On Sunday, many things happened at Oscar night. Joaquin Phoenix won the Oscar for best actor while Brad Pitt grabbed the best supporting actor title. However, most eyes were on ‘Parasite,’ the first non-English movie to win Best Picture, one of the top prizes in the ceremony. Today we will be talking about the brains behind the history-making movie, Bong Joon Ho.
The year 2019 had been hectic for the said director with his hectic schedule around the states. Despite the popularity of the movie, not many know about his personal life. Hence, we from TVShowStars have taken this opportunity to introduce Ho’s work to the world. Let us begin.
But first, some facts would surely help.
Bong Joon Ho: Quick Facts
| Full Name: | Bong Joon Ho |
|---|---|
| Age: | 50 years |
| Birth Date: | September 14, 1969 |
| Horoscope: | Virgo |
| Birth Place: | Daegu, South Korea |
| Nationality: | South Korean |
| Ethnicity: | Asian |
| Education: | Yonsei University |
| Profession: | Film Director, Screenwriter |
| Net Worth: | $30 million |
| Marital Status: | Married |
Bong Joon Ho: Parasite
‘Parasite’ needs no introduction. It is the first foreign movie and especially an Asian movie to garner such praise on the international platform. Not to mention, the film showed a promising lead since the beginning.
From the moment it was released on local cinema, the movie showed real vigor and contender for the yearly awards. But we bet, many did not even think of ‘Parasite’ to create a wave in Hollywood, let alone win the Oscar.
However, it was not the first time for Bong Joon Ho to be praised for his work by international critics. Before this, the said director has shown his skills in movies like Snowpiercer, The Host, and many more.
The acclaimed international movie, Parasite, follows the story of two families, the Park, and Kim family. The two-family represent the end spectrum of vibrant and imperfect society in South Korea. Likewise, the movie tells the story of these two-family, as the poor Kim family tries to deceive and leech off of the well-Park family, as the title suggests.
The movie stars Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-Kyun, Cho Yeo-Jeong, Choi Woo-Shik, and Park So-dam. Similarly, the movie made its world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2019.
Parasite Makes a Historic Win in Oscar
Parasite movie is the first foreign movie to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival. And since the win, many anticipated the movie to do well in other award show as well.
However, not many were sure about it. Many thought ‘Parasite’ couldn’t grab the most coveted title in the film industry. Until Oscar happened!!
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Yes, Parasite proved to all those skeptic movie critics and non-believer that it is one of the best movies of this year. And now they even have Oscar to vouch for it. On Sunday evening, Parasite grabbed an award for ‘Best Picture,’ the top prize of the ceremony.
Moreover, the movie sprinted forward, leaving behind the film like ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ ‘1917,’ ‘Joker,’ and few others.
Along with the top prize, the South Korean movie was able to win four of the six nominations. Of course, it included Best Director, International Feature Film, and Best Original Screenplay.
While many anticipated the news, few thought it would be too good to be true. Well, sometimes, you have to dream big. Nonetheless, Parasite has marked a historic win, breaking the 92-year history in the ceremony.
Moreover, the win is not only for the movie or the cast but also for foreign film, Asian to be specific.
Career and Movies
Bong Joon-ho is now an internationally acclaimed director with an Oscar in his lap. During his amateur days, Ho gathered skills and experience as a director and even scriptwriter. Likewise, his first feature film was Barking Dogs Never Bite, shot under producer Cha Seung-Jae.
Even though the critic’s response was positive, it was mute as the movie failed to stir up the movie industry in the beginning. Still, the movie was invited to Spain’s prestigious San Sebastian International Film Festival and won awards at Slamdance Film Festival and Hongkong International Film Festival.
The international award definitely helps build a better resume for the director in the coming years. His second movie Memories of Murder, which was released in April 2003, and saw both critical and commercial success.
Likewise, for the movie, Bong Joon-ho received the best director award at San Sebastian. With each success, Bong Joon’s movie budget and the scale started escalating. While ‘The Host‘ helped Ho establish himself in the South Korean movie industry, ‘Snowpiercer’ helped him internationally.
It is based on the graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jean-Marc Rochette and Jacques Lob, the movie performed strongly at the box office. It is also Bong Joon-ho’s first English language film.
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Furthermore, as of 2014, the movie became the tenth highest-grossing domestic film in South Korea. Aside from Oscar-winning Parasite, Ho’s other critically acclaimed movies include Antartic Journal(2005), The Host(2006), Mother(2009), Okja(2017), and few other short films.
Bong Joon Ho: Bio and Childhood
Talking about the man behind the iconic movie, Bong Joon Ho was born in the small city of Daegu, South Korean. The youngest child of father Bong Sang-gyun and mother, Park So-young, he has four other siblings.
Likewise, Ho’s father was a graphic and industrial designer, while his mother was a full-time housewife. Even Ho’s maternal grandfather, Park Taewon, was an esteemed author, most known for his work ‘A Day in Life of Gubo, the Novelist.’
It seems talent runs in the family, as his older brother, Bong Joon-soo, is an English professor at the Seoul National University. In contrast, his older sister Bong Ji-hee teaches fashion styling at Anyang University.
As for his education, Bong Joon Ho went to Yonsei University in 1988 and graduated with a major in Sociology in 1995. Being a hot and happening hotbed of the South Korean democracy movement, Ho actively participated in such activities.
Early Career and Filmmaking
Right before graduation, Bong Joon served a two-year military duty following South Korean law. After the completion of his military task, the director co-founded a film club named Yellow Door with other students. It was also the stepping stone for Bong Joon’s career.
From then on, he made numerous movies, mostly short films. Similarly, his first films include Looking for Paradise and White Man.
Likewise, the director then completed his two years program at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. Even then, he continued making 16mm short films. By his graduation, Bong Joon was so skilled that his graduation films, Memory Within the Frame and Incoherence, were invited for screening at the Vancouver and Hongkong International film Festivals.
During his interview, Bong Joon-ho has often mentioned that Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino inspire him. Not to mention, he even studies their works for inspiration.
Age, Height, and Measurements: How Old Is Bong Joon Ho?
Well, we have learned enough when it comes to his prowess as a director. But what about his life? Nothing much, we assume. Don’t worry, we from TVShowStars are here to help you. For the starters, the brain, Bong Joon-ho, was born on September 14, 1969, which means he is currently 50 years old.
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Similarly, Ho’s birth sign is Virgo. Standing at a staggering height of 6 feet 1 inch(182 cm), the South Korean director has a big body frame. However, his weight and other measurements are unknown.
Not to mention, Ho has got brown hair color and brown eye color.
Personal Life: Bong Joon Ho’s Wife and Children
If you talk about Bong Joon-ho and his accomplishments, there won’t be enough pages to fill. However, the same cannot be said about his personal life. There is only so much Bong Joon has spilled about his life.
Similarly, the director is a married man as of now. Ho is married to his beloved wife, Jung Sun-young. Unfortunately, there is not much information about their marriage and relationship.
Not even their wedding date is known. Also, the couple has a child, a son named Bong Hyo-min. Just like his other personal information, Ho has not revealed much about his child either.
Net Worth and Income: How Much Does Parasite Director Make?
The Oscar award-winning director, Bong Joon-ho, has won many fans and critics’ hearts with his out of the box story. Not only that, but this South Korean director has made many critically acclaimed movies as well. As of 2020, Ho has a net worth of $30 million.
However, Ho has not disclosed his income and earnings to the public as of now. Despite the lack of transparency, we do not doubt that the director must be earning millions. And after the win, his worth is bound to increase.
