Choi Min-soo (born March 27, 1962) is a South Korean actor. He is known as one of the most acclaimed actors in South Korea.

Life and career

Choi's family has been active in acting, and singing. Choi is the son of Choi Moo-ryong, a popular actor of the 1960s and 1970s, and

Kang Hyo-shil Kang Hyo-shil (10 February 1932 – 2 November 1996) was a South Korean film and stage actress. Biography Kang was born in Pyongyang in 1932, now the capital of North Korea. Kang's parents were Kang Hong-shik, a noted singer, and actor during t ...

, an actress. His maternal grandmother is

Jeon Ok Jeon Ok (April 2, 1911 – October 22, 1969) was a Korean actress and singer. Jeon was referred to as "Queen of Tears" for her excellence at acting for tragic dramas. Biography Jeon Ok was born Jeon Deok-rye in Hamhung, South Hamgyong provinc ...

, referred to as 'Queen of Tears' for her excellence at acting for tragic dramas. His grandfather is

Kang Hong-shik Kang may refer to: Places * Kang Kalan, Punjab * Kang District, Afghanistan * Kang, Botswana, a village * Kang County, Gansu, China * Kang, Isfahan, Iran, a village * Kang, Kerman, Iran, a village * Kang, Razavi Khorasan, Iran, a village * Kham ( ...

, an actor, a film director and singer active during the Japanese occupation period. Kang Hong-sik and Jeon Ok were the first married couple in Korean entertainment history. Kang went over to

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

along with his daughter

Kang Hyo-son Kang may refer to: Places * Kang Kalan, Punjab * Kang District, Afghanistan * Kang, Botswana, a village * Kang County, Gansu, China * Kang, Isfahan, Iran, a village * Kang, Kerman, Iran, a village * Kang, Razavi Khorasan, Iran, a village * Kham ( ...

who later became a famous actress of North Korea. Kang Hong-shik was honored as "Merited artist" as well. Choi graduated from

Lila Elementary School Lila or LILA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lila'' (album), debut album by American country music singer Lila McCann * ''Lila'' (movie), a 1968 sexploitation film * The Meaning of Lila, a comic strip written by John Forgetta and L. A. ...

, Seongdong Middle School, Dongbuk High School and Seoul Arts College. Choi debuted to the film industry in 1985 with '' Son of God'', a film adapted from

Park Bong-seong A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...

's same titled manhwa. Choi has three sisters and one half sister from his father's second marriage with

Kim Ji-mee Kim Ji-mee (born July 15, 1940) is a South Korean actress, producer, and film planner whose activity began in 1957. She was born in Daedeok, South Chungcheong province, Korea in 1940. While a student of Deokseong Girls' High School, Kim was cast ...

, and one little half brother and half sister from his father's other marriage. Choi met his wife June Elizabeth Kang from an international Miss Korea Beauty Pageant in 1993 where Kang was being represented as Miss Canada. Choi proposed to Kang after a three-hour meeting and they were married June 18, 1994 in Seoul. They have two children, Christian (born 1996) and Benjamin (born 2001).

Controversies

Choi took a voluntary leave from acting following a scandal in 2008. He was involved in an assault case in April 2008 after a street-side argument ended in violence. An elderly man saw Choi cursing at another driver and rebuked him. The situation escalated and Choi assaulted the man. The actor attempted to drive away, but the man grabbed onto the hood of the car and refused to let go. Choi was let go by police when the victim declined to press charges, but the public reaction was swift and condemning. The actor apologized profusely for his behavior and swore to live in exile in the mountains, away from his wife and children, for a year. In 2015, Choi punched the main production director of the KBS variety show, A Look At Myself. Choi later withdrew from the program. In 2019, Choi was sentenced to two years probation for retaliatory driving due to an incident which took place on September 17, 2018. Both Choi and the prosecution have appealed the sentence.

Filmography

Film

:*Note; the whole list is referenced.

Television

Awards

:*Note; the whole list is referenced. *

2014 MBC Drama Awards The 2014 MBC Drama Awards () is a ceremony honoring the outstanding achievement in television on the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) network for the year of 2014. It was held on December 30, 2014 and hosted by Shin Dong-yup and Girls' Gene ...

: Golden Acting Award, Actor (''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...

'') *

2007 MBC Drama Awards The 2007 MBC Drama Awards () is a ceremony honoring the outstanding achievement in television on the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) network for the year of 2007. It was held on December 30, 2007 and hosted by Shin Dong-yup and Hyun Young. ...

: Golden Acting Award, Actor in a Historical Drama ('' The Legend'') * 2004 MBC Drama Awards: Top Excellence Award, Actor (''Han River Ballad'') * 2001 37th Baeksang Arts Awards: Best Film Actor ('' Libera Me'') * 2000 SBS Drama Awards: Big Star Award (''Legends of Love'') * 2000 37th

Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards (), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest co ...

: Best Actor (''Phantom: the Submarine'') * 1996 19th Golden Cinematography Awards: Most Popular Actor * 1996 34th

: Best Actor (''

Terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

'') * 1995 SBS Drama Awards: Grand Prize/Daesang ('' Sandglass'') * 1995 22nd Korea Broadcasting Awards: Best TV Actor ('' Sandglass'') * 1995 16th

Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by ''Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popula ...

: Best Actor, Popular Star Award (''

'') * 1995 31st Baeksang Arts Awards: Best TV Actor ('' Sandglass'') * 1993 14th

: Popular Star Award * 1993 31st

: Most Popular Actor * 1993 29th Baeksang Arts Awards: Best TV Actor (''Walking Up to Heaven'') * 1992 MBC Drama Awards: Excellence Award, Actor (''What Is Love'') * 1992 28th Baeksang Arts Awards: Most Popular TV Actor (''What Is Love'') * 1992 13th

: Popular Star Award * 1991 12th

: Popular Star Award * 1990 11th

: Best Supporting Actor ('' North Korean Partisan in South Korea'') * 1989 25th Baeksang Arts Awards: Best New Film Actor (''Last Dance with Her'') * 1987 11th Golden Cinematography Awards: Best New Actor (''Long Journey & Tunnel'')

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Min-soo 1962 births 20th-century South Korean male actors 21st-century South Korean male actors South Korean male film actors South Korean male television actors Living people People from Seoul Male actors from Seoul Best New Actor Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners