Choi Ji-woo

Template:Short description Template:About Template:Family name hatnote Template:Infobox person Choi Ji-woo (Template:Korean; born June 11, 1975), born Choi Mi-hyang (Template:Korean), 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 (2002), Stairway to Heaven (2003), Air City (2007), Star's Lover (2008), The Suspicious Housekeeper (2013), and Temptation (2014), as well as the romantic comedy series Twenty Again (2015) and Woman with a Suitcase (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 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the next couple of years Choi continued to star in both TV dramas and films, including The Hole (the Original version of Hollywood thriller Hush), as well as the romantic comedies First Kiss with Ahn Jae-wook and The Romantic President with Ahn Sung-ki. 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—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) that she would star in her most famous, iconic role. Directed by Yoon Seok-ho as the second installment of his "season dramas,"<ref>"Producer Yun Seok-ho, the creator of Yonsama and the hallyu frenzy" Template:Webarchive. KBS Global. 17 January 2005.</ref> Winter Sonata became a phenomenal hit throughout Asia and has been credited as one of the initiators of the Korean Wave.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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").<ref>"Pure Love: Tear-Jerking Love Stories Enthrall Japanese Women" Template:Webarchive. Web Japan. 14 October 2004.</ref> In 2009 she and Bae reprised their roles as voice actors for Winter Sonata Anime.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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'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 Template:USD).

After the success of her 2003 melodrama Stairway to Heaven with Kwon Sang-woo,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Choi again attempted to break into film. She played a terminally ill heroine in Now and Forever,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>"Yeonriji ("Now and Forever") Depends Heavily on Ji-woo Hime" Template:Webarchive. The Korea Times via Hancinema. 13 April 2006.</ref> and a more risque character in sex comedy Everybody Has Secrets ("The Original Version of Irish film About Adam).<ref>"Sexy Secret Has Little to Tell". The Korea Times. 29 July 2004.</ref><ref>"Sex and Laughter in a Game of Love" Template:Webarchive. The Dong-A Ilbo. 29 July 2004.</ref> Both films were poorly received by critics and audiences in South Korea, but performed well at the Japanese box office.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She returned to Korean television in 2007 in Air City alongside Lee Jung-jae; her role was the Chief Operating Officer of Incheon Airport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2009–2012: Breakthrough

In 2009, she starred opposite Yoo Ji-tae in the drama Star's Lover, playing a top actress who falls in love with an ordinary man.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Choi received Template:SK won per episode, the highest salary for a Korean actress at the time (her record was later broken by Go Hyun-jung's Template:SK won for the 2010 drama Daemul).<ref>"Koh Hyun-jung, highest paid Korean actress". The Korea Times. 12 April 2011.</ref><ref>"Ko Hyun-jung Sets New Soap Opera Earnings Record" Template:Webarchive. The Chosun Ilbo. 12 April 2011.</ref>

That same year, she set up her own management agency called C,JW Company with her brother as CEO.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She also joined the ensemble cast of semi-improvisational mockumentary Actresses, arguably her most significant film yet.<ref>"Actresses is a miracle achieved, says Koh (Part 1)" Template:Webarchive. Asiae. 23 November 2009.</ref><ref>"Actresses is a miracle achieved, says Koh (Part 2)" Template:Webarchive. Asiae. 23 November 2009.</ref>

During the press conference for the 2011 series, Can't Lose, co-starring Yoon Sang-hyun, 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.<ref>"Choi Ji-woo Can't Lose in romantic comedy" Template:Webarchive . The Korea Times. 23 August 2011.</ref><ref>"Choi Ji-woo Thrilled About Shaking Off Old Image" Template:Webarchive. The Chosun Ilbo. 25 August 2011.</ref>

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, a newly employed businessman at her firm.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

She next headlined the 2013 remake of the hit 2011 Japanese drama Kaseifu no Mita. In The Suspicious Housekeeper, 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2014–present: Career resurgence

In February 2014, Choi signed with the talent agency YG Entertainment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She then reunited with previous costar Kwon Sang-woo in Temptation; she played a rich woman who makes a dangerous offer to a married man.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Choi joined the fourth season of travel-reality show Grandpas Over Flowers in 2015, where she and Lee Seo-jin backpacked through Greece with veteran actors Lee Soon-jae, Shin Goo, Park Geun-hyung and Baek Il-seob.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2016, Choi returned to the big screen in seven years, starring in the ensemble cast romance film Like for Likes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The same year, she starred in the legal romance drama Woman with a Suitcase.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2017, Choi was cast in the family melodrama The Most Beautiful Goodbye, a remake of the drama The Most Beautiful Goodbye in the World by Noh Hee-kyung.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2019, Choi made a cameo appearance as herself in episode 13 of the tvN drama, Crash Landing on You.

Personal life

Choi majored in aerobic dance at Busan Women's College. She later enrolled in Hanyang University'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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Choi married her non-celebrity boyfriend who is 9 years her junior, 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Choi announced that she was pregnant with her first child on December 23, 2019,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and gave birth to a daughter on May 16, 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Template:Abbr
1996	The Adventures of Mrs Park	Eun-jin
1997	Hallelujah	Bar madam	Bit part
	The Hole	Su-jin
1998	Alien	Kim's daughter	Voice
	First Kiss	Song Yeon-hwa
1999	Nowhere to Hide	Kim Ju-yeon
2002	The Romantic President	Choi Eun-soo
2004	Everybody Has Secrets	Han Sun-young
2005	Shadowless Sword	Female martial arts gosu	Cameo
2006	Now and Forever	Han Hye-won
2009	Actresses	Herself
2016	Like for Likes	Ham Joo-ran
2023	New Normal	Hyeon-jeong	Closing film at 26th BIFFF	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Television series

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Template:Abbr
1995	War and Love
1996	MBC Best Theater: "Love, Just That One Thing"
	First Love	Kang Seok-hee
	Three Guys and Three Girls		Cameo appearance
1997	Happiness Is in Our Hearts	Seon Kyung-ah
1998	Love	Yoo Ji-young
1999	Love in 3 Colors	Eun Ji-soo
	Love Story	Min-jung	Episode 3–4
2000	Truth	Lee Ja-young
	Mr. Duke	Jang Soo-jin
2001	Beautiful Days	Kim Yeon-soo
2002	We Are Dating Now		Cameo; episode 15
	Winter Sonata	Jeong Yoo-jin
2003	Stairway to Heaven	Han Jung-seo
2004	Full House	Herself	Cameo; episode 3
	101st Proposal	Li Shao Rong	Chinese drama
2006	Rondo	Choi Yoon-ah	Japanese drama
2007	Air City	Han Do-kyung
2008	Star's Lover	Lee Ma-ri
2009	Winter Sonata Anime	Jeong Yoo-jin	Voice
2011	Fuyu no Sakura	Inaba Tatsuki's Korean girlfriend	Cameo; episode 2
	Can't Lose	Lee Eun-jae
2013	The Suspicious Housekeeper	Park Bok-nyeo
2014	Temptation	Yoo Se-young
2015	Second 20s	Ha No-ra
2016	Woman with a Suitcase	Cha Geum-joo
2017	The Most Beautiful Goodbye	Yeon-soo
2020	Crash Landing on You	Herself	Cameo; episode 13, 15
2022	Shooting Stars	Eun Si-woo	Cameo	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2024	Black Pean Season 2	Park Seo-hyun	Japanese drama	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Web series

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Template:Abbr
2015	We Broke Up	Herself	Cameo; episode 3
2016	7 First Kisses	Goddess	Episode 1, 7

Television shows

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Template:Abbr
2008	Template:Ill		VTR appearance
2012	Choi Ji-woo's Delicious Korea	Host
2013	MBC Human Documentary - Love	Narration
2015	Grandpas Over Flowers	Cast member	Season 4
2017	Candy in my Ears – Season 2
2019	Coffee Friends
2021	Bistro Shigor	Restaurant president		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2024–present	The Return of Superman	Host	with Ahn Young-mi

Music video appearances

Year	Title	Artist	Template:Abbr
1996	"Endless Love" (Template:Lang)	Kim Jung-min
1998	"Scenery" (Template:Lang)	Goo Bon-seung and Jang Dong-gun
	"Na Na Na"	Yoo Seung-jun
1999	"For Your Soul"	Jo Sung-mo
2003	"The Young Prince's Dream" (Template:Lang)	Cha Tae-hyun
2013	"Ziugae" (Template:Lang)	ALi	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination

Award ceremony	Year	Category	Nominee / Work	Result	Template:Abbr
Andre Kim Best Star Awards	2003	Female Star Award	Choi Ji-woo	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Asia Model Awards	2012	Asia Star Award		Template:Won	<ref>"Asia Model Awards" Template:Webarchive. KBS World. 18 January 2012.</ref><ref>"Choi Ji-woo, Kara win Asia Star at 2012 Asia Model Awards" Template:Webarchive. The Korea Herald. 19 January 2012.</ref>
Baeksang Arts Awards	1998	Best New Actress – Film	The Hole	Template:Won
	2002	Most Popular Actress – Television	Winter Sonata	Template:Won
	2004		Stairway to Heaven	Template:Won
	2005	Hallyu Special Award	Choi Ji-woo	Template:Won
Blue Dragon Film Awards	1997	Best New Actress	The Hole	Template:Nom
	1999	Best Supporting Actress	Nowhere to Hide	Template:Nom
Dior Timeless Beauty Awards	2006	Template:NA	Choi Ji-woo	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Golden Cinematography Awards	1998	Best New Actress	The Hole	Template:Won
	2003	Most Popular Actress	The Romantic President	Template:Won
Golden Disc Awards	1999	Golden Video Best Actress	"For Your Soul"	Template:Won
Grand Bell Awards	2000	Best Supporting Actress	Nowhere to Hide	Template:Nom
International Cultural Industry Exchange Foundation Awards	2009	Template:NA	Choi Ji-woo	Template:Won
KBS Drama Awards	1996	Best New Actress	First Love	Template:Nom
	2002	Popularity Award	Winter Sonata	Template:Won
		Top Excellence Award, Actress		Template:Won
Korea Drama Awards	2014	Top Excellence Award, Actress	The Suspicious Housekeeper	Template:Nom
Korea's Isabelle Adjani Contest	1995	Template:NA	Choi Ji-woo	Template:Won
MBC Drama Awards	2000	Excellence Award, Actress	Mr. Duke / Truth	Template:Won
	2016	Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Project Drama	Woman with a Suitcase	Template:Nom
Model Line Best Dresser Awards	2002	Swan Award	Choi Ji-woo	Template:Won
SBS Drama Awards	2001	Excellence Award, Actress	Beautiful Days	Template:Won
		Top 10 Stars		Template:Won
	2003	Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Special	Stairway to Heaven	Template:Won
		Top 10 Stars		Template:Won
	2009	Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Special	Star's Lover	Template:Nom
	2013	Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Special	The Suspicious Housekeeper	Template:Nom
	2014	Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Special	Temptation	Template:Nom
tvN10 Awards	2016	Best Actress	Second 20s	Template:Nom
World Tourism Cities Forum	2010	Top Popularity Award	Choi Ji-woo	Template:Won

Honors

Name of country or organization, year given, and name of honor or award

Country or organization	Year	Honor / Award	Template:Abbr
Journalists Association of Korea	2004	Proud Korean Award
Korea Tourism OrganizationTemplate:Efn	2009	Presidential Commendation	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Seoul City Committee	2012	Social Welfare AwardTemplate:Efn	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Seoul International Drama Awards	2009	Star Hall of Fame	<ref>"Star Hall of Fame Celebrates Choi Ji-woo" Template:Webarchive. The Chosun Ilbo. 20 August 2009.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Motion Pictures Association of Korea	2005	Hallyu Special Award

External links

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