Heo Nam-jun

1. Career

Prior to his debut, Heo studied in Sungkyunkwan University and completed a degree in acting.^[1]

Heo debuted in 2019 through the movie Like the First (2019).^[2] His first drama appearance was in OCN drama Missing: The Other Side (2020). Heo would go on to play supporting roles in dramas such as Snowdrop (2021); The Matchmakers (2023); Sweet Home Season 2 and 3 (2023–2024); and The Impossible Heir (2024), as well as movies like Night in Paradise (2020); Double Patty (2021); and I, the Executioner (2024).^[1] He was nominated for the Best New Actor Award by the 2024 APAN Star Awards for his performance in Sweet Home.^[3]

In 2024, Heo portrayed a cold-blooded gangster and murderer named Kim Sang-hyuk – the eldest son of Kim Myung-min's character Kim Kang-heon – in Your Honor, a role which garnered Heo increased public attention.^[4][5][6] During that same year, Heo portrayed Ji Sang-woo, a warm-hearted psychiatrist and YouTuber who specialized in unsolved cases in When the Phone Rings.^[7][8] The drama itself was a commercial success and received positive reviews.^[9] Heo was also awarded the Best New Actor Award from the 2024 MBC Drama Awards for his outstanding performance in the drama.^[10]

Heo was cast in tvN drama When the Stars Gossip (2025), which was first broadcast on January 4, 2025.^[11][12] Also in 2025, he plays the main role and the romantic interest in A Hundred Memories (2025) as Han Jae-pil, a university student and the handsome son of the president, nicknamed as "The Prince on a White Horse", due to his attractive looks and privileged background. This role marked a major milestone for Heo, allowing him to portray a romantic, multifaceted, and deeply melancholic character in a coming-of-age melodrama.

In the SBS TV romantic comedy, My Royal Nemesis (2026) ^[13], Heo played his very first leading role as Cha Se-gye, a ruthless and powerful conglomerate CEO often dubbed a "monster of capitalism", whose orderly life gets completely upended when he crosses paths with Shin Seo-ri (played by Lim Ji-yeon), a struggling modern actress whose body has been possessed by the soul of a notorious, fierce Joseon-era royal villainess. The show was a massive breakout hit on Netflix, and his performance has been widely praised for reviving the nostalgic, high-stakes charm of classic 2010s K-drama male leads. In 2026, Heo also made a special appearance in the television series Perfect Crown.^[14]

Heo has been officially confirmed as part of the main cast for the tvN production Whale Star: The Gyeongseong Mermaid, a historical period romance set in 1926 Seoul, based on Na Yoonhee's webtoon Whale Star: The Gyeongseong Mermaid. The series is currently filming and is scheduled to release in 2027.

2. Filmography

2.1. Film

2.2. Television series

2.3. Music video appearances

3. Awards and nominations