
Acting
Choi Min-sik
Born 1962-01-22 · Seoul, South Korea
Choi Min-sik (born May 30, 1962), is a South Korean actor. Known for his intense and transformative performances, he first gained recognition with the television series The Moon of Seoul (1994). His film breakthrough came with Shiri (1999), which established Choi as a leading actor. However, it was his role in Oldboy (2003) that cemented his status as one of South Korea's greatest actors. His performance was critically acclaimed and won him Best Actor at the Baeksang Arts Awards, the Blue Dragon Film Awards, and the Grand Bell Awards. Choi continued to star in high-profile films such as Lady Vengeance (2005), I Saw the Devil (2010), Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time (2012), New World (2013), and The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014), which became the highest-grossing film in South Korea. For his performance in the latter, Choi won the Grand Prize at the 51st Baeksang Arts Awards. In 2014, Choi came to prominence in Hollywood with his role in Lucy (2014). He was also listed as Gallup Korea's Film Actor of the Year. Following this, he remained active in Korean cinema with works such as Forbidden Dream (2019) and Exhuma (2024). Choi also made his return to television with Big Bet (2022), his first drama series in over two decades.
Acting credits
8.2With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate man seeks revenge on his captors.
Oldboy
2003
6.5A woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.
Lucy
2014
7.7After tracing the origin of a disturbing supernatural affliction to a wealthy family's ancestral gravesite, a team of paranormal experts relocates the remains—and soon discovers what happens to those who dare to mess with the wrong grave.
Exhuma
2024
7.8Kyung-chul is a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure. Soo-hyeon, a top-secret agent, decides to track down the murderer himself. He promises himself that he will do everything in his power to take vengeance against the killer, even if it means that he must become a monster himself.
I Saw the Devil
2010
7.4An undercover cop has his loyalties tested when the boss of the corporate gang he's spent years infiltrating dies.
New World
2013
7.5Released after being wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 13 years, a woman begins executing her elaborate plan of retribution.
Lady Vengeance
2005
6.6When a wife becomes the breadwinner of her family after her husband loses his job, adultery becomes part of her life.
Happy End
1999
7.0Admiral Yi Sun-sin faces a tough challenge when he is forced to defend his nation with just 13 battleships against 300 Japanese enemy ships in the Battle of Myeongryang.
The Admiral: Roaring Currents
2014
8.0When two brothers are forced to fight in the Korean War, the elder decides to take the riskiest missions if it will help shield the younger from battle.
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War
2004
7.6In 1925 Korea, Japanese rulers demand the last remaining tiger be killed. The tiger easily defeats his pursuers until a legendary hunter takes him on.
The Tiger
2015
7.5A film where anything can happen - the hero and the heroine changes their faces, age, look, names, and so on. The only same thing: The love between man and woman... in an archetypical love story cut from 500 classics from all around the world.
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen
2012
6.4North Korea's 8th Special Forces hijack a shipment of CTX, a potent new liquid explosive, and threatens South Korea as part of a plot to re-unify the two countries. Ryu and Lee, special agents of O.P., South Korea's secret intelligence service, attempt to track down the terrorists and find the CTX. Meanwhile Hee, the 8th's ultra-bad female sniper, resurfaces to wreak havoc and haunt Ryu.
Shiri
1999
6.9Ik-hyeon, a corrupt officer, joins forces with another crook, Hyung-bae, to continue his illegal activities before he loses his job. Eventually, he decides to escape and pin the blame on his partner.
Nameless Gangster
2012
7.8Based on a bestselling preteen novel of the same title that has sold more than 1 million copies in Korea, “Leafie, A Hen into the Wild” is about a laying hen named Leafie who is destined to live the “same old” repetitive life confined on the chicken farm. Her fate changes when she escapes from the chicken farm and hatches a duck egg. With the duckling (who believes Leafie to be his mother), sets off on a journey into the wild with her new son to find her freedom.
Leafie, a Hen Into the Wild
2011
7.5Over a 4 day period, a fierce battle takes place between Korean independence militias and imperialist Japanese forces in Manchuria, China. The militia includes a master swordsman and an expert marksman.
The Battle: Roar to Victory
2019
7.0Jang Seung-eop, also known as "Chihwaseon," drinks and paints all day. Through Mae-hyang, he learns the meaning of fate, sees art beyond even the smallest things, and sets out for the path he seeks.
Chihwaseon
2002
7.0A family decides to buy a lodge in a remote hiking area. Their first customer commits suicide and the distraught family buries his body to avoid the bad publicity. But their luck gets worse, the bodies start piling up, and the family becomes frantic to rectify the situation.
The Quiet Family
1998
6.5For the first time in Korean history, the mayor of Seoul attempts a third term in office, with his entire campaign team ready to soil their hands.
The Mayor
2017
7.1A true historical drama about King Sejong, the greatest ruler in Joseon history who sought to enhance national prosperity and military power through astronomy, and Jang Yeong-sil, the most remarkable scientist.
Forbidden Dream
2019
8.0Ji-woo, an outcast at a prestigious private school, meets Hak-sung, the school janitor who is actually a mathematical genius who defected from North Korea.
In Our Prime
2022
NRA story about what happens when Seon-wu, the CEO of a fashion company who is more passionate than anyone when it comes to work, hires Ki-ho, who has a wealth of life experience, as a silver intern.
The Intern
2026
5.5This youth melodrama tells the story of a law student from a small village in Korea, and the irresponsible girl with whom he falls in love. The girl leads a reckless life, working in bars in Itaewon, and in the U.S., while the law student follows her. Their relationship ends in tragedy with the man shooting the woman, and her confessing her true love before dying.
All That Falls Has Wings
1990
7.2After losing both her parents, Failan emmigrates to Korea to seek her only remaining relatives. Once she reaches Korea, she finds out that her relatives have moved to Canada well over a year ago. Desperate to stay and make a living in Korea, Failan is forced to have an arranged marriage through a match-making agency.
Failan
2001
6.9A father goes all out to clear his daughter from any wrong doing in the murder of his fiancée. When all evidence points to her, he takes matters into to his own hands to save his daughter and outwit the judiciary system.
Heart Blackened
2017