Biography

Park Jeong-ja (Korean: 박정자; Hanja: 朴正子, born March 12, 1942) is a South Korean actress. She made her debut as a theater actor in 1962 and is recognized for her intense, passionate, and intelligent performances. Park is the most critically acclaimed theater actress in South Korea. In 1997, Park became the first Woman who received theater award from 7th Lee Hae-rang Theatre Award, one of the major theater awards in Korea. She also holds the distinction of being the only actress to have won the Best Actress award three times at the Dong-A Theatre Award. In 1971, she received the award for her portrayal of Ondal's mother in "Where and How Shall We Meet?" (7th edition). Then, in 1986, she won for her performances as the second wife in "The Egg" and the aunt in "A Country as Far as the Sky" (22nd edition). In 1987, she secured the award once again for her role as Monique in "Women in Crisis" (23rd edition). Among these works, she played the lead role solely in "Women in Crisis," while in the other two productions, she acted in supporting roles.Park's talent as a film actress has garnered significant recognition. In 1975, she was honored with the Grand Bell Awards for Best Supporting Actress for her role in director Kim Ki-young's "The Promise of the Flesh." She achieved the same feat once again in 1985 for her performance in director Jeong Jin-woo's "The MA-NIM." In addition to these accolades, Park has showcased her acting skills in other notable films such as "Growing Generously," "Anemone," and "Widow's Dance."Since its establishment in 2005, she has served as chairman of the board of directors of the Korea Activist Welfare Foundation and has been supporting medical and living expenses for theater practitioners. In 2007, Park was awarded the 2007 Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit (South Korea) by the government. In 2008, She has been granted membership in the National Academy of Arts of Korea.