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
''Winter Sonata'' () is a 2002 South Korean television drama series, starring Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo. It is the second part of the season-themed tetralogy '' Endless Love'' drama series directed by Yoon Seok-ho. Filming primarily took ...
'' (2002), ''
Stairway to Heaven
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by the band's guitarist Jimmy Page and lead singer Robert Plant for their untitled fourth studio album (often titled ''Led Zeppelin IV'') ...
'' (2003),
''
Air City
''Air City'' () is a 2007 South Korean television drama starring Lee Jung-jae, Choi Ji-woo, Lee Jin-wook and Moon Jung-hee. It aired on MBC from May 19 to June 8, 2007, on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:40 ( KST) for 16 episodes. The series revolv ...
'' (2007), ''
Star's Lover'' (2008), ''
The Suspicious Housekeeper
''The Suspicious Housekeeper'' () is a 2013 South Korean television series starring Choi Ji-woo, Lee Sung-jae, Wang Ji-hye and Kim So-hyun. It aired on SBS from 23 September to 26 November 2013 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.
...
'' (2013) and ''
Temptation
Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...
'' (2014), as well as the romantic comedy series ''
Twenty Again'' (2015) and ''
Woman with a Suitcase
''Woman with a Suitcase'' () is a 2016 South Korean television series starring Choi Ji-woo, Joo Jin-mo, Jeon Hye-bin and Lee Joon. It aired on MBC every Monday and Tuesday at 22:00 ( KST) from September 26 to November 15, 2016 for 16 episodes. ...
'' (2016)''.
Career
1994–1998: Beginnings
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
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
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. In the next couple of years Choi continued to star in both
TV drama
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-ge ...
s and films, including ''
The Hole'' (the Original version of Hollywood thriller ''
Hush
Hush may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Hush'' (1921 film), starring Clara Kimball Young
* ''Hush'' (1998 film), starring Gwyneth Paltrow
* ''Hush!'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi
* ''Hush'' (2005 film), starring ...
''), as well as the
romantic comedies
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
''First Kiss'' with
Ahn Jae-wook and ''
The Romantic President
''The Romantic President'' (, lit. ''The President who Plays the Piano'') is a 2002 South Korean film. It stars Ahn Sung-ki, Choi Ji-woo, Im Soo-jung and was directed by Jeon Man-bae.
Synopsis
The story starts with Young-hee, who was being spo ...
'' with
Ahn Sung-ki
Ahn Sung-ki (born January 1, 1952) is a South Korean actor. One of the country's most respected actors, he has appeared in more than 130 films during his career of over 60 years.
Career
A native of Seoul, Ahn was the son of a veteran filmmaker ...
. 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
Lee Byung-hun (; born July 12, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He has received critical acclaim for his work in a wide range of genres, most notably ''Joint Security Area'' (2000); ''A Bittersweet Life'' (2005); ''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' ...
—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
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
'') that she would star in her most famous, iconic role. Directed by
Yoon Seok-ho
Yoon Seok-ho (; born 4 June 1957) is a South Korean television drama director.
He was the director of four TV series produced by KBS that are sometimes collectively referred to as '' Endless Love'', each containing the name of one of the four ...
as the second installment of his "
season dramas," ''
Winter Sonata
''Winter Sonata'' () is a 2002 South Korean television drama series, starring Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo. It is the second part of the season-themed tetralogy '' Endless Love'' drama series directed by Yoon Seok-ho. Filming primarily took ...
'' became a phenomenal hit throughout Asia and has been credited as one of the initiators of the
Korean Wave. 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"). In 2009 she and Bae reprised their roles as voice actors for ''
Winter Sonata Anime''. 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 TVN may refer to:
* TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel
* Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster
* TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi
* TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...
'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 ).
After the success of her 2003 melodrama ''
Stairway to Heaven
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by the band's guitarist Jimmy Page and lead singer Robert Plant for their untitled fourth studio album (often titled ''Led Zeppelin IV'') ...
'' with
Kwon Sang-woo
Kwon Sang-woo (in Korean: 권상우, ''Kweon Sang-u''; born August 5, 1976) is a South Korean actor. He rose to stardom in 2003 with the romantic comedy film ''My Tutor Friend'' and the melodrama series ''Stairway to Heaven''.
Career
Kwon Sang ...
, Choi again attempted to break into film. She played a terminally ill heroine in ''
Now and Forever'', and a more risque character in sex comedy ''
Everybody Has Secrets'' ("The Original Version of Irish film ''
About Adam
''About Adam'' is a 2000 romantic comedy film written and directed by Gerard Stembridge and starring Kate Hudson, Stuart Townsend, and Frances O'Connor. The plot focuses on the effect a seductive young man has on four siblings.
Plot
Adam i ...
''). Both films were poorly received by critics and audiences in South Korea, but performed well at the Japanese box office.
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
is a Japanese actor. His on-screen acting debut was in the drama 「ボクの就職」 (Boku no Syūshoku) in 1994, after winning a modeling contest. He regularly appears in commercials.
Filmography
TV series
* ''Boku no Shūshoku/My First Job' ...
. She returned to Korean television in 2007 in ''
Air City
''Air City'' () is a 2007 South Korean television drama starring Lee Jung-jae, Choi Ji-woo, Lee Jin-wook and Moon Jung-hee. It aired on MBC from May 19 to June 8, 2007, on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:40 ( KST) for 16 episodes. The series revolv ...
'' alongside
Lee Jung-jae
Lee Jung-jae (; born December 15, 1972) is a South Korean actor and filmmaker. Considered one of the most successful actors in South Korea, he has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cr ...
; her role was the Chief Operating Officer of
Incheon Airport
Incheon International Airport (IIA; ) (sometimes referred to as Seoul–Incheon International Airport) is the largest airport in South Korea. It is the primary airport serving the Seoul Capital Area and one of the largest and busiest airports ...
.
2009–2012: Breakthrough
In 2009, she starred opposite
Yoo Ji-tae
Yoo Ji-tae (born April 13, 1976) is a South Korean actor, film director and screenwriter. After a stint as a fashion model, Yoo launched his acting career in 1998 then rose to fame through the films '' Attack the Gas Station'' (1999) and '' Ditt ...
in the drama ''
Star's Lover'', playing a top actress who falls in love with an ordinary man. Choi received per episode, the highest salary for a Korean actress at the time (her record was later broken by
Go Hyun-jung
Go Hyun-jung (; born March 2, 1971) is a South Korean actress. She debuted in the entertainment industry as a Miss Korea runner-up in 1989 and went on to star in '' Sandglass ''(1995), one of the highest-rated and critically acclaimed dramas in ...
's for the 2010 drama ''
Daemul
''Big Thing'' () is a 2010 South Korean television drama based on manhwa artist Park In-kwon's comic ''Daemul'', and stars Go Hyun-jung as South Korea's first female president. Number one in its timeslot for 11 consecutive weeks, it gained succes ...
'').
That same year, she set up her own management agency called C,JW Company with her brother as
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
. She also joined the ensemble cast of semi-
improvisational
Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
mockumentary
A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary.
These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...
''
Actresses
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...
'', arguably her most significant film yet.
During the press conference for the 2011 series, ''
Can't Lose
''Can't Lose'' (, lit. "Can't Live With Losing") is a 2011 South Korean romantic comedy television series, starring Choi Ji-woo and Yoon Sang-hyun, who play two bickering, married divorce lawyers who take out their frustrations on each other i ...
'', co-starring
Yoon Sang-hyun
Yoon Sang-hyun (born September 21, 1973) is a South Korean actor and singer. He is best known for his roles in ''Queen of Housewives'' (2009), ''My Fair Lady'' (2009), '' Secret Garden'' (2011) and ''I Can Hear Your Voice'' (2013).
Career
Yoo ...
, 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''.
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
Qin Hao (Chinese name: ) is a Chinese actor. He is known for starring in the 2009 film ''Spring Fever'' and the 2020 television series '' The Bad Kids''.
Early life
In 1996, Qin entered China's Central Academy of Drama. He graduated from the C ...
, a newly employed businessman at her firm.
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.
She next headlined the 2013 remake of the hit 2011 Japanese drama ''
Kaseifu no Mita
is a 2011 Japanese television drama series. A family grieving their mother's recent death hires Akari Mita as a housekeeper to upkeep the house, which has been thrown into disarray. Mita, who is played by actress Nanako Matsushima, will do a ...
''. In ''
The Suspicious Housekeeper
''The Suspicious Housekeeper'' () is a 2013 South Korean television series starring Choi Ji-woo, Lee Sung-jae, Wang Ji-hye and Kim So-hyun. It aired on SBS from 23 September to 26 November 2013 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.
...
'', 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. 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."
2014–2016: Career resurgence
In February 2014, Choi 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 ...
. She then reunited with previous costar Kwon Sang-woo in ''
Temptation
Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...
''; she played a rich woman who makes a dangerous offer to a married man.
Choi joined the fourth season of travel-reality show ''
Grandpas Over Flowers
''Grandpas Over Flowers'' () is a South Korean travel- reality show that airs on tvN. The title is a word play/parody of , a popular Japanese manga about four handsome young men ('' Boys Over Flowers'' also refers to the 2009 adaptation of the ma ...
'' in 2015, where she and
Lee Seo-jin
Lee Seo-jin (born January 30, 1971) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for the reality shows ''Three Meals a Day'' and '' Grandpa Over Flowers''. As an actor, he came to prominence with his leading roles in television series '' Damo'' (2 ...
backpacked through Greece with veteran actors
Lee Soon-jae
Lee Soon-jae (; born November 16, 1934) is a South Korean actor. He has had a prolific career on the small and big screen spanning over six decades, and was given a second-class Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit for his work as an actor.
Early an ...
,
Shin Goo
Shin Goo (; born Shin Sun-gi, ; August 13, 1936) is a South Korean actor.
Filmography
Film
Television series
Variety show
Theater
Awards and nominations
State honors
Notes
References
External links
Shin Goo Fan Cafeat Daum
...
,
Park Geun-hyung
Park Geun-hyung (born June 7, 1940) is a South Korean actor. His career in film, television and theater has spanned over five decades.
Filmography
Film
*''7 People in the Cellar'' (1969)
*''Lovers of Seoul'' (1973)
*''Spies in the National A ...
and
Baek Il-seob
Baek Il-seob (; born June 10, 1944) is a South Korean film and television actor. In recent years he appeared in the family dramas ''Mom's Dead Upset'', ''My Too Perfect Sons'' and '' Ojakgyo Brothers''.
In 2007 Baek landed in the news after he m ...
.
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.
In 2016, Choi returned to the big screen in seven years, starring in the
ensemble cast
In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17
Structure
In contrast to ...
romance film ''
Like for Likes
''Like for Likes'' (Korean: 좋아해줘) is a 2016 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Park Hyun-jin. It was released in South Korea on February 17, 2016, by CJ Entertainment.
Plot
The movie follows three couples relying on social medi ...
''. The same year, she starred in the legal romance drama ''
Woman with a Suitcase
''Woman with a Suitcase'' () is a 2016 South Korean television series starring Choi Ji-woo, Joo Jin-mo, Jeon Hye-bin and Lee Joon. It aired on MBC every Monday and Tuesday at 22:00 ( KST) from September 26 to November 15, 2016 for 16 episodes. ...
''.
In 2017, Choi was cast in the family melodrama ''
The Most Beautiful Goodbye
''The Most Beautiful Goodbye'' () is a 2017 South Korean television series starring Won Mi-kyung, Choi Ji-woo, Kim Young-ok and Choi Min-ho. It is a remake of the drama of the same name by Noh Hee-kyung that aired in 1996 on MBC. The series air ...
'', a remake of the drama ''The Most Beautiful Goodbye in the World'' by
Noh Hee-kyung
Noh Hee-kyung (born March 21, 1966) is a South Korean television screenwriter and essayist.
Career
Noh Hee-kyung has become renowned in South Korea for her realistic, cerebral and in-depth portrayals of the lives and relationships of ordinary ...
.
In 2019, Choi made a cameo appearance as herself in episode 13 of the tvN drama, ''
Crash Landing on You
''Crash Landing on You'' () is a 2019–2020 South Korean television series written by Park Ji-eun, directed by Lee Jeong-hyo and starring Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Seo Ji-hye, and Kim Jung-hyun. It is about a successful South Korean businesswom ...
''.
Personal life
Choi majored in aerobic dance at
Busan
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...
Women's College. She later enrolled in
Hanyang University
Hanyang University (Korean: 한양대학교) is a private research university in South Korea. The main campus is located in Seoul and its satellite campus, the Education Research Industry Cluster (ERICA campus), is in Ansan. ''Hanyang'' (한양, ...
'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.
Choi married her non-celebrity boyfriend who is 9 years younger, 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. Choi announced that she was pregnant with her first child on December 23, 2019, and gave birth to a daughter on May 16, 2020.
Filmography
Film
Television series
Web series
Variety show
Music video
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Ji-woo
Articles with hCards
1975 births
IHQ (company) artists
Living people
People from Busan
South Korean film actresses
South Korean television actresses
South Korean female models
YG Entertainment artists
20th-century South Korean actresses
21st-century South Korean actresses