Before making his debut as a voice actor, he used to work in theaters, including performing his roles as a Japanese assassinator and a royal servant in a 1997 South Korean musical The Last Empress[5] and working as the assistant director for South Korean musicals Gaeddongi[6] and Moskito[7] the same year. In 1992, he also appeared in a South Korean independent film called Opening the Closed School Gates.[8]
After his exclusive work at EBS, Um has been a freelancer since 2001. In the early 2000s, he came to prominence after voicing Kira Yamato on the Korean dub of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. Since then, Um has dubbed a number of television animation series such as Chrono Crusade, Digimon Frontier, Fullmetal Alchemist, InuYasha and School Rumble. As a result of his popularity among children audiences, the voice actor won a Nickelodeon KoreaKids' Choice Award in 2012 for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie (known as Best Voice Actor/Actress in South Korea). He became the recipient of the award for his role as Po in Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, gaining 3,121 votes, which is about 38% of the entire poll.[9]
Although having been highly active as a freelancer for more than a decade, Um is also still one of the main voice actors representing EBS. He is best known for his roles as Calcifer on the Korean dub of the Studio Ghibli animated movie Howl's Moving Castle, L Lawliet on the Korean dub of the Japanese television animation series Death Note, Po on the Korean dub of the DreamWorks Animation film series Kung Fu Panda and even more recently, Poli on the South Korean animated children's television series Robocar Poli.
The movie was created as an animated adaptation of a short story under the same title, which is one of the episodes of "지문 사냥꾼 (Fingerprint Hunter)", a collection of short fantasy fictions published by Lee Juck (South Korean musician).[103]
The movie used to be the most commercially successful animated film ever released in South Korea, crossing the five-million mark in selling tickets, until later being surpassed by Frozen (10.29 million). It still remains the most widely seen movie of all the animated films that Um has ever dubbed.
Green Days (Korean: 소중한 날의 꿈; RR: So-jung-han Nal-eui Kkum)
The film is based on a popular children's book authored by Hwang Sun-mi,[122] and has become South Korea's highest-grossing domestic animated film, attracting 2.2 million viewers. It broke the record previously held by the digital restoration of Robot Taekwon V, which drew 720,000 viewers back in 2007.[123]
He voiced the character on the Korean IPTV edition of this film. The Korean dub was shown in small movie theaters across South Korea, and released on DVD the following year.
Tad, the Lost Explorer (테드: 황금도시 파이티티를 찾아서)
Freddy
Go! Anpanman: Dadandan and the Twin Stars (날아라! 호빵맨 극장판: 우당탕과 쌍둥이별)
Horrorman (Skeletonman) Shokupanman (Breadman)
The Korean TV edition broadcast on Animax
When Bucketwheet Flowers Blossom (Korean: 메밀꽃 필 무렵; RR: Me-mil-kkot Pil Mu-ryeop)
Opening the Closed School Gates (Korean: 닫힌 교문을 열며; RR: Dat-hin Gyo-mun-eul Yeol-myeo)[188]
Jin-soo
This is also the real debut film of Jung Jin-young (South Korean actor), who later gained publicity after appearing in King and the Clown.[189] The movie was banned due to its failure of passing prior deliberation.[190] Instead, the independent film drew audiences through universities and civic centers, in the major cities across South Korea.
Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie (Best Voice Actor/Actress)
Won
Miscellaneous facts
Although born in 1971, he looks younger than his actual age, and that is why many fans of Um tend to call him 상현소년 (Sang-hyun-so-nyeon) meaning "The Boy Named Sang-hyun", or its shortened form, 상현손 (Sang-hyun-son).
Um also sang some theme songs of his works, such as the opening theme for Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, and "Clumsy Love (Korean: 서투른 사랑; RR: Seo-tu-reun Sa-rang)", the ending theme for the third season of Chobits.
In the South Korean version of the 2012 KCAs, a new award called "Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie (Best Voice Actor/Actress)" was featured along with "Favorite TV Actor/Actress (Best Actor/Actress)". In the following year, however, the former was excluded from the show, and thus Um currently remains the first and only recipient ever to win that category.
As of October 2013, the total number of tickets sold for animated films which Um has participated in dubbing is about 38 million.
The ending title for the Korean dub of Transformers: Prime is based upon a video shot by Goo Ja-hyeong (South Korean voice actor), who dubbed Megatron on the show.[193] The title aired only when the first season of the show ended. In this video, Um appears for a moment, with a scene in which Jack Darby is running.
^He voiced one of the thieves, who says "Sesame! It's sesame! (Korean: 참깨! 참깨잖아!)" on the public campaign advertisement "Open Sesame (Korean: 열려라 참깨)".
^The theater was renamed to Arko Arts Theater in 2002.
^The theater ceased its operation on March 10, 2013, due to the change of building use.
^"EBS 성우극회 연혁" (in Korean). Educational Broadcasting System Voice Acting Division. Retrieved 8 January 2012. See "17기 성우" and "엄상현 ,전태열, 국승연, 이은정 입사", from "1998년" in the section "HISTORY 1990~1999".
^명성황후 (in Korean). The Musical. Retrieved 8 January 2012. Click the tab "Staff / Cast", and then see "낭인/신하" and "엄상현", from the section "CAST".
^극단학전 (in Korean). Retrieved 30 January 2013. See "개똥이" and "연출보 엄상현".
^"Lord Of Voice.com" (in Korean). Retrieved 30 January 2013. See "엄상현" and "‘모스키토(1997)‘ 조연출".
^진정한 대한민국 초통령은 '유느님 유재석'. ACROFAN (in Korean). 12 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012. See "‘베스트 성우’부문에는 ‘쿵푸팬더’의 ‘포’역할을 맡고 있는 성우 ‘엄상현’이 3,121표(38%)로 1위에 올랐다."
^건담시드 더빙 2화 (in Korean). Retrieved 11 February 2013. In this video, "The OS Reconstruction" scene appears after around eight minutes and fifteen seconds.
^세토의 신부 : 네이버 영화 (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved 14 February 2013. See "엄상현" and "미치시오 나가스미 역".
^Kim, Gyu-han (9 February 2009). <가필드-마법의 샘물> 실력파 성우들이 참여한 더빙현장. maxmovie News (in Korean). Retrieved 3 February 2012. Click the player-like image and then watch the video. It captured the pre-record locus for the film. In this video, Um appears after around sixteen seconds.
^Kim, Yong-woon (30 April 2009). 이적 원작 ‘제불찰씨 이야기’ 佛 앙시애니영화제 경쟁부문 진출. edaily (in Korean). Retrieved 19 August 2012. See "이적의 소설집 ‘지문사냥꾼’에 수록된 단편 ‘제불찰씨 이야기’를 원작으로 한 애니메이션 ‘제불찰씨 이야기’".
^링스 어드벤처 (in Korean). Daum. Retrieved 6 February 2013. See "엄상현" and "홀쭉이 부하 (한국어 목소리) 역".
^"마법의 세계 녹터나 : 네이버 영화". Naver. Retrieved 11 February 2013. This is a trailer for the film. In this video, The Cat Shepherd appears after around twenty-six seconds.
^아스트로 보이 - 아톰의 귀환 (in Korean). Daum. Retrieved 6 February 2013. See "엄상현" and "스팍스 (한국어 목소리) 역".
^Lee, Jun-hyeong (19 October 2010). [개봉예정작] 실사같은 애니메이션 '가디언의 전설'. E2NEWS (in Korean). Retrieved 5 February 2013. See "<가디언의 전설>은 캐스린 래스키의 판타지 시리즈 중 베스트셀러인 <가디언의 전설>을 원작으로 한 작품이다."
^Lee, Hong-jae (2 November 2012). 하남시도서관 황선미 초청 강연. Kihoilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 12 February 2013. See "한국 애니메이션 사상 최다 관객 수 220만 명을 기록한 ‘마당을 나온 암탉’의 원작자 황선미 작가".
^Jin, Hyeon-cheol (18 December 2011). 써니·활·도가니…반신반의 영화들, 올해의 ‘승부사’[2011영화 결산①]. Maeil Business (in Korean). Retrieved 8 August 2012. See "‘마당을 나온 암탉’은 220만명이 봐 한국 애니메이션 최고 흥행 성적을 가진 2007년 디지털 복원판 ‘로보트 태권V’(72만명)를 뛰어 넘으며 애니메이션 역사를 새로 쓰게 했다."
^‘프렌즈-몬스터 섬의 비밀’ 상영. Gangwon Domin Ilbo (in Korean). 23 February 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013. See "‘프렌즈’는 일본 최고의 걸작 동화로 하마다 히로스케의 원작 ‘울어버린 빨강 도깨비’를 각색해 만든 작품이다."
^Oh, Seok-gi (1 March 2012). 애니메이션으로 만나는 '허생원·점순이'. Kangwon Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 11 December 2012. See "올해로 탄생 105주년을 맞은 평창출신 이효석(1907~1942년) 선생의 단편소설 `메밀꽃 필 무렵'과 춘천 출신 김유정(1908~1937년) 선생의 `봄봄'이 애니메이션으로 제작된다."
^Ji, Yong-jin (18 January 2013). "[뽀로로 극장판 슈퍼썰매 대모험] 3D와 만난 뽀로로 활약". movieweek (in Korean). Retrieved 24 January 2013. See "뽀로로 탄생 10주년을 맞아 기획된 [뽀로로 극장판-슈퍼썰매 대모험]".
^Bak, Young-joo (24 January 2013). 의인 이수현, 日만화영화 '부도리의 꿈'에 영감주다. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved 24 January 2013. See "‘부도리의 꿈’은 아동문학가 미야자와 겐지(1896~1933)가 남긴 자전적 동화 ‘구스코 부도리의 전기’가 원작이다."
^해양경찰 마르코 : 네이버 영화 (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved 19 February 2013. Click and watch the video titled "본 예고편". This is a trailer for the film. In this trailer, Carlo appears after around fifty-eight seconds.
^개구쟁이 스머프 2 : 네이버 영화 (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved 12 July 2013. Click and watch the video titled "메인 예고편". This is a trailer for the film. In this trailer, Patrick appears after around fifty-three seconds.
^디아블로3, 인간성기사부터 의료선까지 성우탐방 #1 캐릭터편. Game Chosun (in Korean). 6 August 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012. See "남자 마법사는 엄상현 성우가 굉장히 활기차고 자신감 넘치는 목소리로 연기했다".
^和而不同 :: 현실로 다가온, 영화 <닫힌 교문을 열며> (in Korean). Retrieved 9 February 2013. See "<닫힌 교문을 열며>" and "<왕의 남자>에 출연했던 영화배우 정진영씨가 남자 주인공을 맡았고, 이 작품은 그의 영화 데뷔작이기도 하다."
^Kim, Yong-woon (22 August 2007). '강남엄마'와 영화 '닫힌 교문', 그리고 공교육. inews24 (in Korean). Retrieved 2 August 2012. See "'닫힌 교문을 열며'는 극장 개봉을 하지 못했다. 당시 사전심의를 통과하지 못해 상영금지처분을 당해서다."
^'시계마을 티키톡' 성우진 (in Korean). Retrieved 5 September 2012. See "엄태준 - 토미 役".
