Cha Seung-won

Cha Seung-won (; born June 7, 1970) is a South Korean actor, who began his career as an in-demand fashion model in the 1990s. Cha achieved stardom through the hit comedy films '' Kick the Moon'' (2001), '' Jail Breakers'' (2002), ''My Teacher, Mr. Kim'' (2003), and '' Ghost House'' (2004). After proving his versatility in other genres, notably in the period thriller '' Blood Rain'' (2005) and the melodrama '' My Son'' (2007), Cha's popularity continued with the television series ''Bodyguard'' (2003), ''City Hall'' (2009), '' The Greatest Love'' (2011), '' A Korean Odyssey'' (2017), '' One Ordinary Day'' (2021) and '' Our Blues'' (2022).

Career

Cha dropped out of Sungkyunkwan University, and began a successful career as a fashion model in 1988. He was cast in the TV sitcom ''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'' (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 arsonist in the firefighting film '' Libera Me''. The following summer, the runaway success of Kim Sang-jin's comedy '' Kick the Moon'' (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 South Korea.

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''MOVIE REVIEW 'Small Town Rivals' puts comic twist on friendship
. The Korea Herald. March 22, 2007.).

Cha appeared as a private bodyguard in KBS2's weekend drama ''Bodyguard'' aired in July, 2003.

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 thriller '' Blood Rain''."Dogged Cha Seung-won: Movie ''Tears of Blood''"
. The Dong-a Ilbo. April 13, 2005."K-FILM REVIEWS: 혈의 누 (Blood Rain)"
Twitch Film. September 12, 2005. The film's unexpectedly robust commercial success confirmed Cha's popularity among Korean audiences. He further proved his versatility in Jang Jin's ''Murder, Take One'' (also known as ''The Big Scene'')."Cha Seung-won: Not Groomed for Stardom"
. The Chosun Ilbo. August 2, 2005."''The Big Scene'' showcases a clever detective thriller"
The Korea Herald. August 11, 2005."K-FILM REVIEWS: 박수칠 때 떠나라 (Murder, Take One)"
. Twitch Film. January 2, 2006. He was named as major film actor from his agency Gooder Better Entertainment.

Cha starred in his first melodrama '' Over the Border'' (2006), about a North Korean defector."Comic star's melodramatic acting in ''South of the Border''"
. The Korea Herald via Hancinema. April 27, 2006. He then reunited with Jang Jin in '' My Son'' (2007), and he said his experience as a father helped a lot in learning the character."Movies Reflect on Contemporary Fathers"
. The Korea Times. April 24, 2007. Stylish crime thrillers ''Eye for an Eye'' (2008),"''Eye'' Spies Perfect Crime"
. The Korea Times. July 24, 2008. and ''Secret'' (2009) followed.

Cha returned to television in 2009, in the political fairytale ''City Hall'' penned by writer Kim Eun-sook. 2010 was a busy year for him, with Cha appearing in two films, the Lee Joon-ik-helmed period actioner '' Blades of Blood'',"Traces of Lee Joon-ik's work in ''Blades of Blood''"
. 10Asia. April 20, 2010. and Korean War 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, Ryōko Hirosue, Teruyuki Kagawa, and Korean veteran actor Kim Eung-soo. 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, then starred in the police series '' You're All Surrounded''. This was followed by his third team-up with director Jang Jin in the comedy noir film '' Man on High Heels'', which subverted Cha's "macho" image by having him play a transgender homicide detective.

In 2015, Cha appeared in ''Three Meals a Day: Gochang Village'', a cable reality show set on the remote Manjae Island for which he earned the nickname "Chajumma" (from the word '' ajumma'') 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'', which focused on power struggles for the throne amid the backdrop of the Joseon Dynasty. Cha next plays cartographer and geologist Kim Jeong-ho 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'' by the Hong sisters. Cha the starred in the family comedy-drama film '' Cheer Up, Mr. Lee'' in 2019 and the disaster film ''Sinkhole'' in 2021.

Later in 2021, he starred alongside Kim Soo-hyun in the Coupang Play's television series '' One Ordinary Day'', based on the British television series ''Criminal Justice''. In 2022, he appeared in the tvN drama '' Our Blues''.

In October 2022, it was revealed that Cha will participate in film '' The Tyrant'' as one of the main characters. Initially ''The Tyrant'' was originally created with theater release in mind, but after filming was completed, it was edited in four-part series. The decision to expand it was made to effectively showcase the individual charm of each character and highlight the directorial expertise of Park Hoon-jung. It was announced as part of Disney+ 2024 lineup on February 19 and is set to premiere worldwide on August 14, 2024.

In March 2025, Cha left YG Entertainment and signed with new agency KeyEast.

Personal life

Cha and his wife Lee Soo-jin are the biological parents of their daughter, Cha Ye-ni (born 2003, christened Rachel). In July 2014, a man claiming to be the biological father of Cha and Lee's son, Cha No-ah (born 1989, christened Noah), filed—and quickly withdrew—a ₩100 million defamation lawsuit against Cha. Following this, Cha acknowledged that No-ah is Lee's son from a previous marriage and that he legally adopted No-ah, who was three years old at the time, after marrying Lee. Cha had previously falsified his marriage date as 1989 to align with No-ah's age, later apologizing for intentionally providing the incorrect date to protect their son's knowledge of his paternity.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Web series

Television shows

Music video appearances

Stage

Accolades

Awards and nominations

State honors

Listicles

Notes

References

External links

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{{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
Male actors from Anyang, Gyeonggi
Living people
1970 births