Choi Ji-woo | |
---|---|
Born | Choi Mi-hyang June 11, 1975 Paju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea |
Education | |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1994–present |
Agent | Studio Santa Claus Entertainment |
Spouse | Undisclosed (m. 2018) |
Children | 1 |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 최지우 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Choe Ji-u |
McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Chiu |
Birth name | |
Hangul | 최미향 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Choe Mi-hyang |
McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Mihyang |
Choi Ji-woo (born Choi Mi-hyang on June 11,1975) is a South Korean actress. Considered one of South Korea's most beautiful women,she has received critical acclaim for her work in a wide range of melodramas,most notably Beautiful Days (2001), Winter Sonata (2002), Stairway to Heaven (2003), Air City (2007), Star's Lover (2008), The Suspicious Housekeeper (2013) and Temptation (2014),as well as the romantic comedy series Twenty Again (2015) and Woman with a Suitcase (2016).
Choi Mi-hyang was first discovered when she won a talent audition organized by MBC in 1994,then made her acting debut in the drama series War and Love in 1995. Afterwards,she adopted the stage name Choi Ji-woo.
She was cast in her first major role in 1996 film The Gate of Destiny,but her limited acting skills resulted in her being replaced during filming. [1] In the next couple of years Choi continued to star in both TV dramas and films,including The Hole (the Original version of Hollywood thriller Hush ),as well as the romantic comedies First Kiss with Ahn Jae-wook and The Romantic President with Ahn Sung-ki. It was her portrayals on TV of tragic heroines with a pure and innocent image—notably in Truth opposite Ryu Si-won and Beautiful Days opposite Lee Byung-hun—that boosted her rising popularity.
In 2002,she reunited onscreen with Bae Yong-joon (she previously had a supporting role in his 1996 drama First Love ) that she would star in her most famous,iconic role. Directed by Yoon Seok-ho as the second installment of his "season dramas," [2] Winter Sonata became a phenomenal hit throughout Asia and has been credited as one of the initiators of the Korean Wave. [3] As a result,Choi gained wide pan-Asian recognition,especially a huge following in Japan where she acquired the nickname Ji-woo Hime ("Princess Ji-woo"). [4] In 2009 she and Bae reprised their roles as voice actors for Winter Sonata Anime . [5] [6] [7] She continues to be a lucrative star and brand in Japan,fetching high licensing/broadcasting rights for her dramas and selling out concerts and merchandise (tvN's E News compiled a list of the top Hallyu stars in Japan based on their approximate gross incomes for the first half of 2011,and Choi was number five with approximately US$2 million).
After the success of her 2003 melodrama Stairway to Heaven with Kwon Sang-woo, [8] Choi again attempted to break into film. She played a terminally ill heroine in Now and Forever , [9] [10] and a more risque character in sex comedy Everybody Has Secrets ("The Original Version of Irish film About Adam ). [11] [12] Both films were poorly received by critics and audiences in South Korea,but performed well at the Japanese box office. [13]
Choi then spent the next few years overseas,shooting the Chinese drama 101st Proposal with Sun Xing,and the Japanese drama RONDO opposite Yutaka Takenouchi. [14] [15] [16] [17] She returned to Korean television in 2007 in Air City alongside Lee Jung-jae;her role was the Chief Operating Officer of Incheon Airport. [18]
In 2009,she starred opposite Yoo Ji-tae in the drama Star's Lover ,playing a top actress who falls in love with an ordinary man. [19] [20] Choi received ₩48 million per episode,the highest salary for a Korean actress at the time (her record was later broken by Go Hyun-jung's ₩55 million for the 2010 drama Daemul ). [21] [22]
That same year,she set up her own management agency called C,JW Company with her brother as CEO. [23] [24] She also joined the ensemble cast of semi-improvisational mockumentary Actresses ,arguably her most significant film yet. [25] [26]
During the press conference for the 2011 series, Can't Lose ,co-starring Yoon Sang-hyun,featuring a lawyer couple facing their own divorce suit,she was asked if she worried about shedding her pure and innocent image. Choi said,"I've had the same image for 15 years. Isn't it time for me to break out? I was a melodrama queen and now I want the title of romantic comedy queen." She added that she had gained more fans after showing her cheerful,easygoing side as a guest on the reality show 2 Days &1 Night . [27] [28]
In 2012,Choi was cast in the Chinese drama City Lovers,in which she portrayed the CEO at an event management company opposite Qin Hao,a newly employed businessman at her firm. [29] [30] [31]
Later that year,she became the host of Choi Ji-woo's Delicious Korea on food lifestyle cable channel O'live TV alongside fashion designer Jung Kuho. The 5-episode show,which aired from November 23 to December 21,2012,aimed to promote Korean cuisine and culture to the world,and the two hosts traveled through South Korea and introduced little-known regional food to the viewers. [32] [33]
She next headlined the 2013 remake of the hit 2011 Japanese drama Kaseifu no Mita . In The Suspicious Housekeeper ,Choi played the titular character,an icy and stoic yet amazingly capable housekeeper who comes to work for a recently widowed father and his four children. [34] [35] Despite the difficulty of not being able to react to her costars,Choi said she chose the role because she "was really charmed by the way the heroine refrains from letting her emotions show." [36] [37]
In February 2014,Choi signed with the talent agency YG Entertainment. [38] [39] [40] [41] She then reunited with previous costar Kwon Sang-woo in Temptation ;she played a rich woman who makes a dangerous offer to a married man. [42]
Choi joined the fourth season of travel-reality show Grandpas Over Flowers in 2015,where she and Lee Seo-jin backpacked through Greece with veteran actors Lee Soon-jae,Shin Goo,Park Geun-hyung and Baek Il-seob. [43] [44] [45] [46] This was followed by the cable series Twenty Again ,where she gained critical acclaim as a shy 38-year-old housewife who decides to experience campus college life for the first time alongside her 20-year-old son. [47] [48]
In 2016,Choi returned to the big screen in seven years,starring in the ensemble cast romance film Like for Likes . [49] [50] The same year,she starred in the legal romance drama Woman with a Suitcase . [51]
In 2017,Choi was cast in the family melodrama The Most Beautiful Goodbye ,a remake of the drama The Most Beautiful Goodbye in the World by Noh Hee-kyung. [52]
In 2019,Choi made a cameo appearance as herself in episode 13 of the tvN drama, Crash Landing on You .
Choi majored in aerobic dance at Busan Women's College. She later enrolled in Hanyang University's Department of Theater and Film and completed her first year;however she had to withdraw from college studies due to her hectic work schedule. [53]
Choi married her non-celebrity boyfriend who is 9 years her junior,on March 29,2018,in a private wedding,only publicly announcing it just hours prior through a handwritten letter released in her fan club website. [54] Choi announced that she was pregnant with her first child on December 23,2019, [55] and gave birth to a daughter on May 16,2020. [56]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | The Adventures of Mrs Park | Eun-jin | |
1997 | Hallelujah | Bar madam | bit part |
The Hole | Su-jin | ||
1998 | Alien | Kim's daughter | Voice |
First Kiss | Song Yeon-hwa | ||
1999 | Nowhere to Hide | Kim Ju-yeon | |
2002 | The Romantic President | Choi Eun-soo | |
2004 | Everybody Has Secrets | Han Sun-young | |
2005 | Shadowless Sword | Female martial arts gosu | Cameo |
2006 | Now and Forever | Han Hye-won | |
2009 | Actresses | Herself | |
2016 | Like for Likes | Ham Joo-ran | |
2023 | New Normal | Hyeon-jeong | Closing film at 26th BIFFF [57] [58] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | War and Love | ||
1996 | MBC Best Theater: "Love,Just That One Thing" | ||
First Love | Kang Seok-hee | ||
Three Guys and Three Girls | Cameo appearance | ||
1997 | Happiness Is in Our Hearts | Seon Kyung-ah | |
1998 | Love | Yoo Ji-young | |
1999 | Love in 3 Colors | Eun Ji-soo | |
Love Story | Min-jung | Episode 3–4 | |
2000 | Truth | Lee Ja-young | |
Mr. Duke | Jang Soo-jin | ||
2001 | Beautiful Days | Kim Yeon-soo | |
2002 | We Are Dating Now | Cameo (episode 15) | |
Winter Sonata | Jeong Yoo-jin | ||
2003 | Stairway to Heaven | Han Jung-seo | |
2004 | Full House | Herself | Cameo (episode 3) |
101st Proposal | Li Shao Rong | Chinese drama | |
2006 | Rondo | Choi Yoon-ah | Japanese drama |
2007 | Air City | Han Do-kyung | |
2008 | Star's Lover | Lee Ma-ri | |
2009 | Winter Sonata Anime | Jeong Yoo-jin | Voice |
2011 | Fuyu no Sakura | Inaba Tatsuki's Korean girlfriend | Cameo (episode 2) |
Can't Lose | Lee Eun-jae | ||
2013 | The Suspicious Housekeeper | Park Bok-nyeo | |
2014 | Temptation | Yoo Se-young | |
2015 | Second 20s | Ha No-ra | |
2016 | Woman with a Suitcase | Cha Geum-joo | |
2017 | The Most Beautiful Goodbye | Yeon-soo | |
2020 | Crash Landing on You | Herself | Cameo (episode 13,15) |
2022 | Shooting Stars | Eun Si-woo | Cameo [59] |
2024 | Black Pean Season 2 | Park Seo-hyun | Japanese drama [60] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | We Broke Up | Herself | Cameo (episode 3) |
2016 | 7 First Kisses | Goddess | Episode 1,7 |
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2008 | Line to the Law Center | VTR appearance |
2012 | Choi Ji-woo's Delicious Korea | Host |
2013 | MBC Human Documentary - Love | Narration |
2013 | Running Man Eps 126 - 127 | Guest |
2015 | Grandpas Over Flowers | Cast member (season 4) |
2017 | Candy in my Ears - Season 2 | Cast member |
2019 | Coffee Friends | |
2021 | Bistro Shigor [61] | restaurant president |
2024 | The Return of Superman | Host (along with Commedienne Ahn Young-mi) |
Year | Song Title | Artist |
---|---|---|
1996 | "Endless Love(moo han ji ae)" | Kim Jung-min |
1998 | "Scenery" | Goo Bon-seung and Jang Dong-gun |
"Na Na Na" | Yoo Seung-jun | |
1999 | "For Your Soul" | Jo Sung-mo |
2003 | "The Young Prince's Dream" | Cha Tae-hyun |
2013 | "Ziugae" [62] | ALi |
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | Korea's Isabelle Adjani Contest | — | — | Won |
1996 | KBS Drama Awards | Best New Actress | First Love | Nominated |
1997 | 18th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best New Actress | The Hole | Nominated |
1998 | 34th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actress (Film) | Won | |
21st Golden Cinematography Awards | Best New Actress | Won | ||
1999 | 14th Golden Disk Awards | Golden Video Best Actress | For Your Soul | Won |
20th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nowhere to Hide | Nominated | |
2000 | 37th Grand Bell Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | |
MBC Drama Awards | Excellence Award,Actress | Mr. Duke ,Truth | Won | |
2001 | SBS Drama Awards | Beautiful Days | Won | |
Top 10 Stars | Won | |||
2002 | Model Line Best Dresser Awards | Swan Award | — | Won |
38th Baeksang Arts Awards | Most Popular Actress (TV) | Winter Sonata | Won | |
KBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award,Actress | Won | ||
Popularity Award | Won | |||
2003 | Andre Kim Best Star Awards [63] | Female Star Award | — | Won |
26th Golden Cinematography Awards | Most Popular Actress | The Romantic President | Won | |
SBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award,Actress in a Drama Special | Stairway to Heaven | Won | |
Top 10 Stars | Won | |||
2004 | 40th Baeksang Arts Awards | Most Popular Actress (TV) | Won | |
4th Proud Korean Awards (Journalists Federation of Korea) | Recipient | — | Won | |
2005 | 41st Baeksang Arts Awards | Hallyu Special Award | — | Won |
The Motion Pictures Association of Korea | — | Won | ||
2006 | Dior Timeless Beauty Awards [64] | Recipient | — | Won |
2009 | International Cultural Industry Exchange Foundation Awards | Recipient | — | Won |
4th Seoul International Drama Awards [65] [66] | Inducted into the Star Hall of Fame | — | Won | |
36th Tourism Day | Presidential Commendation [67] | — | Won | |
SBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award,Actress in a Drama Special | Star's Lover | Nominated | |
2010 | World Tourism Cities Forum | Top Popularity Award | — | Won |
2012 | 7th Asia Model Awards [68] [69] | Asia Star Award | — | Won |
Seoul International Social Work Conference | Social Welfare Award [70] | — | Won | |
2013 | SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award,Actress in a Drama Special | The Suspicious Housekeeper | Nominated |
2014 | 7th Korea Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award,Actress | Nominated | |
SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award,Actress in a Drama Special | Temptation | Nominated | |
2016 | MBC Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award,Actress in a Special Project Drama | Woman with a Suitcase | Nominated |
tvN10 Awards | Best Actress | Second 20s | Nominated | |
Jeon Hae-rim,better known by her stage name Ha Ji-won (Korean: 하지원) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for the films Phone (2002),Sex Is Zero (2002),Miracle on 1st Street (2007),Tidal Wave (2009),Closer to Heaven (2009),and Pawn (2020),as well as the television series Damo (2003),Something Happened in Bali (2004),Hwang Jini (2006),Secret Garden (2010–2011),The King 2 Hearts (2012),and Empress Ki (2013–2014).
Wang Ji-hyun,known professionally as Jun Ji-hyun (전지현),is a South Korean actress and model. She rose to fame with her role in the romantic comedy film My Sassy Girl (2001),which became a tremendous sensation across Asia and sparked an international breakthrough for Korean cinema. Other notable films include Il Mare (2000),Windstruck (2004),The Thieves (2012),The Berlin File (2013) and Assassination (2015). She also starred in the popular television series My Love from the Star (2013–2014) and The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016–2017),as well as the Netflix series Kingdom (2021).
Song Hye-kyo is a South Korean actress. She gained international popularity through her leading roles in the television dramas Autumn in My Heart (2000),All In (2003),Full House (2004),That Winter,the Wind Blows (2013),Descendants of the Sun (2016),Encounter (2018) and The Glory (2022). Her film work includes Hwang Jin Yi (2007),The Grandmaster (2013),My Brilliant Life (2014),and The Queens (2015).
Moon Geun-young is a South Korean actress. Affectionately called the "Nation's Little Sister",Moon began modeling at the age of 10,then made her acting debut in 1999 as a child actress. She first rose to stardom through her role as the young Eun-suh in the hugely popular television drama series Autumn in My Heart (2000),followed by a well-received turn in Kim Jee-woon's critically acclaimed horror film A Tale of Two Sisters (2003). Moon solidified her star status by headlining the box-office hits My Little Bride (2004) and Innocent Steps (2005). At age 21,she became the youngest recipient of a Grand Prize ("Daesang") which she won at SBS Drama Awards for the television series Painter of the Wind (2008).
Lee Dong-gun is a South Korean actor and singer.
Kim Tae-hee is a South Korean actress. Considered one of South Korea's most beautiful actresses,she is best known for her roles in television series such as Stairway to Heaven (2003–2004),Love Story in Harvard (2004–2005),Iris (2009),My Princess (2011),Yong-pal (2015) and Hi Bye,Mama! (2020).
Sung Yu-ri is a South Korean actress and singer. She made her entertainment debut in 1998 as a member of the now-defunct K-pop group Fin.K.L. Sung turned to acting in 2002,starring in television dramas such as Thousand Years of Love (2003),The Snow Queen (2006),Hong Gil-dong (2008),and Feast of the Gods (2010).
Im Soo-jung is a South Korean actress and former model. After modeling for teen magazines,Im made her acting breakthrough in Kim Jee-woon's horror film A Tale of Two Sisters (2003),followed by the popular television series I'm Sorry,I Love You (2004). She has since appeared in numerous films,notably Lump Sugar (2006),I'm a Cyborg,But That's OK (2006),Happiness (2007),Jeon Woo-chi:The Taoist Wizard (2009),Finding Mr. Destiny (2010) and All About My Wife (2012),for which she won Best Actress at the 33rd Blue Dragon Film Awards.
Nam Sang-mi is a South Korean actress.
Han Hye-jin is a South Korean actress. Han made her breakthrough in 2005 when she starred as a young widow in her 20s working as an outgoing hairdresser in the hit daily drama Be Strong,Geum-soon!. Among her notable leading roles include Soseono in the historical epic Jumong,Korea's first female doctor of Western medicine in Jejungwon,and a sharpshooter in the manhwa film adaptation 26 Years. She also hosted the popular talk show Healing Camp,Aren't You Happy from 2011 to 2013.
Han Hyo-joo is a South Korean actress,model,and singer. She is best known for her leading roles in television series such as Heaven &Earth (2007),Iljimae (2008),Brilliant Legacy (2009),Dong Yi (2010) for which she won the coveted Best Actress award at the 47th Baeksang Arts Awards,W (2016),Happiness (2021),and Moving (2023),as well as the films Masquerade (2012),which is one of the highest grossing Korean films of all-time,Cold Eyes (2013),for which she won Best Actress at the 34th Blue Dragon Film Awards,Love 911 (2012),The Beauty Inside (2015),and The Pirates:The Last Royal Treasure (2022).
Kim Ha-neul is a South Korean actress. After starting her career as a model,she rose to fame by starring in the films Ditto (2000),My Tutor Friend (2003),Too Beautiful to Lie (2004),and My Girlfriend Is an Agent (2009). In 2011,Kim won Best Actress at the 48th Grand Bell Awards and the 32nd Blue Dragon Film Awards for her performance in the serial killer thriller Blind. Her television work includes Romance (2002),On Air (2008),A Gentleman's Dignity (2012),and 18 Again (2020).
Lee Yu-ri is a South Korean actress. Lee first became known for her role in the teen drama series School 4,and subsequently gained popularity with her role in the family drama Precious Family (2005). In recent years,she became known for her role as the antagonist in television drama series Twinkle Twinkle (2011) and Jang Bo-ri Is Here! (2014). She most recently starred in Spring Turns to Spring (2019) and Lie After Lie (2020).
Lee Yoon-ji is a South Korean actress. After making her acting debut in the sitcom Nonstop 4,Lee has starred in the television series Pure 19 (2004),Princess Hours (2006),Dream High (2011),The King 2 Hearts (2012),and Wang's Family (2013). She also appeared in season 1 reality-variety show We Got Married (2008–2009),as well as the romantic comedy film Couples (2011).
Choi Kang-hee is a South Korean actress and radio DJ. She launched her career by starring in two classic film and television series franchises,Whispering Corridors and School.
Lee Bo-young is a South Korean actress,model and beauty pageant titleholder. She is best known for starring in the television dramas My Daughter Seo-young (2012–2013),I Can Hear Your Voice (2013),Whisper (2017),Mother (2018),Mine (2021),and Agency (2023). Lee was Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year in 2013.
Kim So-eun is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in 2009 in the popular television drama Boys Over Flowers. She has since starred in Happiness in the Wind (2010),A Thousand Kisses (2011–12),Liar Game (2014),Scholar Who Walks the Night (2015),Our Gap-soon (2016–17),Evergreen (2018) and Three Bold Siblings (2022–23). She has won various accolades such as Best New Actress,Special Acting Award and was nominated in different years for Excellence Award and Best Actress in A Special.
Lee Min-jung is a South Korean actress. She began her career in Jang Jin's stage plays,and for a few years appeared in supporting roles on film and television. She became known after her appearance in Boys Over Flowers (2009),and landed her first lead role in family drama Smile,You (2009). She achieved widespread recognition for her leading role in the romantic comedy Cyrano Agency (2010). She also starred in Wonderful Radio (2012),Big (2012),Cunning Single Lady (2014) and Come Back Mister (2016). In 2020,she starred and gained recognition in the KBS weekend drama,Once Again.
Ha Hee-ra is a South Korean actress. Ha began her acting career in 1981 when she was in the sixth grade,appearing mostly in films for teenagers. Among her dramas are What Women Want (1990),What Is Love (1991),The Break of Dawn (1993),Catching Up with Gangnam Moms (2007) and The President (2010).
Park Si-hoo is a South Korean actor. He began his entertainment career as an underwear model and stage actor,then made his official television debut in 2005. After several years in supporting roles,Park rose to fame in 2010 with the popular romantic comedy series Queen of Reversals and Prosecutor Princess. This was followed by leading roles in period drama The Princess' Man (2011) and thriller film Confession of Murder (2012).
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)