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Cha Seung-won (born June 7, 1970) is a South Korean actor, who began his career as an in-demand
fashion model A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Thoug ...
in the 1990s. Cha achieved stardom through the hit comedy films ''
Kick the Moon ''Kick the Moon'' () is a 2001 South Korean film directed by Kim Sang-jin. Plot Ten years ago, a legendary fighter named Choi Gi-dong and a timid straight-A student named Park Young-joon leave for a high school field trip to Gyeongju city. But d ...
'' (2001), ''
Jail Breakers ''Jail Breakers'' () is a 2002 South Korean comedy film directed by Kim Sang-jin and starring Sol Kyung-gu, Cha Seung-won and Song Yoon-ah. It was a box office hit with a total of 3,073,919 admissions nationwide, making it the 4th highest grossin ...
'' (2002), '' My Teacher, Mr. Kim'' (2003), and '' Ghost House'' (2004). After proving his versatility in other genres, notably in the
period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...
thriller ''
Blood Rain Blood rain is a phenomenon where blood is perceived to fall from the sky in the form of rain. Blood Rain may also refer to: * ''Blood Rain'' (film), a 2005 thriller film * ''Blood Rain'' (novel), a 1999 crime novel See also *''BloodRayne'', a ...
'' (2005) and the
melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...
''
My Son My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon Business * Mar ...
'' (2007), Cha's popularity continued with the
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''
Bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...
'' (2003), ''
City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
'' (2009), '' The Greatest Love'' (2011), ''
Hwayugi ''A Korean Odyssey'' () is a South Korean fantasy television series starring Lee Seung-gi, Cha Seung-won, Oh Yeon-seo, Lee Hong-gi, and Jang Gwang. Written by the Hong sisters, the drama is a modern spin-off of the Chinese classic 16th-century ...
'' (2017), ''
One Ordinary Day ''One Ordinary Day'' () is a South Korean web series starring Kim Soo-hyun and Cha Seung-won. It is based on the British television series ''Criminal Justice'' written by Peter Moffat. It premiered on Coupang Play in South Korea on November ...
'' (2021), and ''
Our Blues ''Our Blues'' () is a 2022 South Korean television series starring Lee Byung-hun, Shin Min-a, Cha Seung-won, Lee Jung-eun, Uhm Jung-hwa, Han Ji-min, and Kim Woo-bin. The series revolves around the sweet and bitter lives of people at the end, ...
'' (2022).


Career

Cha dropped out of
Sungkyunkwan University Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU or simply ''Seongdae'', Hangul: 성균관대학교; Hanja: 成均館大學校) is a private comprehensive research university in South Korea. The institution traces its origins to the historic Sungkyunkwan, found ...
, and began a successful career as a fashion
model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...
in 1988. He was cast in the TV
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
''New York Story'', which would eventually pave the way for his debut in film."Actors and Actresses of Korean Cinema: Cha Seung-won"
. Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
Although his debut film ''
Holiday In Seoul ''Holiday in Seoul'' () is a 1997 South Korean film starring Choi Jin-sil Choi Jin-Sil (December 24, 1968 – October 2, 2008) was a South Korean actress. She was considered one of the best actresses in South Korea, nicknamed "The Nation's A ...
'' (1997) and many of his subsequent roles did not establish him as a major star, he attracted attention in 2000 for his performance as an
arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...
ist in the firefighting film '' Libera Me''. The following summer, the runaway success of Kim Sang-jin's comedy ''
Kick the Moon ''Kick the Moon'' () is a 2001 South Korean film directed by Kim Sang-jin. Plot Ten years ago, a legendary fighter named Choi Gi-dong and a timid straight-A student named Park Young-joon leave for a high school field trip to Gyeongju city. But d ...
'' (over 4.3 million tickets sold) secured his place in the industry as a leading actor with strong star appeal. Since then, Cha has become one of the few surefire box office draws in the country. In a 2005 survey of influential movie producers, he was ranked among the top ten most bankable stars. In early 2003, Cha took on a slightly more serious role as a corrupt schoolteacher who is transferred to a country school in the film '' My Teacher, Mr. Kim''. The film grossed over 2.4 million admissions and drew Cha additional praise for his acting abilities (he would later team up again with director Jang Gyu-seong for 2007 comedy ''
Small Town Rivals ''Small Town Rivals'' () is a 2007 South Korean film. Plot Cho Chun-sam and Noh Dae-gyu, now both in their thirties, are old friends who went to the same elementary school. In their school days, Chun-sam was always the ambitious class president ...
''). His next role, in '' Ghost House'', reunited him with director Kim Sang-jin in a successful comedy about a man who buys a dream home, only to discover it is haunted by a young female ghost. In 2005 Cha put aside the comic roles he had become known for and appeared in the grisly
period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...
thriller ''
Blood Rain Blood rain is a phenomenon where blood is perceived to fall from the sky in the form of rain. Blood Rain may also refer to: * ''Blood Rain'' (film), a 2005 thriller film * ''Blood Rain'' (novel), a 1999 crime novel See also *''BloodRayne'', a ...
''. The film's unexpectedly robust commercial success confirmed Cha's popularity among Korean audiences. He further proved his versatility in
Jang Jin Jang Jin (born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director, theatre director, playwright, screenwriter, film producer, actor and TV personality. Considered one of the most distinctive voices to emerge from the 1990s Korean cinema ren ...
's ''Murder, Take One'' (also known as ''The Big Scene''). Cha starred in his first
melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...
'' Over the Border'' (2006), about a
North Korean defector Since the division of Korea after the end of World War II, North Koreans have fled from the country in spite of legal punishment for political, ideological, religious, economic, moral, personal, or nutritional reasons. Such North Koreans are re ...
. He then reunited with Jang Jin in ''
My Son My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon Business * Mar ...
'' (2007), and he said his experience as a father helped a lot in learning the character. Stylish crime thrillers '' Eye for an Eye'' (2008), and ''
Secret Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...
'' (2009) followed. Cha returned to television in 2009, in the political fairytale ''
City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
'' penned by writer
Kim Eun-sook Kim Eun-sook (Korean: 김은숙, born 1973) is a South Korean screenwriter. She wrote the popular television dramas ''Lovers in Paris'' (2004), '' On Air'' (2008), '' Secret Garden'' (2010), '' A Gentleman's Dignity'' (2012), ''The Heirs'' (2 ...
. 2010 was a busy year for him, with Cha appearing in two films, the
Lee Joon-ik Lee Joon-ik (born September 21, 1959) is a South Korean film director and producer. He is best known for directing and producing ''King and the Clown'' (2005), one of the highest grossing Korean films of all time. Other notable films include ' ...
-helmed period actioner ''
Blades of Blood ''Blades of Blood'' (; lit. "Like the Moon Escaping from the Clouds") is a 2010 South Korean action drama film directed by Lee Joon-ik. The film is based on Park Heung-yong's graphic novel ''Like the Moon Escaping from the Clouds''. Plot In the ...
'', and
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
film '' 71: Into the Fire'', followed by spy series '' Athena: Goddess of War''. In 2011 his character in the hit romantic comedy series '' The Greatest Love'', arrogant top star "Dokko Jin," became a mini pop culture phenomenon, giving rise to numerous commercial deals and parodies, as well as awards for Cha. Cha made his theater debut in 2012 in the stage play ''Bring Me My Chariot Fire'' alongside Japanese actors
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi is a Japanese actor, singer, television host, and a former member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia. Early life Kusanagi grew up in Kasukabe, Saitama, Japan. Career Music In 1987, at age 13, Kusanagi auditioned to enter John ...
,
Ryōko Hirosue is a Japanese actress and singer, best known to international audiences for her roles in the Luc Besson-produced ''Wasabi'' and the Academy Award-winning Japanese film '' Departures''. She also starred in the 2008 comedy series ''Yasuko to Kenji ...
,
Teruyuki Kagawa is a Japanese actor, kabuki actor and boxing commentator. Biography Born in 1965, his parents are the kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke III and the cinema actress Yuko Hama. His grandmother is the film actress Sanae Takasugi. In the Kabuki world, ...
, and Korean veteran actor
Kim Eung-soo Kim Eung-soo (; born February 12, 1961) is a South Korean actor. Kim lived in Japan for seven years, where he studied filmmaking at the Japan Institute of the Moving Image The , formerly known as the Yokohama Broadcasting Technical School, is a ...
. Set in the historically turbulent early 1900s, the plot focuses on the friendship of artists from Korea and Japan who work together to preserve traditional Korean arts. In 2014, Cha signed with the talent agency
YG Entertainment YG Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production compa ...
, then starred in the police series ''
You're All Surrounded ''You're All Surrounded'' () is a 2014 South Korean television series starring Lee Seung-gi, Cha Seung-won, Go Ara, Ahn Jae-hyun, Park Jung-min, Oh Yoon-ah, and Sung Ji-ru. It aired on SBS from May 7 to July 17, 2014, on Wednesdays and Thursday ...
''. This was followed by his third team-up with director Jang Jin in the comedy noir film ''
Man on High Heels ''Man on High Heels'' (; lit. "High Heel") is a 2014 South Korean noir film written and directed by Jang Jin, starring Cha Seung-won as a transgender homicide detective. Plot Yoon Ji-wook is a hard-as-nails homicide detective known for his undis ...
'', which subverted Cha's "macho" image by having him play a
transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
homicide detective. In 2015, Cha appeared in ''Three Meals a Day: Gochang Village'', a cable
reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
set on the remote Manjae Island for which he earned the nickname "Chajumma" (from the word ''
ajumma Ajumma ( ko, 아줌마), sometimes spelled ajoomma, is a Korean word for a married, or middle-aged woman. It comes from the Korean word ''ajumeoni'' ( ko, 아주머니). Although it is sometimes translated "aunt An aunt is a woman who is a s ...
'') because of his versatile cooking skills despite the minimal amount of ingredients and implements. He was then cast as Prince Gwanghae in the period drama ''
Splendid Politics ''Splendid Politics'' () is a 2015 South Korean television series starring Cha Seung-won, Lee Yeon-hee, Kim Jaewon, Seo Kang-joon, Han Joo-wan and Jo Sung-ha. It aired on MBC from April 13 to September 29, 2015 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 ...
'', which focused on power struggles for the throne amid the backdrop of the
Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
. Cha next plays cartographer and geologist
Kim Jeong-ho Kim Jeong-ho ( pen name Gosanja; ‘the guy of old mountain’ 1804–1866?) was a Korean geographer and cartographer. He was born in Hwanghaedo. It is believed that he walked the entire length and breadth of the Korean peninsula, through mo ...
in Kang Woo-suk's period epic ''Gosanja, Daedongyeojido'', adapted from Park Bum-shin's novel ''The Map Maker''. In 2017, Cha was cast in tvN's fantasy romantic comedy drama ''
A Korean Odyssey ''A Korean Odyssey'' () is a South Korean fantasy television series starring Lee Seung-gi, Cha Seung-won, Oh Yeon-seo, Lee Hong-gi, and Jang Gwang. Written by the Hong sisters, the drama is a modern spin-off of the Chinese classic 16th-century n ...
'' by the
Hong sisters Hong Jung-eun (born 1974) and Hong Mi-ran (born 1977), collectively known as the Hong sisters (), are South Korean television screenwriters currently managed by Studio Dragon. Together, they have written popular romantic-comedies, notably '' ...
. Cha the starred in the family comedy-drama film '' Cheer Up, Mr. Lee'' in 2019 and the disaster film ''
Sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...
'' in 2021. Later in 2021, he starred alongside
Kim Soo-hyun Kim Soo-hyun (; born February 16, 1988) is a South Korean actor. One of the highest-paid actors in South Korea, his accolades include four Baeksang Arts Awards, two Grand Bell Awards and one Blue Dragon Film Award. From 2012 to 2016 and in ...
in the
Coupang Play Coupang ( ko, 쿠팡) is a South Korean e-commerce company based in Seoul, South Korea, and incorporated in Delaware, United States. Founded in 2010 by Bom Kim, the company expanded to become the largest online marketplace in South Korea. I ...
's television series ''
One Ordinary Day ''One Ordinary Day'' () is a South Korean web series starring Kim Soo-hyun and Cha Seung-won. It is based on the British television series ''Criminal Justice'' written by Peter Moffat. It premiered on Coupang Play in South Korea on November ...
'', based on the British television series ''
Criminal Justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the Rehabilitation (penology), rehabilitation of o ...
''. In 2022, he appeared in the tvN drama ''
Our Blues ''Our Blues'' () is a 2022 South Korean television series starring Lee Byung-hun, Shin Min-a, Cha Seung-won, Lee Jung-eun, Uhm Jung-hwa, Han Ji-min, and Kim Woo-bin. The series revolves around the sweet and bitter lives of people at the end, ...
''.


Personal life

Cha and his wife Lee Soo-jin are biological parents to daughter Cha Ye-ni (born 2003, christened as Rachel). In July 2014, a man claiming to be the birth father of Cha and Lee's son Cha No-ah (born 1989, christened as Noah) filed (and quickly dropped) a
defamation Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
lawsuit against Cha, which led to the actor admitting that No-ah is Lee's son from her previous marriage, and that when he and Lee got married, Cha legally adopted No-ah, who was then three years old. Cha had previously falsified his marriage date as 1989 to match No-ah's age, apologizing for the
white lie A lie is an assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with the purpose of deceiving or misleading someone. The practice of communicating lies is called lying. A person who communicates a lie may be termed a liar. Lies can be int ...
since their son did not know his paternity.


Filmography


Film


Television series


Variety shows


Music video appearances


Theater


Awards and nominations


State honors


Listicles


Notes


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cha, Seung-won 20th-century South Korean male actors 21st-century South Korean male actors South Korean male film actors South Korean male television actors South Korean male models South Korean Roman Catholics People from Anyang, Gyeonggi YG Entertainment artists Living people 1970 births