Gary





Real Name          : Kang Hee-gun

Nickname            : Peaceful Gary

                            : Straight-Going Gary

                            : Monday Boyfriend

                            : Wild Gary

                            : Sudden Commander

                            : Random Mr. Capable

                            : Monkey

                            : Squid

Birthday               : February 24, 1978 (age 37 as of 2015)

Birthplace            : South Korea

Nationality          : South Korean

Years Active       : 1996-present

Occupation         : Rapper, Songwriter, Entrepreneur, record producer, television personality

Gary is a South Korean rapper. Besides a solo artist, he is also the rapper and lyricist of hip-hop duo Leessang.  Aside from his own work, Gary has been featured in works by many famous artists, such as Psy, Baek Ji Young, Lee Hyori, Dynamic Duo, and MC Mong. He is currently the cast member of Running Man.

Gary adapted his stage name from his middle school nickname, “Gae” (meaning “dog” in Korean), after deciding between “gaemi” (ant) and “Gary”. In his younger years, Gary was more interested in dancing than rapping. Gary revealed that he participated in a dance competition and won, defeating other competitors such as Jang Woo Hyuk and Moon Hee Jun. Lee Soo Man scouted all three boys and offered them a contract to SM Entertainment. Ultimately, Gary rejected the offer while the other two accepted it and eventually became members of H.O.T.

In 2010, Gary joined Running Man along with 6 other members. He also had a cameo on the movie Wonderful Radio and in  February 2014 on Emergency Couple.

Gary is introduced alongside Lee Kwang-soo and Song Joong-ki as “variety rookies”. Throughout the series, he has been involved in the official loveline of the show alongside Song Ji-hyo. Although shown to be clueless at times, he is known as “The man full of surprises” and the “dark horse” of Running Man during missions, highlighted when the show held the Best of the Best Match with him winning on two occasions. He also has a habit of being naked while sleeping, earning him the nickname “Wild Gary”.