[1][2][3][4][5] In 1977, he performed as the title character in Crown Prince Hamyeol (an adaptation of Hamlet) at La MaMa in New York City, which marked the first time a Korean theatre troupe had traveled outside Korea.
[6][7] Jeon also won two trophies from the Grand Bell Awards for his portrayal of an eccentric monk in Im Kwon-taek's 1981 film Mandala.
[8][9] Jeon was born on September 28, 1941, in Nae-dong, Dong Incheon-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon as the eldest of three sons and four daughters who grew up in a poor fisherman family.
His maternal uncle, a farmer, had a knack for storytelling and would captivate Jeon with his one-man performances, leaving a lasting impression on him.
[16] Prior to enrolling in Technical High School, he landed a job at Aegwan Theater thanks to a friend who designed the signboard there.
'”[10]One day, he was introduced to the head of the Seoul Shinmun Incheon branch, who offered him a job as a collection employee.
The job involved managing the distribution of newspapers from Seoul to local delivery students, a task that proved to be quite challenging.
Jeon looked through magazines at a bookstore to find out about the scouting process for actors and sat for hours at a coffee shop in Chungmuro, where many movie stars come and go.
The performance directed by Yoo Chi-jin was absolutely captivating, and he was spellbound by the acting of the cast, which included Kim Dong-won as Hamlet, Jang Min-ho as the king, and Hwang Jeong-soon as the queen.
Fortunately, he passed the practical test and was admitted to the Namsan Drama Center Actor Academy, which was founded by Dongrang Yoo Chi-jin [ko] (1905-1974)[note 1] and is now known as the Department of Theater and Film of Seoul Institute of the Arts.
[14] Jeon was a part of the academy's first class in 1962, along with classmates such as Shin Goo, Lee Ho-jae, Min Ji-hwan, Kim Ki-soo, Ban Hyo-jeong (who did not graduate), and playwright Yoon Dae-seong.
[21] Dongrang Yoo Chi-jin [ko] recognized Jeon's talent and gave him the opportunity to play the role of Lee Mong-ryeong in the 1963 graduate performance of "Chunhyangjeon".
However, he struggled with the role of Stanley in Harold Pinter's "Birthday Party", which was completely different from the historical or realism dramas he was used to perform.
He ended up drinking heavily and protested against the director Yoo Deok-hyung, causing a commotion that shook the entire troupe.
In 1975, Jeon with his fellow actor Lee Ho-jae and playwright Oh Taeseok joined National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK).
The troupe performed as part of the World Theater Month commemorative event, sponsored by the USA headquarters of the International Association of Dramatic Arts, in New York, US from March 15.
Following this event, the troupe toured various cities in the US, including Dallas, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Hawaii, as well as Lane in France, Paris, and the Netherlands, to showcase their level of theater to audiences worldwide.
[24] The repertoire of the world tour included "Tae" and "Prince Ha Myeol", an adaptation by Ahn Min-soo from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Before their departure, the troupe presented one of their tour works, "Tae", written by Tae-seok Oh and directed by Ahn Min-soo, from February 22 to 24 at the annex of the Seoul Civic Center.
[22][25] In 1981, Jeon became widely known to the general public by playing the role of a monk with Ahn Seong-ki in director Im Kwon-taek's film 'Mandala'.
Then he replied: “I am not a locust, I am Jeon Mu-song.”[16] Since then, he has appeared frequently on TV screens, especially through 'TV Literature' and showed off his outstanding acting skills.
In this literary concert, he narrates Kim Dong-in's potato, Hyun Jin-geon's lucky day, and Love Letter with Superintendent B.
The play 'Life Delivery', which commemorates the 58th anniversary of actor Jeon Moo-song (79)'s debut and the 80th birthday, will premiere from February 4 to 7 at the Palgong Hall of Daegu Culture and Arts Centre.
Co-hosted by Daegu Culture and Arts Centre and Theatre Company Haru, this is a work that depicts the story of a former vice principal and a barber who lives as a silver courier after leaving office.
She would take goods from weaving factory, wear them on her head, and sell them at a wholesale store in Namdaemun Market.
Despite the challenges they faced, their daughter Hyeon-ah went on to become a successful playwright also actress and is now married Kim Jin-man who pursued a career as a theater director.