Yang Taek Jo

Other Name: 양택조

Age: 85

Birthday: March 23, 1939

Nationality: South Korean

Gender: Male

Yang Taek Jo is a South Korean actor and voice actor. He graduated from Yongsan High School and later attended the Mining Engineering program at Hanyang University before dropping out to pursue a bachelor's degree in Theater, which he obtained from the Seoul Theater School. He is the son of legendary theater actor Yang Baek Myeong and actress Moon Jeong Bok. When he was 8, his parents separated after his mother had an affair with actor Hwang Cheol and she decided to follow him to North Korea as both were originally born there and were active pro-Japanese nationalists. His father was the head of Arang Theater Company so he was exposed to the theater world since a young age. In 1965, he began working under director Lee Man Hee and became an assistant director for several of his movies. One year later, he was selected as a voice actor for Dongyang Broadcasting Radio. In 1970, he worked as a dubbing actor and also earned his first TV role, at the age of 42. Since then, he has appeared as a supporting actor in many dramas and movies and is recognized for his role in the 1998 MBC drama "You and I" and he often plays comical roles. In 2005, he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and doctors told him he had only a few months to live. Luckily, he underwent a liver transplant and has now recovered and has quit smoking and drinking. He appeared on "King of Mask Singer" and, at the time, he was the oldest contestant ever (until actor Lee Soon Jae replaced him 4 years later). He is now semi-retired and occasionally appears on talk shows. (Source: Korean = Namu Wiki || Translation = MyDramaList).