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."Cha Seung-won's Movie Picks" . Asiae. January 18, 2010. 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."Jang Dong-gun Voted Korea's Most Bankable Star" . The Chosun Ilbo. October 20, 2005.
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 RivalsMOVIE 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.The Dong-A Ilbo
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. 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.."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."Go South" . The Dong-a Ilbo. April 27, 2006."Border, Personal Stories of NK Defectors" . The Korea Times via Hancinema. May 4, 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."City Hall to Bring Public Officials to TV" . The Korea Times. April 21, 2009. 2010 was a busy year for him,"Interview: Actor Cha Seung-won - Part 1" . 10Asia. April 27, 2010."Interview: Actor Cha Seung-won - Part 2" . 10Asia. April 27, 2010. 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,"TOP says lived as 17-year-old for 6 months for Fire (1)" . 10Asia. May 11, 2010."TOP says lived as 17-year-old for 6 months for Fire (2)" . 10Asia. May 11, 2010. followed by spy series Athena: Goddess of War."Will Athena Exceeds Popularity of IRIS?" . KBS Global. September 1, 2010."Athena to sneak into homes this month" . The Korea Times. November 30, 2010."Preview: SBS TV series Athena" . 10Asia. December 3, 2010.
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."TV soap to peek into celebrity life" . The Korea Times. May 3, 2011."Preview: Cha Seung-won: I wanted to show the cute side to men" . 10Asia. June 23, 2011."Interview: Actor Cha Seung-won" . 10Asia. June 27, 2011.
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."Cha Seung-won to expand career into play" . 10Asia. September 7, 2012.
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."Cha Seung-won reveals his son Noah, already 20 years old" . Newsen via Hancinema. December 8, 2011. 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
Year Title RoleNotes 1997 Holiday in Seoul Leg model's boyfriend 1998 If the Sun Rises in the West Ji-min"The Night Before Strike (Paupjeonya) (1990) ". Korean Film Archive. Retrieved on 19 January 2009. 1999 Ghost in Love Na Han-su Attack the Gas Station Runaway youth 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 Moo-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 2007Small 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 Mr. XXX-Kisser Himself Cameo 2014 Man on High Heels Yoon Ji-wook 2015 Minions Narrator Voice; Korean dub 2016 The Map Against The World Kim Jeong-ho 2018 Believer Brian Lee 2019 Cheer Up, Mr. Lee Chul-soo 2021 Night in Paradise Executive Ma SinkholeJeong Man-soo 2023 Believer 2 Brian Lee 2024 Uprising Seonjo of Joseon 2025 No Other Choice Go Si-jo
Television series
Year Title Role Note 1997 Himself Cameo 1998 Song of the Wind Lee Ji-hoon Director Park Im Sung-bom Jang Tae-ju 1999 Choi Gyu-dae TV Movie: "Love Story" Mr. Popular Seung-il 2003 Bodyguard Hong Kyung-tak 2009 City Hall Jo Gook 2010 Athena: Goddess of War Son Hyuk 2011 The Greatest Love Dokko Jin 2014 You're All Surrounded Seo Pan-seok 2015 Splendid Politics Prince Gwanghae 2017 A Korean Odyssey Woo Hwi-chul 2021 One Ordinary Day Shin Jung-han 2022 Our Blues Choi Han-soo2024 The Tyrant Lim Sang-won 2025Mercy for None Mr. Kim Cameo The pension's owner Gil-yeo Post-production
Television shows + Year Title Role Notes 1998 Lee Seung-yeon's Say Say Say Co-host GO! Our Heaven Host Kim Hye-soo Plus You Co-host Music Camp MC 2006 Cha Seung-won's Health Club (Sunday Sunday Night) Cast member 2015Three Meals a Day: Fishing Village 1Three Meals a Day: Fishing Village 2 2016 Three Meals a Day: Gochang Village2019Korean Hostel in Spain 2020 Three Meals a Day: Fishing Village 52021Hangout with YooGuest2023Follow Hyung to MayaCast member2024Three Meals a Day LiteCast member2026 Cha's Family Cast member Bonjour Bakery Cast member
Music video appearances Year 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 "Project X - Original Music DVD" . YesAsia. March 14, 2003. 2008 "Rain Shower" Kim Jang-hoon 2011 "Cry Cry" T-ara2012 "Lovey Dovey" "I'm Sorry" Lena Park 2017 "Beautiful" Wanna One 2025 "Earthquake" Jisoo
Theater +Theatre play performances Year Title Role English Korean2004Taxi Driver택시드리벌Taxi passenger 2012–2013 Bring Me My Chariot of Fire 나에게 불의 전차를 Lee Soon-woo
Accolades
Awards and nominations