Kwon Hee-deok

On 10 April 1956, Kwon was born in Daejeon, and was brought up a Protestant.{{cite web|title=권희덕 성우|trans-title=Kwon Hee-deok voice actor|url=https://www.chumoso.com/00/1917?sfl=mb_id%2C1&stx=admin&sst=wr_good&sod=asc&sop=and&page=39|publisher=Chumoso|language=ko|date=10 November 2020|accessdate=4 September 2021|archive-date=4 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904102959/https://www.chumoso.com/00/1917?sfl=mb_id,1&stx=admin&sst=wr_good&sod=asc&sop=and&page=39|url-status=live}} She developed her voice acting skills from an early age, taking on the role of master of ceremonies for a children's programme when she was in the second grade of elementary school. Kwon graduated from the Department of Broadcasting and Entertainment of the Seoul Institute of the Arts.{{cite news|last=Kyung-ae|first=Kim|title='여자하기 나름' 권희덕 성우 별세|trans-title=Voice actor Kwon Hee-duk of 'It's Up to a Woman' dies|url=https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/obituary/836802.html#csidxf99d7334f58938991675b04b178ba2a|work=The Hankyoreh|language=ko|date=19 March 2018|accessdate=4 September 2021|archive-date=4 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904102957/https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/obituary/836802.html#csidxf99d7334f58938991675b04b178ba2a|url-status=live}} In 1976, she passed the Broadcasting Voice Actor Recruitment Test against 700 competitors,{{cite news|title=[오!클릭] 그 시절 '최진실 목소리'…권희덕 성우 16일 별세|trans-title=Oh!Click] At that time, 'Choi Jin-sil's voice'... Voice actor Kwon Hee-deok dies on the 16th|url=https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1004672714&plink=COPYPASTE&cooper=SBSNEWSEND|publisher=Seoul Broadcasting System|language=ko|date=19 March 2018|accessdate=4 September 2021|archive-date=4 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904103002/https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1004672714&plink=COPYPASTE&cooper=SBSNEWSEND|url-status=live}} making her debut not long. She was the dubbed voice of major actress from the Western world such as Meg Ryan in her roles of Sally in When Harry Met Sally... and The French Kiss,{{cite news|last=Hee-deok|first=Kwon|title="남자는 여자 하기 나름이에요" 성우 권희덕 별세|trans-title="It's up to a man to be a woman" Voice actor Kwon Hee-deok dies|url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20180319013900005|work=Yonhap News Agency|language=ko|date=19 March 2018|accessdate=4 September 2021|archive-date=4 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904103002/https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20180319013900005|url-status=live}} Ingrid Bergman, Lim Chung-ha,{{cite news|title=성우 권희덕씨 16일 별세…'최진실 CF' 목소리로 유명|trans-title=Voice actor Kwon Hee-deok passed away on the 16th... Famous for his voice in 'Choi Jin-sil CF'|url=https://www.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=20180318500067|publisher=Seoul Metropolitan Government|language=ko|date=18 March 2018|accessdate=4 September 2021|archive-date=4 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904103015/https://www.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=20180318500067|url-status=live}} and Catherine Deneuve. Kwon also voiced the dub of Marie Antoinette in Lady Oscar, Shira in Queen of the Universe She Ra, and the role of Cordelia in the animated film Py Story.

Kwon received popularity voicing the character of her stepmother Yoo Ji-ae in the animation series Run Hani.{{cite news|title=[연예수첩] '최진실 목소리' 성우 권희덕, 지난 16일 별세|trans-title=Entertainment Note] Voice actor Kwon Hee-deok of 'Choi Jin-sil's voice' passed away on the 16th|url=https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=3620780|publisher=Korean Broadcasting System|language=ko|date=19 March 2018|accessdate=4 September 2021|archive-date=4 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904103015/https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=3620780|url-status=live}} She was the dubbed voice of the protagonist Lara in Doctor Zhivago, and was the narrator of a 1988 television advertisement for a Samsung Electronics video player product featuring the actress Choi Jin-sil with the tagline "It’s up to you to be a man or a woman”,{{cite news|last=Seon-hee|first=Jang|title="남자는요, 여자하기 나름이에요" 성우 권희덕 씨 16일 별세…향년 62세|trans-title=“It’s up to a man or a woman.” Voice actor Kwon Hee-deok dies on the 16th… age 62|url=https://www.donga.com/news/Culture/article/all/20180318/89155641/1|work=The Dong-a Ilbo|language=ko|date=18 March 2018|accessdate=4 September 2021|archive-date=4 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904103015/https://www.donga.com/news/Culture/article/all/20180318/89155641/1|url-status=live}} which earned her national recognition.{{cite news|title=권희덕마저…성우계 전설 또 사망|trans-title=Kwon Hee-deok... Voice actor legend dies again|url=https://www.mk.co.kr/news/entertain/view/2018/03/176083/|work=Maeil Business Newspaper|language=ko|date=19 March 2018|accessdate=4 September 2021|archive-date=4 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904103002/https://www.mk.co.kr/news/entertain/view/2018/03/176083/|url-status=live}} In 1996, she won the Grand Prize in the radio acting section at the Korea Broadcasting Awards. Kwon authored a series of collection readings, Do not grow old, mother, which contains 14 lyrical poems from the two Koreas. In 1999, she authored the essay collection entitled A woman's voice is up to her, which received a positive review from Yes24,{{cite web|title='성우 권희덕님의 발자취'|trans-title='The Footsteps of Voice Actor Kwon Hee-deok'|url=http://blog.yes24.com/blog/blogMain.aspx?blogid=hto27&artSeqNo=177599|publisher=Yes24|language=ko|date=30 September 2001|accessdate=4 September 2021|archive-date=4 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904103008/http://blog.yes24.com/blog/blogMain.aspx?blogid=hto27&artSeqNo=177599|url-status=live}} and was the CEO of Seoul Sound Design. Kwon produced an animation parody called of a traditional fairy tale four years later.{{Cite news|last=Kim|first=Soyeon|date=27 June 2005|title=[PEOPLE 프로의 세계] 성우 권희덕|language=ko|trans-title=People Pro's World] Voice Actor Kwon Hee-deok|work=Naver|url=https://news.naver.com/main/read.naver?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=114&oid=050&aid=0000003371|access-date=4 September 2021|archive-date=4 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904131259/https://news.naver.com/main/read.naver?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=114&oid=050&aid=0000003371|url-status=live}} Overall, she was involved in more than 3,000 works in commercials, dramas and films during her professional career.{{cite news|last=Saet-byeol|first=Saet|title=성우 권희덕, 시로 세상을 아름답게 하다|trans-title=Voice actor Kwon Hee-deok, Beautifying the World with Poetry|url=http://businessnews.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2014/06/26/2014062603462.html|work=The Chosun Ilbo|language=ko|date=26 June 2014|accessdate=4 September 2014|archive-date=4 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904103014/http://businessnews.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2014/06/26/2014062603462.html|url-status=live}}

She was a disability campaigner,{{cite news|last=Hoe-jung|first=Jang|title=재기에 나선 스타 PD & 스타 성우 김영진·권희덕|trans-title=Star PD & Star Voice Actors Kim Young-jin and Kwon Hee-deok on their comeback|url=http://m.lady.khan.co.kr/view.html?med_id=lady&artid=8319&code=4#csidxac94789b730136984ff6a0db01838bb|work=Kyunghyang Shinmun|language=ko|date=August 2006|accessdate=4 September 2021|archive-date=4 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904103004/http://m.lady.khan.co.kr/view.html?med_id=lady&artid=8319&code=4#csidxac94789b730136984ff6a0db01838bb|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Yu-rim|first=Kim|title=장애인 후원 위해 디너쇼 연 성우 권희덕|trans-title=Voice actor Kwon Hee-deok, who held a dinner show to support the disabled|url=https://shindonga.donga.com/3/all/13/110837/1|work=Donga|language=ko|date=22 December 2011|accessdate=4 September 2021|archive-date=4 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904104506/https://shindonga.donga.com/3/all/13/110837/1|url-status=live}} and held a fundraising dinner show to raise funding for disabled people's welfare. From May 2009, Kwon taught voice acting to nine students at Seoul Blind School.

She was a registered member of the Myeongdong Cathedral.{{Cite news|last=Khroh|first=Noh|date=11 July 2005|title="10시간씩 읽어도 즐거웠죠"… 성우 권희덕씨|language=ko|trans-title=“It was fun to read for 10 hours”… Voiced by Kwon Hee-deok|work=Naver|url=https://news.naver.com/main/read.naver?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=103&oid=005&aid=0000211393|access-date=4 September 2021|archive-date=4 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904131257/https://news.naver.com/main/read.naver?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=103&oid=005&aid=0000211393|url-status=live}} Kwon was married to the former director of the Myeongdong Arts Theater Koo Ja-heung, with whom she had two children. she died suddenly of an acute myocardial infarction that gradually worsened whilst she was in hospital on 16 March 2018. Kwon's funeral took place at St. Mary's Hospital in Seoul three days later.

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Category:1956 births

Category:2018 deaths

Category:South Korean Protestants

Category:Actresses from Daejeon

Category:Seoul Institute of the Arts alumni

Category:20th-century South Korean women writers

Category:20th-century South Korean writers

Category:21st-century South Korean women writers

Category:21st-century South Korean writers

Category:20th-century South Korean actresses

Category:21st-century South Korean actresses

Category:South Korean voice actresses