Cha Seung-won

Cha Seung-won (born June 7, 1970) is a South Korean actor and model, 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), and Hwayugi (2017).

This is a Korean name; the family name is Cha.

Cha Seung-won
Cha in September 2012
Born	(1970-06-07) June 7, 1970 Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
Occupation	Actor model
Agent	YG Entertainment
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Spouse(s)	Lee Soo-jin ( m. 1992)
Korean name
Hangul	차승원
Revised Romanization	Cha Seung-won
McCune–Reischauer	Ch'a Sŭngwŏn

Career

Cha dropped out of Sungkyunkwan University,[1] and began a successful career as a fashion model in 1988.[2] He was cast in the TV sitcom New York Story, which would eventually pave the way for his debut in film.[3]

In June 2010

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.[3] 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.[4]

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[5]). 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.[3]

In 2005 Cha put aside the comic roles he had become known for and appeared in the grisly period thriller Blood Rain.[6][7] The film's unexpectedly robust commercial success confirmed Cha's popularity among Korean audiences.[3] He further proved his versatility in Jang Jin's Murder, Take One (also known as The Big Scene).[8][9][10]

Cha starred in his first melodrama Over the Border (2006), about a North Korean defector.[11][12][13] 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.[14] Stylish crime thrillers Eye for an Eye (2008),[15] and Secret (2009) followed.[16][17][18][19]

Cha returned to television in 2009, in the political fairytale City Hall penned by writer Kim Eun-sook.[20][21][22] 2010 was a busy year for him,[23][24] with Cha appearing in two films, the Lee Joon-ik-helmed period actioner Blades of Blood,[25] and Korean War film 71: Into the Fire,[26][27][28] followed by spy series Athena: Goddess of War.[29][30][31][32]

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.[33][34][35]

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.[36][37][38]

In 2014, Cha signed with the talent agency YG Entertainment,[39][40] then starred in the police series You're All Surrounded.[41] 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.[42][43]

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.[44][45] 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.[46][47] 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.[48]

In 2017, Cha was cast in tvN's fantasy romantic comedy drama A Korean Odyssey by the Hong sisters.[49]

In 2019, Cha starred in the family comedy-drama film Cheer Up, Mr. Lee.[50] The same year, he was cast in the disaster film Sinkhole.[51]

Personal life

Cha and his wife Lee Soo-jin are biological parents to daughter Cha Ye-ni (born 2003, christened as Rachel). In July 2014, a man claiming to be the birth father of Cha and Lee's son Cha No-ah (born 1989, christened as Noah)[52] filed (and quickly dropped) a ₩100 million defamation lawsuit against Cha, which led to the actor admitting that No-ah is Lee's son from her previous marriage, and that when he and Lee got married, Cha legally adopted No-ah, who was then three years old. Cha had previously falsified his marriage date as 1989 to match No-ah's age, apologizing for the white lie since their son did not know his paternity.[53][54]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	Holiday in Seoul	Leg model's boyfriend
1998	If the Sun Rises in the West	Ji-min
1999	Ghost in Love	Na Han-su
	Attack the Gas Station		Bit part
	Fin de Siecle	Sang-woo
2000	Black Honeymoon	Kim Joon-ho
	Libera Me	Yeo Hee-su
2001	Kick the Moon	Choi Ki-woong
2002	Break Out	Yang Cheol-gon
	Jail Breakers	Choi Mu-seok
2003	My Teacher, Mr. Kim	Kim Bong-doo
2004	Ghost House	Park Pil-gi
	Lovely Rivals	Kim Bong-doo	Cameo
2005	Blood Rain	Lee Won-gyoo
	Murder, Take One	Choi Yeon-gi
2006	Over the Border	Kim Sun-ho
2007	Small Town Rivals	Jo Choon-sam
	My Son	Lee Kang-shik
2008	Eye for an Eye	Ahn Hyun-min
2009	Secret	Kim Seong-yeol
2010	Blades of Blood	Lee Mong-hak
	71: Into the Fire	Park Moo-rang
2012	The Suck Up Project: Mr. XXX-Kisser	Cha Seung-won	Cameo
2014	Man on High Heels	Yoon Ji-wook
2015	Minions	Narrator	Voice, Korean dubbed[55]
2016	The Map Against The World	Kim Jeong-ho
2018	Believer	Brian	Special appearance[56]
2019	Cheer Up, Mr. Lee	Chul-soo
2020	Sinkhole

Television series

Year	Title	Role	Network
1997	New York Story		SBS
1998	Song of the Wind
	Woman vs. Woman		MBC
	Run Barefoot
	Shy Lovers	Im Sung-bom
	Angel's Kiss	Jang Tae-ju	KBS2
1999	Roses and Bean Sprouts	Choi Gyu-dae	MBC
	Sunday Best "Someone Is Watching Me"		KBS2
	Woman on Top	Seung-il	SBS
	Love Story "Message"
2003	Bodyguard	Hong Kyung-tak	KBS2
2009	City Hall	Jo Gook	SBS
2010	Athena: Goddess of War	Son Hyuk
2011	The Greatest Love	Dokko Jin	MBC
2014	You're All Surrounded	Seo Pan-seok	SBS
2015	Splendid Politics	Prince Gwanghae	MBC
2017	A Korean Odyssey	Woo Hwi-chul	tvN

Variety shows

Year	Title	Role	Network
1998	Lee Seung-yeon's Say Say Say	Co-host	SBS
	GO! Our Heaven	Host	MBC
	Kim Hye-soo Plus You	Co-host	SBS
	Music Camp	MC	MBC
2006	Cha Seung-won's Health Club (Sunday Sunday Night)	Cast member
2015	Three Meals a Day: Fishing Village 1		tvN
	Three Meals a Day: Fishing Village 2
2016	Three Meals a Day: Gochang Village
2019	Korean Hostel in Spain[57]
2020	Three Meals a Day: Fishing Village 5

Music video appearances

Year	Song title	Artist
1998	"Even if the World Fools You"	Kim Jang-hoon
	"Poison"	Uhm Jung-hwa
2000	"I am a Man"	Kim Jang-hoon
2001	"I Love You"	Position
2002	"In My Heart"	4U
2003	Project X	[58]
2008	"Rain Shower"	Kim Jang-hoon
2011	"Cry Cry"	T-ara
2012	"Lovey Dovey"
	"I'm Sorry"	Lena Park
2017	"Beautiful"	Wanna One

Theater

Year	Title	Role
2012	Bring Me My Chariot of Fire	Lee Soon-woo

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
1995	Model Line	Best Dressed Award	N/A	Won
	Korea Model Association	Model of the Year	N/A	Won
	Korea Fashion Photographers Association		N/A	Won
	12th Best Dressed Awards	Best Dressed, Model category	N/A	Won
1996	Korea Fashion Association	Male Model of the Year	N/A	Won
1997	Model Center's Adieu Fashion Festival	Grand Prize (Daesang) in Fashion	N/A	Won
1999	16th Korea Best Dresser Swan Awards	Best Dressed	N/A	Won
2000	37th Grand Bell Awards	Best New Actor	A Century's End	Nominated
	21st Blue Dragon Film Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Libera Me	Nominated
2001	38th Grand Bell Awards	Best Actor		Nominated
	22nd Blue Dragon Film Awards	Best Actor	Kick the Moon	Nominated
2002	25th Golden Cinematography Awards	Popularity Award		Won
2003	39th Baeksang Arts Awards	Best Actor (Film)	Jail Breakers	Won
	40th Grand Bell Awards	Best Actor	My Teacher, Mr. Kim	Nominated
	24th Blue Dragon Film Awards			Nominated
	16th Grimae Awards		Bodyguard	Won
	KBS Drama Awards	Popularity Award		Won
		Top Excellence Award, Actor		Won
	Korea Advertisers Association	Good Model Award	N/A	Won
2004	40th Baeksang Arts Awards	Best Actor (TV)	Bodyguard	Nominated
2006	42nd Baeksang Arts Awards	Best Actor (Film)	Blood Rain	Nominated
2007	TVCF Awards	Best CF Model for 2006	N/A	Won
	15th Chunsa Film Art Awards	Best Actor	My Son	Won	[59]
	Korea Fashion & Design Awards	Fashion Icon Award	N/A	Won
2008	1st Korea Jewelry Awards	Sapphire Award	N/A	Won
2009	SBS Drama Awards	Top 10 Stars	City Hall	Won	[60]
		Excellence Award, Actor in a Drama Special		Won
2010	5th Asia Model Festival Awards	Asia Special Award, Film category	N/A	Won
2011	1st Hong Kong Cable TV Awards	Best Actor	City Hall	Nominated
	5th Mnet 20's Choice Awards	Hot Male Body (Best Six-Pack)	N/A	Won	[61]
		Hot Drama Star - Male	The Greatest Love	Won
	4th Style Icon Awards	Style Icon of the Year	N/A	Won	[62]
	9th Korea Lifestyle Awards	Best Dressed of the Year - Male	N/A	Won	[63]
	4th Korea Drama Awards	Best Actor	The Greatest Love	Nominated
	38th Korea Broadcasting Awards			Won	[64]
	24th Grimae Awards			Won	[65]
	SBS Drama Awards	Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Planning Drama	Athena: Goddess of War	Nominated
	MBC Drama Awards	Best Couple Award with Gong Hyo-jin	The Greatest Love	Won	[66]
		Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries		Won
2012	48th Baeksang Arts Awards	Best Actor (TV)		Nominated
2014	SBS Drama Awards	Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Drama Special	You're All Surrounded	Nominated
2015	10th Asia Model Festival Awards	Asia Star Award	N/A	Won
	8th Korea Drama Awards	Grand Prize (Daesang)	Splendid Politics	Nominated
	4th APAN Star Awards	Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial Drama		Nominated
	MBC Drama Awards	Top 10 Stars Award		Won
		Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Project Drama		Nominated
		Grand Prize (Daesang)		Nominated
2017	Elle Style Awards	Super Icon (Male)	N/A	Won	[67]
	8th Korean Popular Culture Awards	Presidential Recommendation	N/A	Won	[68]

References

1. 차승원 영화배우, 모델 (in Korean). Naver. July 22, 2011.
2. "Cha Seung-won's Movie Picks". 10Asia. January 18, 2010.
3. "Actors and Actresses of Korean Cinema: Cha Seung-won" Archived February 24, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
4. "Jang Dong-gun Voted Korea's Most Bankable Star". The Chosun Ilbo. October 20, 2005.
5. "Small Town Rivals puts comic twist on friendship". The Korea Herald. March 22, 2007.
6. "Dogged Cha Seung-won: Movie Tears of Blood". The Dong-a Ilbo. April 13, 2005.
7. "K-FILM REVIEWS: 혈의 누 (Blood Rain)". Twitch Film. September 12, 2005.
8. "Cha Seung-won: Not Groomed for Stardom". The Chosun Ilbo. August 2, 2005.
9. "The Big Scene showcases a clever detective thriller". The Korea Herald. August 11, 2005.
10. "K-FILM REVIEWS: 박수칠 때 떠나라 (Murder, Take One)" Archived July 20, 2012, at Archive.today. Twitch Film. January 2, 2006.
11. "Comic star's melodramatic acting in South of the Border". The Korea Herald via Hancinema. April 27, 2006.
12. "Go South". The Dong-a Ilbo. April 27, 2006.
13. "Border, Personal Stories of NK Defectors". The Korea Times via Hancinema. May 4, 2006.
14. "Movies Reflect on Contemporary Fathers". The Korea Times. April 24, 2007.
15. "Eye Spies Perfect Crime" Archived August 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. The Korea Times. July 24, 2008.
16. "Thriller lays bare the secrets that we keep" Archived July 10, 2012, at Archive.today. Korea JoongAng Daily. November 27, 2009.
17. "INTERVIEW: Cha Seung-won - Part 1". 10Asia. December 2, 2009.
18. "INTERVIEW: Cha Seung-won - Part 2". 10Asia. December 2, 2009.
19. "INTERVIEW: Cha Seung-won - Part 3". 10Asia. December 2, 2009.
20. "City Hall to Bring Public Officials to TV". The Korea Times. April 21, 2009.
21. "More romantic comedy for prime time". The Korea Herald. April 29, 2009.
22. "Male Actors Try New Roles in TV Dramas". KBS Global. July 2, 2009.
23. "Interview: Actor Cha Seung-won - Part 1". 10Asia. April 27, 2010.
24. "Interview: Actor Cha Seung-won - Part 2". 10Asia. April 27, 2010.
25. "Traces of Lee Joon-ik's work in Blades of Blood". 10Asia. April 20, 2010.
26. "Korean War resurrected onscreen". The Korea Times. May 11, 2010.
27. "TOP says lived as 17-year-old for 6 months for Fire (1)". 10Asia. May 11, 2010.
28. "TOP says lived as 17-year-old for 6 months for Fire (2)". 10Asia. May 11, 2010.
29. "Will Athena Exceeds Popularity of IRIS?". KBS Global. September 1, 2010.
30. "Athena to sneak into homes this month" Archived October 3, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. The Korea Times. November 30, 2010.
31. "Preview: SBS TV series Athena". 10Asia. December 3, 2010.
32. "'Iris' spinoff set for its small-screen debut" Archived July 9, 2012, at Archive.today. Korea JoongAng Daily. December 7, 2010.
33. "TV soap to peek into celebrity life". The Korea Times. May 3, 2011.
34. "Preview: Cha Seung-won: I wanted to show the cute side to men". 10Asia. June 23, 2011.
35. "Interview: Actor Cha Seung-won". 10Asia. June 27, 2011.
36. "Cha Seung-won to expand career into play". 10Asia. September 7, 2012.
37. "Cha Seung-won stars in Tokyo play". Korea JoongAng Daily. November 6, 2012. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
38. "Korean, Japanese actors come together in Chariot". Korea JoongAng Daily. November 8, 2012. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
39. "Veteran actor Cha works with YG". The Korea Times. January 20, 2014.
40. "YG Entertainment signs more actors". Korea JoongAng Daily. January 21, 2014.
41. "Lee Seung-gi, Cha Seung-won, Go Ara Confirm New Drama". 10Asia. February 26, 2014. Archived from the original on March 29, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
42. "Still cuts show Cha Seung-won garnered as woman in High Heel (2014)". The Korea Herald. May 29, 2014.
43. "Gender focus of noir film". Korea JoongAng Daily. June 2, 2014.
44. "Three Meals a Day spawns spinoff". Korea JoongAng Daily. January 13, 2015.
45. "Chajumma signs ad deals". Korea JoongAng Daily. March 21, 2015.
46. "Cha Seung-won has to act hungry for power". Korea JoongAng Daily. March 26, 2015.
47. "Gwanghaegun returns in factional drama". The Korea Times. April 7, 2015. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015.
48. "CHA Seung-won Boards Period Epic". Korean Film Biz Zone. May 11, 2015.
49. "Cha Seung-won will star in tvN's 'Hwayugi'". Korea JoongAng Daily. October 17, 2017.
50. "PARK Hae-joon Joins CHA Seung-won for CHEER UP MYSTERY". Korean Film Biz Zone. June 19, 2018.
51. "CHA Seung-won, KIM Sung-kyun and LEE Kwang-soo Fall into SINKHOLE". Korean Film Biz Zone. August 23, 2019.
52. "Cha Seung-won reveals his son Noah, already 20 years old". Newsen via Hancinema. December 8, 2011.
53. "Cha Seung-won is sued by wife's ex". Korea JoongAng Daily. October 7, 2014.
54. "Cha Seung-won cleared of libel charges". The Korea Herald. October 8, 2014.
55. "Cha Seung-won to star in 'Minions' as voice actor". Kpop Herald. May 18, 2015.
56. "LEE Hae-young's DOKJEON Wraps with CHO Jin-woong and RYU Jun-yeol". Korean Film Biz Zone. December 1, 2017.
57. "'Korean Hostel in Spain' is open for business". Korea JoongAng Daily. March 15, 2019.
58. "Project X - Original Music DVD". YesAsia. March 14, 2003.
59. "차승원, 춘사영화제 블랙수트로 한껏 멋냈어요~" Archived March 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (in Korean). Newsen via Daum. September 6, 2008.
60. Ko Jae-wan (January 10, 2010). "Jang Seo-hee wins grand prize at SBS Drama Awards". 10Asia.
61. "차승원-공효진, 20's 초이스 나란히 2관왕…'최고사' 인기 실감". Chosun (in Korean). July 7, 2011.
62. "Cha Seung-won "The Best Icon of 2011"". Hancinema. Nate. November 3, 2011.
63. "Hyundai Mobis awarded grand prize at 2011 Korea Lifestyle Awards". The Korea Herald. December 6, 2011.
64. "제38회 한국방송대상, EBS '학교란 무엇인가' 대상 수상". Asia News Agency (in Korean). September 2, 2011.
65. "그리메상 최우수연기자상에 차승원·하지원". JTBC (in Korean). December 5, 2011.
66. "The Greatest Love snags 7 honors at 2011 MBC Drama Awards". 10Asia. January 2, 2012.
67. "고소영X공효진X배두나 등 '엘르스타일어워즈' 수상자 확정 [공식]". Sports Donga (in Korean). October 20, 2017.
68. "엑소·박보검·지성·윤여정 등 28人 2017 대중문화예술상 수상". Osen (in Korean). October 30, 2017.

External links

• Cha Seung-won at YG Entertainment
• Cha Seung-won at HanCinema
• Cha Seung-won on IMDb
• Cha Seung-won at the Korean Movie Database