Jun Ji-hyun (Korean: 전지현; born October 30, 1981) also known as Gianna Jun, is a South Korean actress and model famous for her role in My Sassy Girl, Il Mare, and Windstruck.
Jun was born in Seoul, South Korea, and studied in the Department of Theater and Film at Dongguk University. She began her career as a fashion model for Echo Magazine in 1997 at the age of 16.
After appearing in a number of TV sitcoms, her movie debut came in White Valentine (1999). This was followed by a role in Il Mare (2000), which proved to be a success. An American remake of Il Mare, The Lake House, was released 14 June 2006. However, her biggest breakthrough was in My Sassy Girl (2001), a romantic comedy which bought her international recognition, and won her a Best Actress award at the Daejong Film Festival in 2002. In 2004, she starred in the film Windstruck, a South Korean fantasy-romantic comedy which was directed by Kwak Jae-yong. The film was also another major success and was the 8th-highest grossing Korean film of 2004. In 2006, she was also in the movie Daisy. In 2008, she was also in the film A Man Who Was Superman.
Ji Hyun worked closely with CJ Entertainment, particularly with the distribution of Windstruck, The Uninvited, and A Man Who Was Superman.
In 2009, she made her English-language film debut when she starred as Saya in Blood: The Last Vampire, which was filmed in China and Argentina in March 2007. It was during filming and before the March 2009 release that she adopted the Westernised name Gianna Jun. The film was Jun's first official action film and was a "drastic" change in her image from previous films.
Jun will be returning to the big screen in 2011 in Wayne Wang's film adaptation of Lisa See's novel Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Filming in Shanghai, China began in February 2010.
It was stated that Ji Hyun might possibly be working with Korean singer Rain in the near future for the drama, Four Seasons, which will be directed by Choi Moon-Seok. The project was conceived as early as 2008, however, because of a scheduling conflict, the project has been postponed[1].
* White Valentine (1999) (Hwaiteu ballentain - 화이트 발렌타인) - Jung-min
* Il Mare (2000) (Siworae - 시월애) - Kim Eun-joo
* My Sassy Girl (2001) (Yeopgijeogin geunyeo - 엽기적인 그녀) - The Main Girl (does not mention name)
* The Uninvited (2003) (4(sa) Inyong siktak - 4인용 식탁) - Yeon
* Windstruck (2004) (Nae yeojachingureul sogaehamnida - 내 여자친구를 소개합니다) - Yeo Kyung-jin
* Daisy (2006) (Deiji - 데이지) - Hye Young
* A Man Who Was Superman (2008) (Superman Ieotdeon Sanai - 슈퍼맨이었던 사나이) - Song Soo-jung
* Blood: The Last Vampire (2009) - Saya Otonashi
* Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2010) - Snow Flower
