Justin John Harvey (born March 27, 1991) is a South African model, actor and television personality based in South Korea. He obtained a law degree before relocating to South Korea at the age of 24 to pursue modeling. He has since became active in entertainment, films and commercials.[1] Harvey is most recognized for his role in Park Hoon-jung 2022 film The Witch: Part 2 - The Other One. He has also appeared in Ashfall (2020) and The Childe (2023). Additionally, he has made appearances on various variety shows, including the popular television shows Welcome, First Time in Korea? South Korean Foreigners, and season 2 of Netflix show Physical: 100.[2][1]

Justin John Harvey
Justin John Harvey profile image
Born (1991-03-27) March 27, 1991 (age 33)
NationalitySouth Africa
Alma materLaw School of University of Pretoria
Occupations
  • Actor
  • Model
Years active2019 to present
AgentAndmarq
Websitewww.andmarq.com/artist?=justin-john-harvey

Early life

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Justin John Harvey was born on March 27, 1991 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. When he was six, Harvey and his mother moved to the East Rand in Gauteng following his parents' divorce. Harvey enjoyed playing rugby and cricket as a child. His interest in acting began at the age of seven through school plays in elementary school. In high school, he choreographed and directed plays. However, Harvey chose law as major at the University of Pretoria, thinking it was a safer career path. However, his dream of becoming an actor remained.[3][4]

Career

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Harvey arrived in South Korea at the age of 24, intending a short-term visit. He became captivated by the country and decided to stay indefinitely. He enrolled in a formal Korean language school for a month before deciding to teach himself the language, fully immersing himself in the process. Even when learning new skills such as yoga or scuba diving, he opted for lessons conducted in Korean.[5][6]

In 2019, Harvey made his television debut on the MBC Every 1 reality show "Welcome, First Time in Korea." The show, along with "South Korean Foreigners," aired in 2020. "Welcome, First Time in Korea" features a foreigner living in South Korea who invites friends from their home country to visit for the first time, while "South Korean Foreigners" pits 10 non-Koreans against five Koreans in a competition. These programs have helped many foreigners gain recognition and become TV personalities in South Korea.[5][7]

In the same year, while walking along the Han River banks with his parents, Harvey saw a citizen jump into the river. He immediately jumped in and saved the person's life before the rescue team arrived. For this action, the Yeongdeungpo Fire Department awarded him a Civilian Meritorious Service Award.[8]

In 2021, based on the same lifesaving actions, Harvey was recommended for another commendation. That year, on December 1, he was granted an honorary citizenship by the then-mayor of Seoul, Oh Se-hoon, at the '2021 Foreigner Honourable Citizen Certificate Award Ceremony' held at Seoul City Hall. Out of 32 foreigner nominees from 24 countries, he was one of the 9 winners selected for this honor after a review process by the judging committee. He made history as first South African receiving the honor.[9][10][11][12][13]

In 2022, following years of modeling and television appearances, he secured a role in the sci-fi horror film The Witch: Part 2 - The Other One.[14] Initially, Harvey believed he got the role of Tom due to his Korean language abilities, despite his limited experience. However, director Park Hoon-jung later revealed that Harvey embodied the Tom he had envisioned, even though Harvey had to gain 10 kilograms for the role.[5] Harvey worked again with Director Park Hoon-jung in his 2023 action film The Childe as a Western man who makes Marco an offer in a bar.[15][16]

In 2024, Harvey appeared in Netflix entertainment show Physical: 100 Season 2 - Underground, a competition featuring 100 individuals showcasing their physical strength to determine the ultimate champion with the most perfect physique. Harvey showed his strength by landing in the TOP 4 after a fierce competition in the first-come, first-served roller race.[17][18][19][20]

Filmography

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Feature film

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Feature films
Year Title Role Ref.
English Korean
2022 Ashfall 백두산 Sniper [21]
2022 The Witch: Part 2. The Other One 마녀 2: the other one Tom [22]
2023 The Childe 귀공자 [23]

Web series

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Web series credit
Year Title Role Ref.
English Korean
2024 The Tyrant 폭군 Crocodile 1, Paul's enhanced, super-human right hand [24]

Television and web shows

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2019–2020 MBC every1 South Korean Foreigners Contestant [25]
2021 MBC every1 Welcome, First Time in Korea? Cast member [5][26]
2022 MBC every1 Welcome, First Time in Korea life? Cast Member
2024 Physical: 100 Contestant Season 2, Rank 4th [27]

Accolades

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State honors

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Name of country, award ceremony, year given, and name of honor
Country Award Ceremony Year Honor Ref.
South Korea Yeongdeungpo Fire Departement 2019 Civilian Meritorious Service Award [28][8]
The Seoul Metropolitan Government's
Foreigner Honorary Citizenship[A]
2021 Seoul Honorary Citizen [30][31]

Notes

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  1. ^ The Seoul Metropolitan Government's Foreigner Honorary Citizenship System began in 1958 by awarding 'Citizens of Merit' to foreigners who helped rebuild the city. A total of 891 honorary citizens from 100 countries have been selected so far. Candidates for the honorary citizenship certificate are recommended through embassies, heads of public institutions, heads of social organizations, and petitions from 30 or more citizens, and are then selected after an independent review committee's review and the final approval of the Seoul Metropolitan Council.[29]

Reference

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  1. ^ a b inNews, Quinci LeGardye published (2024-04-14). "Before 'Physical: 100' Season 2, Justin Harvey Was in a Horror Flick". Marie Claire Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  2. ^ tf.co.kr (2022-06-27). "저스틴 하비, 댄디함 가득 프로필 비하인드 공개" (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  3. ^ 조선일보 (2022-07-19). "'마녀2' 저스틴 하비 "탕웨이처럼 주연 목표..배우 오랜 꿈"[인터뷰 종합]". 조선일보 (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  4. ^ Radebe, Melon. "How SA-born action hero flexed his muscles to make it big in South Korea". You. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  5. ^ a b c d Ga-young, Park (2022-07-11). "[Herald Interview] Rookie actor from South Africa eyes lead role in Korean productions". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  6. ^ Fecou, Louie (2024-03-26). "Meet the Physical: 100 Season 2 contestant who loved Korea so much that he never left". Ready Steady Cut. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  7. ^ "'어서와 한국은 처음이지' 저스틴, 남아공 뇌섹남이 한국에 오게 된 이유는?". 다음 - 한국일보. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  8. ^ a b "[FPN-소방방재신문] 영등포소방서, 구조 현장 민간인 유공자 표창 전달". FPN-소방방재신문 (in Korean). 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  9. ^ "한강투신자 구조, 국산백신 개발 공헌…서울 빛낸 9人 외국인 '서울시 명예시민'". www.asiae.co.kr (in Korean). 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  10. ^ "한강투신자 구한 방송인 하비 저스틴 존 '서울시 명예시민' 됐다". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  11. ^ "Seoul's honorary citizens include suicide savior". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  12. ^ "9 foreigners to receive honorary Seoul citizenship for contributions, acts of good will". koreatimes. 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  13. ^ Han-na, Park (2021-12-01). "South African who stopped Han River suicide wins Seoul honorary citizenship". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  14. ^ Radebe, Melon. "How SA-born action hero flexed his muscles to make it big in South Korea". You. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  15. ^ 이데일리 (2023-07-04). "이기영→허준석 연기파 총출동…'귀공자' 빛낸 특급 조연 활약". 이데일리 (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  16. ^ Kim, Yu-jin (2023-07-04). "'귀공자' 이기영·허준석·저스틴 하비·정라엘, '박훈정 사단' 특급 조연 활약". m.entertain.naver.com. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  17. ^ "저스틴 하비 '피지컬:100' TOP4, 글로벌 눈도장". sports.khan.co.kr (in Korean). 2024-04-05. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  18. ^ "Dexerto". Dexerto. 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  19. ^ Weaver, Nicole (2024-04-09). "'Physical: 100' Finalist Justin Harvey on His Strategy [Interview]". Collider. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  20. ^ McDonough, Jennifer (2024-03-20). "Who Is Justin Harvey from Physical: 100? 4 Things to Know About the Actor". The Direct. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  21. ^ "'마녀2' 저스틴 하비 "하루 3500kcal로 10kg 증량, 5일 연속 액션신도 행복" [엑's 인터뷰①]" (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  22. ^ "[인터뷰] '마녀2' 저스틴 하비가 그리는 한국에서의 미래" (in Korean). 2022-07-20. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  23. ^ "'마녀2'→'귀공자' 신스틸러 그 이상 보여준 저스틴 하비" (in Korean). 2023-07-07. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  24. ^ Jang, Da-hee (2024-07-26). "저스틴 하비, 박훈정 감독 '마녀'·'귀공자' 이어 '폭군' 출연 [공식] | 기사상세" [Justin Harvey to Star in Director Park Hoon-jung's 'The Witch', 'The Prince', and 'The Tyrant' [Official]]. iMBC Entertainments (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  25. ^ "'어서와 한국은 처음이지' 남아공 저스틴, "변호사 꿈 버렸다?" 친구들 직업-나이에 화들짝!". m.anewsa.com. 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  26. ^ 한국경제티브이 (2022-12-28). "어서와 한국살이는 처음이지 저스틴 하비 MC게스트 만능 활약". www.wowtv.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  27. ^ 조선비즈 (2024-04-09). "'피지컬2' 톱 4 저스틴 하비 "더 나은 사람되고자 하는 영감 받아"" (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  28. ^ "한강에 빠진 사람 구조한 '마녀2' 배우 저스틴 하비가 소방서로부터 받은 선물은 완전 '띠용'인데 납득돼서 더 웃긴다". 허프포스트코리아 (in Korean). 2022-09-15. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  29. ^ "한강투신자 구조, 국산백신 개발 공헌..외국인 '서울시 명예시민'". 다음 - 머니투데이. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  30. ^ 김나영. "foreigners-honorary Seoul citizenship". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  31. ^ 기자, 이성희 (2021-12-01). "한강투신자 구조, 국산 코로나19백신 개발 공헌···서울시, 외국인 9명에 '명예시민'". 경향신문 (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-18.
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