Choi Ji-woo
Encyclopedia
Choi Ji-woo is a South Korean actress.
in 1994, and made her debut in the 1995's War and Love, after which she adopted the stage name Choi Ji-woo.
In the next couple of years she would star in both drama
s and films, including The Hole
(a Korean remake of Hollywood thriller Hush) and the romantic comedies First Kiss with Ahn Jae-wook
and The Romantic President
with Ahn Sung-ki
. But it was her portrayals on TV of tragic heroines with a pure and innocent image -- notably in Truth opposite Ryu Shi-won
and Beautiful Days
opposite Lee Byung-hun
-- that boosted her rising popularity.
It was in 2002 when she reunited onscreen with Bae Yong-joon (she previously had a supporting role in his 1995 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
", Winter Sonata
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 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 #5 with approximately $2 million USD).
After the success of her 2003 drama Stairway to Heaven
with Kwon Sang-woo
, Choi again attempted to break into film. She played a familiar role in the melodrama Now and Forever and a more risque character in sex comedy Everybody Has Secrets
(a Korean remake of Irish film About Adam
). Both films were poorly received by critics and audiences.
Choi then spent the next few years overseas, shooting the Japanese drama RONDO opposite Yutaka Takenouchi and the Chinese drama 101st Proposal. She returned to Korean television in 2007 in Air City
alongside Lee Jung-jae
; her role was the Chief Operating Officer of Incheon Airport.
In 2009 she starred opposite Yoo Ji-tae in the drama A Star's Lover
, playing a top actress who falls in love with an ordinary man. Choi received W48 million per episode of A Star's Lover
, the highest salary for a Korean actress at the time (her record has since been broken by Go Hyun-jung
's W55 million for the 2010 drama Daemul
). That same year, she set up her own management company called C,JW Company. She also joined the ensemble cast of semi-improvisational Actresses
, arguably her most significant film yet.
During the press conference for 2011 series Can't Lose, co-starring Yoon Sang Hyun
, which features 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 on the reality show 2 Days & 1 Night.
Career
Choi was first discovered when she won a talent audition organized by MBCMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
in 1994, and made her debut in the 1995's War and Love, after which she adopted the stage name Choi Ji-woo.
In the next couple of years she would star in both drama
Korean drama
Korean drama refers to televised dramas, in a miniseries format, produced in the Korean language. Many of these dramas have become popular throughout Asia and have contributed to the general phenomenon of the Korean wave, known as "Hallyu", and also "Drama Fever" in some countries...
s and films, including The Hole
The Hole (1997 film)
The Hole is a 1997 South Korean film directed by Kim Sung-hong.- Plot :Jin-sook has a close relationship with her son, Don-woo, and is surprised when he announces his engagement to Su-jin. After the wedding, the three end up living together, with a nervous Su-jin keen to impress her new...
(a Korean remake of Hollywood thriller Hush) and the romantic comedies First Kiss with Ahn Jae-wook
Ahn Jae-wook
Ahn Jae-wook is a South Korean actor, composer and singer. He spent most of his childhood in his hometown, the district of Donamdong in Seoul, before graduating from Seoul Art College, where he majored in theatre...
and The Romantic President
The Romantic President
The Romantic President is a 2002 South Korean film directed by Jeon Man-bae.- Synopsis :The story starts with Young-hee, who was being spoonfed by her attendants as she sat in her father's limousine to school....
with Ahn Sung-ki
Ahn Sung-ki
Ahn Sung-ki is known to the public as the "National Best Actor of Korea".-Biography:A Roman Catholic, he was born in Daegu and grew up as a child actor - graduating Kyundong junior high school, from which Cho Yong-pil also graduated - appearing in director Kim Ki-young's celebrated film The...
. But it was her portrayals on TV of tragic heroines with a pure and innocent image -- notably in Truth opposite Ryu Shi-won
Ryu Shi-won
Ryu Shi-won is a South Korean actor and singer. After he made his debut in the KBS drama Feeling in 1994, Ryu pursued a singing career....
and Beautiful Days
Beautiful Days
Beautiful Days is a South Korean television drama series broadcast by SBS in 2001. It stars Lee Byung-hun and Choi Ji-woo.- Synopsis :...
opposite Lee Byung-hun
Lee Byung-Hun
Lee Byung-hun is a South Korean actor, singer and model. He has starred in popular television dramas such as Iris , All In and Beautiful Days...
-- that boosted her rising popularity.
It was in 2002 when she reunited onscreen with Bae Yong-joon (she previously had a supporting role in his 1995 drama First Love
First Love (drama)
First Love is a 66-episode television drama produced and broadcast by KBS2 between September 1996 and January 1997 on Thursday nights. It stars popular actors Bae Yong Joon and Choi Su Jong.-Synopsis:...
) that she would star in her most famous, iconic role. Directed by Yoon Seok-ho as the second installment of his "season dramas
Endless Love (TV series)
Endless Love was the unofficial title for a set of four Korean drama series directed by Yoon Seok-Ho, produced by KBS stations.- Structure :...
", Winter Sonata
Winter Sonata
Winter Sonata is a South Korean television drama series broadcast by KBS in 2002. It is the second part of the Endless Love installment directed by Yoon Seok-Ho...
became a phenomenal hit throughout Asia and has been credited as one of the initiators of the Korean wave
Korean wave
The Korean Wave, also known as the Hallyu , refers to spread of South Korean culture around the world. The term was coined in China in mid-1999 by Beijing journalists surprised by the fast growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture in China...
. As a result Choi gained wide pan-Asian recognition, especially a huge following in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
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 E News compiled a list of the top Hallyu
Korean wave
The Korean Wave, also known as the Hallyu , refers to spread of South Korean culture around the world. The term was coined in China in mid-1999 by Beijing journalists surprised by the fast growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture in China...
stars in Japan based on their approximate gross incomes for the first half of 2011, and Choi was #5 with approximately $2 million USD).
After the success of her 2003 drama Stairway to Heaven
Stairway to Heaven (TV series)
Stairway to Heaven is a South Korean television drama series broadcast by SBS between late 2003 and early 2004. It stars Choi Ji-woo, Kwon Sang-woo, Kim Tae-hee, and Shin Hyun Joon.-Plot:...
with Kwon Sang-woo
Kwon Sang-woo
-Career:Kwon Sang-woo, the most visible example of the so-called "mom-zzang" movement, started his career as a fashion model in the late 1990s. His first acting experience was in the TV drama Delicious Proposal, and for the first few years of his entertainment career he received only minor roles...
, Choi again attempted to break into film. She played a familiar role in the melodrama Now and Forever and a more risque character in sex comedy Everybody Has Secrets
Everybody Has Secrets
Everybody Has Secrets is a 2004 South Korean romantic comedy film. Because it has several sex-scenes, it is generally restricted to viewers above 18 or 21. The storyline is based on that of the 2000 film About Adam...
(a Korean remake of Irish film About Adam
About Adam
About Adam is a 2000 Irish/British/American romantic comedy film written and directed by Gerard Stembridge. The screenplay focuses on the effect a seductive young man has on four siblings.-Synopsis:...
). Both films were poorly received by critics and audiences.
Choi then spent the next few years overseas, shooting the Japanese drama RONDO opposite Yutaka Takenouchi and the Chinese drama 101st Proposal. She returned to Korean television in 2007 in Air City
Air City (TV series)
-Synopsis:Han Do Kyung was specially scouted by the Incheon Airport Director and willingly accepted 1/3 of the pay she was receiving when working in Singapore to come back to Korea as the chief of operations of Incheon Airport. She speaks five different languages. However, Do Kyung lives with an...
alongside Lee Jung-jae
Lee Jung-jae
Lee Jung-jae is a South Korean actor.- Career :Lee Jung-jae, apart from being a top star in film and TV, also works as a highly successful fashion model. One year after his debut on television in 1993, Lee was cast in his first film, a feature by Bae Chang-ho. His breakthrough would come in late...
; her role was the Chief Operating Officer of Incheon Airport.
In 2009 she starred opposite Yoo Ji-tae in the drama A Star's Lover
Celebrity's Sweetheart
Celebrity's Sweetheart is a 20-episode romance melodrama starring Choi Ji-woo and Yoo Ji-tae. The series aired on SBS from December 10, 2008 to February 12, 2009.-Plot:...
, playing a top actress who falls in love with an ordinary man. Choi received W48 million per episode of A Star's Lover
Celebrity's Sweetheart
Celebrity's Sweetheart is a 20-episode romance melodrama starring Choi Ji-woo and Yoo Ji-tae. The series aired on SBS from December 10, 2008 to February 12, 2009.-Plot:...
, the highest salary for a Korean actress at the time (her record has since been broken by Go Hyun-jung
Ko Hyeon-jeong
-Biography:Like the characters she plays, Ko Hyun-jung has had a life filled with drama.A Dongguk University Performing Arts major, she got her start as a runner-up in the Miss Korea pageant in 1989, which launched her acting career. Her big break came in the 1995 SBS drama Sandglass...
's W55 million for the 2010 drama Daemul
Daemul
Daemul is a 24-episode Korean drama broadcast by SBS. One of the most-watched TV series in South Korea in 2010, it gained success due to its stellar cast and story arcs taken from topical and controversial headlines...
). That same year, she set up her own management company called C,JW Company. She also joined the ensemble cast of semi-improvisational Actresses
Actresses (film)
Actresses is a 2009 South Korean film directed by E J-yong.- Plot :Six actresses—Yoon Yeo-jeong, Lee Mi-sook, Ko Hyeon-jeong, Choi Ji-woo, Kim Min-hee and Kim Ok-bin, each portraying themselves—come together for a Vogue magazine photo shoot on Christmas Eve, resulting in a clash of egos between...
, arguably her most significant film yet.
During the press conference for 2011 series Can't Lose, co-starring Yoon Sang Hyun
Yoon Sang Hyun
Yoon Sang Hyun was born on 21 September 1973. He is a South Korean actor and singer best known for his role in Secret Garden.-Biography:...
, which features 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 on the reality show 2 Days & 1 Night.
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | War and Love | MBC | |
| 1996 | First Love | Jang Seok-hee | KBS |
| 1997 | Happiness is in Our Hearts | SBS | |
| 1998 | Love | Yoo Ji-young | MBC |
| 1999 | Love In Three Colors Love In 3 Colors Love in 3 Colors is a South Korean teledrama produced and broadcast by KBS in 1999.-Story:The title suggests the love of the main male character to three women he loves: his mother, his older sister and future partner-in-life.... |
KBS | |
| Love Story - "Message" | SBS | ||
| 2000 | Truth | Lee Ja-young | MBC |
| Mr. Duke Mr. Duke Mr. Duke was a Korean TV drama mini-series in 16 episodes. It was broadcast 2000-7-12 to 2000-09-7..-Other broadcasts:This was entitled Date With Tiffany in the Philippine TV station GMA Network which aired it on November 2005, because Choi Ji-woo's Filipino character name is Tiffany.-External... |
Jang Soo-jin | MBC | |
| 2001 | Beautiful Days Beautiful Days Beautiful Days is a South Korean television drama series broadcast by SBS in 2001. It stars Lee Byung-hun and Choi Ji-woo.- Synopsis :... |
Kim Yeon-soo | SBS |
| 2002 | We Are Dating Now We are Dating Now We are Dating Now is a 16-episode drama produced by the SBS in 2001. The drama series was later first broadcast by the SBS between January 16, 2002 to March 7, 2002.- Youth :... |
Ep. 15 cameo | KBS |
| Winter Sonata Winter Sonata Winter Sonata is a South Korean television drama series broadcast by KBS in 2002. It is the second part of the Endless Love installment directed by Yoon Seok-Ho... |
Jung Yoo-jin | KBS | |
| 2003 | Stairway to Heaven Stairway to Heaven (TV series) Stairway to Heaven is a South Korean television drama series broadcast by SBS between late 2003 and early 2004. It stars Choi Ji-woo, Kwon Sang-woo, Kim Tae-hee, and Shin Hyun Joon.-Plot:... |
Han Jung-suh | SBS |
| 2004 | Full House | Herself (Ep. 3 cameo) | KBS |
| 101st Proposal | Li Shao Rong | ||
| 2006 | RONDO | Choi Yoon-ah | TBS |
| 2007 | Air City Air City (TV series) -Synopsis:Han Do Kyung was specially scouted by the Incheon Airport Director and willingly accepted 1/3 of the pay she was receiving when working in Singapore to come back to Korea as the chief of operations of Incheon Airport. She speaks five different languages. However, Do Kyung lives with an... |
Han Do-kyung | MBC |
| 2008 | A Star's Lover Celebrity's Sweetheart Celebrity's Sweetheart is a 20-episode romance melodrama starring Choi Ji-woo and Yoo Ji-tae. The series aired on SBS from December 10, 2008 to February 12, 2009.-Plot:... |
Lee Ma-ri | SBS |
| 2009 | Winter Sonata Anime | Jung Yoo-jin (voice) | SKY PerfecTV! |
| 2011 | Fuyu no Sakura | Ep. 2 cameo | TBS |
| Can't Lose | Lee Eun-jae | MBC | |
Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Adventures of Mrs Park | |
| 1997 | The Hole The Hole (1997 film) The Hole is a 1997 South Korean film directed by Kim Sung-hong.- Plot :Jin-sook has a close relationship with her son, Don-woo, and is surprised when he announces his engagement to Su-jin. After the wedding, the three end up living together, with a nervous Su-jin keen to impress her new... |
Su-jin |
| 1998 | First Kiss | Song Yeon-hwa |
| 1999 | Nowhere to Hide | Juyon |
| 2002 | The Romantic President The Romantic President The Romantic President is a 2002 South Korean film directed by Jeon Man-bae.- Synopsis :The story starts with Young-hee, who was being spoonfed by her attendants as she sat in her father's limousine to school.... |
Choi Eun-ju |
| 2004 | Everybody Has Secrets Everybody Has Secrets Everybody Has Secrets is a 2004 South Korean romantic comedy film. Because it has several sex-scenes, it is generally restricted to viewers above 18 or 21. The storyline is based on that of the 2000 film About Adam... |
Han Seon-yeong |
| 2005 | Shadowless Sword Shadowless Sword Shadowless Sword is a 2005 South Korean film. A martial arts epic filmed in China, the film follows the exploits of the last prince of the Balhae Kingdom, who hides his identity in a small village until he is called to battle invaders from Khitan... |
(cameo) |
| 2006 | Now and Forever | Han Hye-won |
| 2009 | Actresses Actresses (film) Actresses is a 2009 South Korean film directed by E J-yong.- Plot :Six actresses—Yoon Yeo-jeong, Lee Mi-sook, Ko Hyeon-jeong, Choi Ji-woo, Kim Min-hee and Kim Ok-bin, each portraying themselves—come together for a Vogue magazine photo shoot on Christmas Eve, resulting in a clash of egos between... |
Choi Ji-woo |
Awards
- 1995: Korean Isabelle AdjaniIsabelle AdjaniIsabelle Yasmine Adjani is a French film actress and singer. Adjani has appeared in 30 films since 1970. She holds the record for most César Awards for Best Actress with five, for Possession , One Deadly Summer , Camille Claudel , Queen Margot and Skirt Day...
Award - 1998: 34th Baeksang Arts Awards - Best New Actress The Hole
- 1998: 21st Grand Bell AwardsGrand Bell AwardsThe Grand Bell Awards is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea....
- Best New Actress The Hole - 1999: Video Music Awards - Golden Video Best Actress For Your Soul
- 2000: MBC Drama Awards - Best Actress Mr Duke
- 2001: SBS Drama Awards - Best Actress for Special Production Drama Beautiful Days
- 2001: SBS Drama Awards - Top 10 Stars Beautiful Days
- 2002: KBS Drama Awards - Popularity Award
- 2002: KBS Drama Awards - Best Actress Winter Sonata
- 2002: Best Dresser Awards - TV Talent category
- 2002: 38th Baeksang Arts Awards - Popularity Award
- 2003: Golden Film Awards - Popularity Award
- 2003: SBS Drama Awards - Best Actress for Special Production Drama Stairway to Heaven
- 2003: SBS Drama Awards - Top 10 Stars Stairway to Heaven
- 2004: 40th Baeksang Arts Awards - Popularity Award, TV category
- 2005: Korean Movies Association - Special Award
- 2005: 41st Baeksang Arts Awards - Special HallyuKorean waveThe Korean Wave, also known as the Hallyu , refers to spread of South Korean culture around the world. The term was coined in China in mid-1999 by Beijing journalists surprised by the fast growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture in China...
Award - 2006: Timeless Beauty Acting Award (Seoul)
- 2009: Busan tourism ambassador for the year 2010-2012
- 2009: South Korean Presidential commendation for promoting Korea's tourism
- 2009: Inducted into Star Hall of Fame at the Seoul Drama Awards