Choi Mu-ryong

Acting

Choi Mu-ryong

Born — Died

1928-02-02 — 1999-11-13

Place of birth

Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Known for

Acting

Credits

53 titles

South Korean actor, producer, and director who is father of Choi Min-soo. Choi was one of popular actors of the 1960s along with Shin Young-kyun and Kim Jin-kyu. Choi gained a popularity for his handsome appearance and masculine image. Choi's personal life was as much dramatic as his starred films, so he always garnered the public attention. 1952, Choi married a colleague actress, Kang Hyo-shil, the daughter of a noted actress, Jeon Ok with the nickname, "Queen of Tears" and a singer Gang Hong-sik. Choi and his wife had one son and four daughters including an actor, Choi Min-soo. However, Choi had an affair with Kim Ji-mee, the best popular actress at that time, so that Choi and Gang divorce…

Known for

Aimless Bullet poster
7.1

Two brothers—Cheol-ho, an accountant with a toothache and a pregnant wife, and Yong-ho, an unemployed ex-soldier wounded in battle—navigate life in post-war Korea.

Aimless Bullet

1961

A Drifting Story poster
6.5

This melodrama follows the trials and tribulations of a single mother who dares to love. Hyun Hee (Mun Jeong Suk) makes a living running a coffee house. She has to support her illegitimate daughter and mother, and bear the scorn of those who look down on her. Hyun Hee falls in love with a married writer (Kim Jin Kyu), while another customer (Choi Mu Ryong) holds a torch for her. The romantic triangles that unfold lead to tragic consequences.

A Drifting Story

1960

Great Monk Wonhyo poster
10.0

After losing his best friend in a fierce battle against Baekje in the first year of Queen Jindeok's reign, Hwarang Won-hyo questions life and death and becomes a monk. Despite being courted by countless women, from Queen Jindeok to Princess Yoseok, Sammo, and Asaga, Won-hyo resists all temptations. Until one day, when he is moved by Princess Yoseok's desperate prayers, he wanders the streets, feeling guilty for his disloyal behavior.

Great Monk Wonhyo

1962

Woman of Fire poster
4.8

The lives of a composer and his wife, who live on a chicken farm, are thrown into turmoil when a femme fatale joins their household.

Woman of Fire

1971

North and South poster
7.5

Based on a radio drama, this wartime melodrama revolves around a woman caught between two men: her husband, a South Korean lieutenant, and her former lover, a North Korean officer who defects to come find her. The film portrays not only their tragic love triangle but also the empathetic bond that develops between the two men.

North and South

1965

Cruel history of Myeong Dong poster
10.0

An omnibus of three stories all taking place in the Myeongdong district of Seoul.

Cruel history of Myeong Dong

1972

Film credits

1980s · 3 titles

1970s · 16 titles

Woman of Fire poster
4.8

The lives of a composer and his wife, who live on a chicken farm, are thrown into turmoil when a femme fatale joins their household.

Woman of Fire

1971

Cruel history of Myeong Dong poster
10.0

An omnibus of three stories all taking place in the Myeongdong district of Seoul.

Cruel history of Myeong Dong

1972

Weeds poster
6.2

A depiction of the life and fate of a physically weak woman who has strong maternal love.

Weeds

1973

Woman with Long Eyelashes poster
7.0

Suk-jin, a naive Young woman lives on her own in Seoul. When her brother dies following a car accident, she finds out he had been having an affair with the wife of a businessman.

Woman with Long Eyelashes

1970

A Bout in 30 Years poster
6.5

Best friends Dae-gyu and Dal-su fight over Ok-hi. When Ok-hui marries and goes to Seoul the fight ends. After many years, Ok-hi is widowed and brings her daughter Ji-hyang to her home village, and the fight between Dae-gyu and Dal-su begins again. Ok-hui borrows some money from Dal-su when she is short of money while building a reservoir for the village. Dal-su lends money on the condition that she marry him if she cannot pay him back until the ground-breaking ceremony. And Dal-su's wife leaves. As Ok-hui fails to return the money, she tries to run away with Dae-gyu, but they run into Min, Dal-su's son, who demands them to pay back his father's money. Finally Dae-gyu and Dal-su meet and have a fight, but at last Dal-su sends him to Ok-hi, and he is happy to do so.

A Bout in 30 Years

1971

A Second Mother poster
10.0

Nam-Ok who has Yun-Ho and Yun-Suk remarries widowed Heung-Yeol who has Hyeong-Tae and Hyeong-Ja. Nam-Ok are concerned about frequent quarrels between half brothers and sisters, but manages to deal with them wisely. As Yun-Ho who went to fishing with him falls into the water, Heung-Yeol tries to save him only to drown himself to death. Fifteen years later, Hyeong-Tae goes abroad to study while Hyeong-Ja lives in extravagance in Seoul. Yun-Suk gets to know Dong-Oh on the train, and Dong-Ho gets to like her, but later misunderstands her due to Hyeong-Ja's scheme, which causes Yun-Suk to commit suicide.

A Second Mother

1972

Whirl of Betrayals on Myeongdong poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

Whirl of Betrayals on Myeongdong

1972

A Little Star poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

A Little Star

1975

Azaleas Of My Hometown poster
9.0

Yong-cheol's plans to mary Ok-rim are destroyed by her parents who marry her off to Cheol-ju. Yong-cheol becomes powerful in the business world during the following years and he does his best to make life miserable for Cheol-ju and Ok-rim.

Azaleas Of My Hometown

1973

Special Investigation Unit: The Case of College Girl Lee Nan-hee poster
9.0

Nan-hee is slowly coerced into a life of crime by her boyfriend, Park. She is trained in assassination techniques and sent to assassinate the head of the Special Investigation Unit. However she cannot complete her mission because she suffers from pangs of conscience and a deep attraction to the investigator.

Special Investigation Unit: The Case of College Girl Lee Nan-hee

1973

One Who Comes Back and the Other Who Has To Leave poster
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

One Who Comes Back and the Other Who Has To Leave

1972

No artwork available
6.0

Artist Kyeong-pa is asked by the father of a dead girl to paint a portrait of the man's daughter to put her soul to rest. But whenever the artist tries to paint it, a different woman appears on the canvas. The image always takes the form of a woman whom he loved but has also passed away. The ghost of the man's daughter is not very happy that her painting has not been finished and makes her wrath known.

Ghost and Painter

1970

A guilty woman poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

A guilty woman

1971

Leaving in the rain poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Leaving in the rain

1971

I'll Follow My Husband poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

I'll Follow My Husband

1971

명동에 흐르는 세월 poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

명동에 흐르는 세월

1971

1960s · 24 titles

Aimless Bullet poster
7.1

Two brothers—Cheol-ho, an accountant with a toothache and a pregnant wife, and Yong-ho, an unemployed ex-soldier wounded in battle—navigate life in post-war Korea.

Aimless Bullet

1961

A Drifting Story poster
6.5

This melodrama follows the trials and tribulations of a single mother who dares to love. Hyun Hee (Mun Jeong Suk) makes a living running a coffee house. She has to support her illegitimate daughter and mother, and bear the scorn of those who look down on her. Hyun Hee falls in love with a married writer (Kim Jin Kyu), while another customer (Choi Mu Ryong) holds a torch for her. The romantic triangles that unfold lead to tragic consequences.

A Drifting Story

1960

Great Monk Wonhyo poster
10.0

After losing his best friend in a fierce battle against Baekje in the first year of Queen Jindeok's reign, Hwarang Won-hyo questions life and death and becomes a monk. Despite being courted by countless women, from Queen Jindeok to Princess Yoseok, Sammo, and Asaga, Won-hyo resists all temptations. Until one day, when he is moved by Princess Yoseok's desperate prayers, he wanders the streets, feeling guilty for his disloyal behavior.

Great Monk Wonhyo

1962

North and South poster
7.5

Based on a radio drama, this wartime melodrama revolves around a woman caught between two men: her husband, a South Korean lieutenant, and her former lover, a North Korean officer who defects to come find her. The film portrays not only their tragic love triangle but also the empathetic bond that develops between the two men.

North and South

1965

The Moral of Youth poster
9.0

No synopsis available yet.

The Moral of Youth

1960

Five Marines poster
5.5

A brigade of five marines are sent on a dangerous mission to capture an enemy stronghold during the Korean War.

Five Marines

1961

The Teacher with Ten Daughters poster
8.5

No synopsis available yet.

The Teacher with Ten Daughters

1964

The Flaming Mountain poster
NR

Red Kid abducts Monk Tripitaka to turn his flesh into a feast to treat his mother Princess Iron Fan. Monkey King is subdued. Red Kid is taken as a disciple of the Goddess of Mercy. As Monk Tripitaka and his disciples reach the Flaming Mountain, they are unable to pass through it. The monk sends Monkey to borrow the princess's magic fan to disperse the fire. But the Princess still bears a grudge over her son’s destiny, wielding her fan to slap Monkey away. Monkey transforms into a bug, landing in her tea and hitting her stomach. In pain, the Princess answers his request, but she lends him a fake fan. With his request turned down by Ox King, Monkey disguises as Ox to beguile the wife and get the fan. Ox King transforms into Pigsy to snatch back the fan. Taoist God Pagoda arrives to subdue Ox in the company of Red Kid. Ox finally relents and yields the fan, which extinguishes the flames and sees the monk and his disciples safely off to a new phase of their journey.

The Flaming Mountain

1962

Marine Battleground poster
7.1

A division of marines survive a battle with the Chinese army but find themselves stranded without contact on the wrong side of the front.

Marine Battleground

1963

Kinship poster
6.2

The story takes place on a mountain slope where defectors from North Korea live. These families sell cheap things such as socks and pens to make a living and there is a serious gap between the parents and their children. A widower Kim Deok-sam nags his son Geo-buk to join the American army. Ok-Mae who lives next door teaches her daughter Bok-soon traditional Korean folksongs and forces her to become a gisaeng.

Kinship

1963

The War and an Old Man poster
9.0

A platoon of South Korean soldiers find themselves cut off from their squad without communication. They are aided by an old man in a nearby village who did not evacuate his home.

The War and an Old Man

1962

Red Scarf poster
7.5

South Korean Air Force pilots engage in perilous missions against Communist North Koreans during the Korean War.

Red Scarf

1964

Wonsullang poster
9.0

No synopsis available yet.

Wonsullang

1961

The Iron-Eating Monster poster
NR

During the later years of Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), a talented martial artist is murdered. His resentment makes him born again as Bulgasari, a monster that grinds and eats up iron. The monster takes his revenge on the traitors responsible for his death.

The Iron-Eating Monster

1962

Night Blues poster
NR

Singers Han Sang-soo (Choi Moo-ryong) and Cha Yoo-mi (Lee Bin-hwa) are called "Wonang-sae duo" and enjoy the highest popularity. However, unlike Yumi, who loves Sang-soo deeply, Sang-soo considers her relationship with Yumi to be a friendship and marries her sister, Kyung-hee (Tae-reality), a pianist at the club. When Sang-soo marries Kyung-hee, Yumi, who is greatly hurt, leaves for France alone, and Sang-soo turns into a solo artist, but becomes a singer who travels to the countryside due to his lack of popularity and becomes a singer on stage.

Night Blues

1966

Ok-i Makes a Judge Cry poster
9.0

After her father, failed at stock investment and was shocked to death, a girl enters a textile factory and supports her family. But living on her small salary and repaying her father's debt is too difficult for her. In the end, she tries to kill herself together with her young brother. But only her brother dies, and she, who survives, stands at the bar guilty of patricide. She deserves the death penalty, but the court takes into consideration her circumstances and is generous enough to open up a new road for her to start again. A real-life story.

Ok-i Makes a Judge Cry

1966

A Sunflower Family poster
7.5

A middle-aged man is so crazy about his mistress that he doesn't care about what happens to his family. The feud between his children by his wife and by the mistress gets worse until the family almost breaks apart.

A Sunflower Family

1961

Bumpkin Oh-bok poster
6.5

Kind-hearted country bumpkin O-bok leads a simple life working as a long-time farmhand for the rich landlord Soon-young. When Soon-young discovers that his son Jae-seok has fallen for local girl Soon-yi, he protests the relationship and arranges for Soon-yi to be wed to O-bok instead. Despite the initial heartbreak, Soon-yi grows fond of O-bok over time and they have a daughter together named Sook-hee. However, when Jae-seok returns into Soon-yi’s life, she cannot resist his charms and runs away with him, leaving Jae-seok to raise Sook-hee on his own. Years later, Sook-hee is now a grown woman working in the city and in close contact with her father. However, a series of coincidences threaten to forcibly reunite O-bok and Sook-hee with Jae-seok and Soon-young in the most dramatic way possible.

Bumpkin Oh-bok

1961

Border Line poster
10.0

A Korean family is separated during the Japanese colonial period and end up in different parts of Asia, and on different sides of the Korean Civil War.

Border Line

1964

Call 112 poster
NR

A gang of pharmacists, intent on seizing Hyun-ju's inheritance, systematically approaches her. The leader of the gang is her ex-husband. Before they can seize her inheritance, internal conflict arises within the gang, and they are all murdered by the leader. Meanwhile, the police, aware of this, launch a nimble investigation. The leader, determined to keep her inheritance, persistently pursues her, but ultimately fails and is arrested. She is rescued from a near-death experience.

Call 112

1962

A Revival poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

A Revival

1960

View from an Alley poster
7.5

One father finds life nearly impossible to live as he attempts to raise his nine children on a pitifully small salary.

View from an Alley

1962

Lim Kkeok-jeong poster
10.0

During the later years of Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), Lim Kkeok-jeong, a butcher's son, stands up against the aristocrats' tyranny and helps displaced people live in peace at a village he has established. He also forms a chivalrous robbers' band to get rid of corrupt officials. He dedicates himself to saving people from misery and teaching a lesson to the aristocrats and corrupted officials.

Lim Kkeok-jeong

1961

The Only Son poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

The Only Son

1963

1950s · 8 titles

Even the Clouds Are Drifting poster
5.6

After the death of Mal-Suk's father, her eldest brother, Dong-suk, becomes the sole breadwinner for his three siblings. With rumors of impending strikes and job cuts at the local mine, the struggling family faces difficulties in providing food and school fees for Mal-Suk and her brother Dong-il. This situation forces the two older siblings to move to Seoul, leaving the younger ones with their neighbors. Mal-Suk's only outlet is in her diary, where she candidly shares her hopes and troubles.

Even the Clouds Are Drifting

1959

Life of the Woman poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

Life of the Woman

1957

The Youth poster
6.7

In the latter years of the Korean Empire, Lee In Hwa, disguises herself as a man so she can join a group of young men determined to overthrow the colonial government. They fight together with young national activists presided by Hwal Min and supported by Daewon-gun, the Prince Regent, against Min Gyeom Ho and his peers. But Min and his team perform a surprise attack on Hwal Min and his peers.

The Youth

1955

There is No Tragedy poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

There is No Tragedy

1959

Way of the Body poster
10.0

A man accused of embezzlement starts a life as first a vagabound and later a thief. He feels he is unable to return to his family and home.

Way of the Body

1959

The Enemy of Woman poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

The Enemy of Woman

1956

Three O'Clock on a Rainy Afternoon poster
6.0

Upon hearing that her fiance has been killed in battle, a woman makes her way to the Park Pagoda to seek comfort from the monument. There she becomes acquainted with Henry Jang, a Korean-American whom she eventually marries. There is no happy ending for the two, however, because her fiance shows up alive and well, but bitter over his lover's fickle nature

Three O'Clock on a Rainy Afternoon

1959

Boxes of Death poster
5.0

A village youth gets trapped inside a communist hideout with his home made timebomb and must escape before it goes off.

Boxes of Death

1955

Behind the camera