Choi Min-sik

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

Oldboy poster
8.2

With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate man seeks revenge on his captors.

Oldboy

2003

Lucy poster
6.5

A 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

Exhuma poster
7.7

After 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

I Saw the Devil poster
7.8

Kyung-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

New World poster
7.4

An undercover cop has his loyalties tested when the boss of the corporate gang he's spent years infiltrating dies.

New World

2013

Lady Vengeance poster
7.5

Released after being wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 13 years, a woman begins executing her elaborate plan of retribution.

Lady Vengeance

2005

Happy End poster
6.6

When a wife becomes the breadwinner of her family after her husband loses his job, adultery becomes part of her life.

Happy End

1999

The Admiral: Roaring Currents poster
7.0

Admiral 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

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War poster
8.0

When 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

The Tiger poster
7.6

In 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

Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen poster
7.5

A 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

Shiri poster
6.4

North 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

Nameless Gangster poster
6.9

Ik-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

Leafie, a Hen Into the Wild poster
7.8

Based 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

The Battle: Roar to Victory poster
7.5

Over 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

Chihwaseon poster
7.0

Jang 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

The Quiet Family poster
7.0

A 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

The Mayor poster
6.5

For 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

Forbidden Dream poster
7.1

A 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

In Our Prime poster
8.0

Ji-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

The Intern poster
NR

A 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

All That Falls Has Wings poster
5.5

This 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

Failan poster
7.2

After 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

Heart Blackened poster
6.9

A 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