The year he turned 19, he entered the Russian department at Pusan National University. Around 2010 he worked at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering’s shipyard on Geoje Island and got married that year. Before that he had sold TVs to Russia and Eastern Europe at LG Electronics.
In 2011, the year he turned 34, he applied to SBS’s Miraculous Audition while watching TV after a company dinner, and after the audition he resigned from his company. He was six months into his marriage. The next year he appeared in a bit part in the film Masquerade.
In 2013 he did several drama bit parts. He says he played bit parts in about 60 productions in his unknown years and made a living driving designated cars and loading parcels. In 2014 he appeared in bit parts in films such as Haemoo and The Royal Tailor. In 2015 he had a supporting role in the film The Night of the Prophet.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 39, he played Ha Il-soo in The Age of Shadows. His face became known through a scene in which a character played by Song Kang-ho slaps him, five years after his debut.
The Outlaws and The Fortress opened on the same day in 2017. In 2018 he was nominated for best new actor in film at the Baeksang Arts Awards. In 2019 he played Ueda in Mal-Mo-E: The Secret Mission. In 2020 he made a special appearance in Collectors.
The year he turned 44, he played Jang Deok-su in Netflix’s Squid Game, and in December he won Best Actor at the Asia Artist Awards. In 2022 he appeared in Hunt and won Best Supporting Actor at the year-end KBS Drama Awards. In 2023 he played his first good-guy role since his debut in The Boys.
In 2024 he signed with Blade Entertainment and appeared in ENA’s Crash. In 2025 he appeared in JTBC’s Good Boy and in December played his first lead in The Informant, 14 years after his debut. In 2026 he appeared in MBC’s Fifties Professionals and Netflix’s Our Sticky Love.
Heo Sung-tae (born Oct 20, 1977) became an actor in 2011, the year he turned 34, when he entered SBS’s Miraculous Audition, and became known through the film The Age of Shadows, released on Sep 7, 2016, the year he turned 39. In 2021, the year he turned 44, he played Jang Deok-su in Netflix’s Squid Game.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
02 / QUICK ANSWERS
Q & AFrequently asked
- How old was Heo Sung-tae when he debuted?
- In 2011, the year he turned 34, he became an actor by entering SBS’s Miraculous Audition. News reports give his age then as 35, but by the year-based age this site uses it is 34. Wikipedia also counts a 1996 stage play from his university years as his first debut.
- How old was Heo Sung-tae when he became famous?
- In 2016, the year he turned 39, with the film The Age of Shadows, released on Sep 7, 2016, five years after his debut. SBS, TenAsia and Kukmin Ilbo write that his face became known through the scene in which a character played by Song Kang-ho slaps him. He became known worldwide in 2021, the year he turned 44, through Squid Game.
- What did Heo Sung-tae do before becoming an actor?
- He sold TVs to Russia and Eastern Europe in LG Electronics’ overseas sales department, then moved to Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and worked at its shipyard on Geoje Island. He resigned after Miraculous Audition in 2011. Hankook Ilbo wrote that his salary then was 70 million won.
- How old was Heo Sung-tae when he first played a lead role?
- In 2025, the year he turned 48, with the film The Informant, released on Dec 3, 2025, 14 years after his debut. Before that he was mostly in supporting roles and special appearances, as in The Boys in 2023.
- How old is Heo Sung-tae?
- Born in 1977, he turns 49 in 2026 (48 as of Sep 21, 2026).