due to regulations that limit officials to accepting monetary amounts of much less. Despite Son offering an explanation for the incident, the situation eventually led to her resignation amid bribery allegations.
She’s praised her granddaughter
During an appearance on You Quiz on the Block, a South Korean variety TV show, Son spoke about Ha’s acting career, saying “Looks like she’s a better actress than me.”