Uhm Ji-won made her acting debut in the late 1990s, and after an early role in the Korean tokusatsu series Vectorman, went on to appear in a number of films and television drama series. In 2004, she appeared alongside Han Suk-kyu and Lee Eun-juinThe Scarlet Letter,[5] receiving a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.[6]
In 2005, Uhm played a leading role in Hong Sang-soo's Tale of Cinema, and was praised for giving an "engaging, emotionally nuanced dual performance" as fictional actress Choi Young-shil.[7] The film required her to perform her first nude scene, and she later remarked that, "After stripping in front of the camera, I felt that I could now take any role."[8]
In 2011, Uhm appeared an episode of BBC World's The Third Eye, a documentary series that spotlights up-and-coming countries. The installment of the eight-part segment on Korea is interspersed with interviews with Uhm giving her opinions on Korean culture, domestic movies and the Korean Wave. It also featured footage from her 2010 sex comedy movie Foxy Festival.[17][unreliable source?] Uhm, who was interviewed in Korea, was chosen in light of her impressive acting skills, natural charm and English fluency, producers said.[18]
Uhm then played the mother of a sexually assaulted child in Hope; she said it was the first movie where she let go of everything, calling it one of her best works.[22] Uhm won Best Actress at the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, and received nominations at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Baeksang Arts Awards. This was followed by period mystery-thriller The Silenced,[23][24] and fantasy thriller The Phone.[25] This was followed by kidnapping drama Missing,[26] which won her Best Actress award at the Women in Film Korea Awards. Uhm then featured in crime action film Master.[27]
In 2017, Uhm made a small-screen comeback in SBS' legal thriller Distorted, playing a public prosecutor.[28]
Uhm is a devout Protestant Christian, and together with Han Hye-jin was part of a church group called HaMiMo.[35]
Uhm began dating architect Oh Young-wook in 2013; Oh is the founder of well-known architectural firm ogisadesign d'espacio architects (oddaa), and has also published several books on travel and art.[36][37] They married on May 27, 2014, at the Shilla HotelinSeoul.[38][39]
Later on April 6, 2021, Uhm announced on her YouTube channel that she and her husband have amicably divorced and that they will remain just friends.[40]
On March 12, 2022, Uhm made a donation ₩10 millions to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help the victims of the massive wildfire that started in Uljin, Gyeongbuk and has spread to Samcheok, Gangwon.[41]
On March 17, 2022, Uhm made a donation ₩10 millions to Save the Children's Children's Rights Film to help victims of the Ukrainian-Russian war.[42]
^Lee Kyung-yeop (June 18, 2018). "엄정화·엄앵란 톱스타 배출한 당나라 예술가 후손". Skyedaily (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
^Jang Su-Jung (April 6, 2021). "엄지원, 이혼 고백『헤어진 지 오래』[전문]" [Eom Ji-won confesses to divorce "It's been a long time since we broke up" [Full text]]. iMBC (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
^Oh Myung-joo (March 12, 2022). "엄지원, 1,000만원 기부 동참..."산불 피해지역 주민 돕는다" [Uhm Ji-won participates in donation of 10 million won... "Help people in areas affected by wildfires] (in Korean). Dispatch. Archived from the original on March 12, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022 – via Naver.
^Jeon Hyeong-hwa (June 11, 2021). "[단독]CJ ENM, 오컬트 스릴러 '방법: 재차의'로 여름대전 합류" [[Exclusive] CJ ENM joins the summer warfare with the occult thriller 'Method: Again']. Star News (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
^Park Soo-in (February 10, 2022). "엄지원 '작은 아씨들' 출연 확정, 김고은 남지현 박지후와 호흡" [Uhm Ji-won confirmed to appear in 'Little Women', Kim Go-eun and Nam Ji-hyun and Park Ji-hoo work together] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022 – via Naver.
^Jeon Hyo-jin (February 17, 2022). "라미란·엄지원, '잔혹한 인턴' 출연" [Ra Mi-ran and Uhm Ji-won to appear in 'Cruel Intern] (in Korean). Sports Donga. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022 – via Naver.
^Yoo Byung-cheol (July 12, 2023). "'잔혹한 인턴', 내달11일 첫 공개 확정...'경력직 인턴' 라미란 티저 포스터 공개" ['Cruel Intern' confirmed for first release on the 11th of next month... 'Experienced Intern' Ra Mi-ran teaser poster released] (in Korean). Korea Economy TV. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023 – via Naver.
^Lee Min-ji (September 20, 2023). "넷플릭스 '탄금' 이재욱-조보아→엄지원 김재욱 캐스팅 확정 [공식]" [Netflix's 'Tangeum' Lee Jae-wook and Jo Bo-ah → Eom Ji-won and Kim Jae-wook casting confirmed [Official]] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023 – via Naver.
^Kim Jin-seok and Jo Yeon-kyung (April 12, 2021). "57회 백상예술대상, TV·영화·연극 부문 최종 후보 공개". isplus.joins (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
^Park Sol-yi (November 24, 2022). "엄지원 "'작은 아씨들' 원상아, 참 사랑했던 캐릭터" [Uhm Ji-won "'Little Women' Won Sang-ah, a character I really loved] (in Korean). TV Report. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kim Ji-hye (December 1, 2022). "엄지원, '작은아씨들' 빌런 통했다..'대한민국 문화연예대상' 최우수 연기상" [Uhm Ji-won worked as a villain in 'Little Women'.. 'Korea Culture and Entertainment Awards' Best Acting Award] (in Korean). Herald POP. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022 – via Naver.
^Ahn Tae-hyun (December 31, 2023). "이준호, '2023 에이판 어워즈' 대상 영예...5관왕 올랐다 - 뉴스1" [Lee Jun-ho, grand prize winner at the '2023 APAN Awards'... Won 5 awards]. News1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
^Lee Ha-na (December 19, 2023). "'재벌집'부터 '더글로리'까지..'APAN STAR AWARDS' 치열한 수상 후보 공개" [From 'Chaebol House' to 'The Glory'... 'APAN STAR AWARDS' fierce award candidates revealed] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023 – via Naver.