Choi Woo-shik (born March 26, 1990) is a Canadian actor living in South Korea. He rose to prominence after playing the lead in the film Set Me Free (2014). He then co-starred in the films Train to Busan (2016) and Parasite (2019), both of which received critical acclaim and success on a global scale, with the latter winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Choi grew up in Seoul, South Korea, as the younger of two sons. He moved to Vancouver, Canada, with his family when he was ten years old, in grade five, and stayed for the next ten years. He went to Pinetree Secondary School for high school. Edward Choi is his full name, and he goes by the nickname Eddie.
Choi, then 21, was attending Simon Fraser University when his parents granted him permission to attend an acting audition in Korea, which led to him making his acting debut. Choi attended Chung-Ang University in Korea, where he majored in cultural studies.
Early years of my career, 2011-2015
In 2011, Choi made his acting debut in the period drama The Duo. Following that, Choi was cast as detective Park Min-ho in the crime drama Special Affairs Team TEN. Choi returned to the series when it was renewed for a second season in 2013. That same year, he made his big screen debut as a supporting actor in the films Flu (film) and Secretly, Greatly. In the interim, Choi appeared in several television shows, including Rooftop Prince, You Are My Destiny, and Pride and Prejudice.
Choi made his directorial debut in the coming-of-age independent film Set Me Free in 2014. He portrayed Young-jae, a sixteen-year-old student living in a group home who pretends to be a priest in order to stay in the home longer. The film received positive reviews from critics, and Choi was praised for his portrayal of the protagonist's inner conflict. He received several acting awards, including Actor of the Year at the Busan International Film Festival. Later that year, Choi appeared as the genius hacker Guru in the action comedy film Big Match.
Choi starred in the romantic comedy cable series Hogu's Love as the titular character. The show premiered on February 9, 2015. Later that year, Choi appeared in the R-rated Hong Kong-Singapore film In the Room. The story was set in a single-room brothel in a Singapore hotel and featured an anthology of characters.
2016–present: Rising stardom and international recognition
Choi first gained international attention for his role as Yong-guk, a high school baseball player, in the blockbuster zombie thriller Train to Busan. The film, which premiered on May 13 at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, was a critical and commercial success, grossing more than $93.1 million worldwide. He then had a brief but memorable role as a truck driver in the action-adventure film Okja. This was his first film with director Bong Joon-ho, and it starred an international cast that included Tilda Swinton and Paul Dano. Okja was released in several independent theatres in the United States and on the streaming platform Netflix worldwide.
Following this, Choi appeared in several other films, including The Princess and the Matchmaker and Monstrum. Choi was cast as a mysterious assassin known as the "Nobleman" in the action film The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion in 2018. The Nobleman's dark persona was a departure from the characters Choi usually played. Nobleman could be Choi's once-in-a-lifetime character, according to co-star Park Hee-soon in a press interview.
Choi reunited with director Bong Joon-ho in 2019 for the black comedy thriller Parasite. Choi played Ki-woo, the son of a poor family who schemes to work for a wealthy family by infiltrating their home and posing as unrelated, highly qualified individuals. Bong approached Choi after their first collaboration with Okja in 2016, telling him to "stay skinny" to play the character. On May 21, 2019, Parasite premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it became the first South Korean film to win the Palme d'Or, and the first film to win with a unanimous vote since Blue Is the Warmest Color in 2013. Among many other honours, Parasite took home four awards at the 92nd Academy Awards. It was the first South Korean film to be nominated for an Academy Award, as well as the first film in a language other than English to win Best Picture. At the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards, the cast also received the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. In addition to playing Ki-woo in Parasite, Choi sang the end credits song "Soju One Glass," which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Choi co-starred in the SBS drama Our Beloved Summer with Kim Da-mi in December 2021. It marked his first appearance on television in four years, as well as the reunion of the two actors following their film The Witch: Part 1. (2018).
Choi returned to the big screen in 2022 with the film The Policeman's Lineage, which debuted on January 12, 2022. In addition, he will appear in the upcoming South Korean sci-fi fantasy film Wonderland.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Etude, Solo | Hwang Kyeong-min | Short film |
| 2012 | Circle of Crime | ||
| 2013 | Secretly, Greatly | Yoon Yoo-joon | |
| Flu | Jeong-Jin | Cameo appearance | |
| 2014 | Set Me Free | Young-jae | |
| Big Match | Guru | ||
| 2015 | In the Room | Min-jun | Singaporean film |
| 2016 | Train to Busan | Yong-guk | |
| 2017 | Okja | Kim Woo-shik | |
| 2018 | Golden Slumber | Joo-ho | Cameo appearance |
| The Princess and the Matchmaker | Nam Chi-Ho | ||
| The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion | Gwi Gong-Ja (Nobleman) | ||
| Monstrum | Officer Hur | ||
| 2019 | Rosebud | Young Soon-cheol | |
| Parasite | Kim Ki-woo / Kevin (alias) | ||
| The Divine Fury | Father Choi | Cameo appearance | |
| 2020 | Time to Hunt | Ki-hoon | Netflix film |
| 2022 | The Policeman's Lineage | Choi Min-jae | |
| TBA | Wonderland | TBA | Netflix film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Duo | Young Gwi-dong | |
| Living in Style | Na Joo-ra | ||
| Deep Rooted Tree | Young Jung Gi-joon / Ga Ri-on | ||
| 2011–2013 | Special Affairs Team TEN | Park Min-ho | Season 1–2 |
| 2012 | Rooftop Prince | Do Chi-san | |
| Shut Up Family | Yeol Woo-bong | ||
| Culprit Among Friends | Young Do-hyun | Drama special | |
| 2013 | Who Are You? | Hee-koo | Cameo (Episode 10, 12, 13) |
| Principal Investigator: Save Wang Jo-hyun! | Boo Joong-shik | Drama special | |
| 2014 | You're All Surrounded | Choi Woo-shik | Cameo (Episode 4) |
| You Are My Destiny | Lee Yong | ||
| Pride and Prejudice | Lee Jang-won | ||
| 2015 | Hogu's Love | Kang Ho-gu | |
| My Fantastic Funeral | Park Dong-soo | Two-part special | |
| 2017 | Fight for My Way | Park Moo-bin | Cameo (Episode 1–7) |
| The Package | Kim Gyung-jae | ||
| 2021–2022 | Our Beloved Summer | Choi Woong / Go-oh |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Someday | Chae Man-sik | |
| 2015 | Dream Knight | Past student | Cameo appearance |
| 2017 | The Boy Next Door | Park Gyu-tae | |
| 2023 | Murder DIEary | Lee-tang |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | I'm Real | Cast member |
| 2013–2014 | Beating Hearts | |
| 2015 | Law of the Jungle in Nicaragua | |
| 2020 | Summer Vacation | |
| 2021 | Youn's Stay | |
| 2022 | In the Soop: Friendcation | |
| 2023 | Jinny's Kitchen |
| Year | Song title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "My Old Story" | IU |
| 2015 | "Congratulations" | Day6 |
| 2017 | "That Moment" | Lim Seul-ong |
| "You Were Beautiful" | Day6 |
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Some Guys" (with Jang Ki-yong) | 2017 | OST of the web series The Boy Next Door |
| "Soju One Glass" | 2019 | OST of Parasite |
| "Poom" (with Peakboy)[73] | 2021 | Non-album single |
| "Polaroid" (With Wooga Squad : Park Seo Joon, Park Hyung Sik, Kim Taehyung, Peakboy) | 2022 | Theme Song of In The Soop : Friendcation |
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APAN Star Awards | 2022 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Our Beloved Summer | Nominated |
| Best Couple | Choi Woo-shik with Kim Da-mi Our Beloved Summer | Nominated | ||
| Asia Artist Awards | 2020 | Popularity Award (Actor) | Choi Woo-shik | Nominated |
| 2021 | Nominated | |||
| Asian Film Awards | 2020 | Best Supporting Actor | Parasite | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2014 | Best New Actor | Set Me Free | Won |
| Buil Film Awards | 2015 | Best New Actor | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Best Actor | Parasite | Nominated | |
| Brand Customer Loyalty Awards | 2022 | Best Male Actor | Our Beloved Summer | Nominated |
| Busan Film Critics Awards | 2015 | Best New Actor | Set Me Free | Won |
| Busan International Film Festival | 2014 | Actor of the Year | Won | |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2017 | Special Popularity Award | Choi Woo-shik | Won |
| 2019 | Best Actor | Parasite | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Awards | 2020 | Best Acting Ensemble | Nominated | |
| Director's Cut Awards | 2019 | Best Actor | Nominated | |
| Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | 2015 | Best New Actor | Set Me Free | Won |
| Korea First Brand Awards | 2019 | Best Actor (Film) | Choi Woo-shik | Won |
| Max Movie Awards | 2015 | Best New Actor | Set Me Free | Nominated |
| 2016 | Rising Star Award | Choi Woo-shik | Won | |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2021 | Director's Award | Our Beloved Summer | Won |
| Top Excellence Award for an Actor in a Mini-Series (Romance/Comedy) | Nominated | |||
| Best Couple Award | Choi Woo-shik with Kim Da-mi Our Beloved Summer | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2020 | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Parasite | Won |
| Korean Film Actors Association Star Award | 2015 | Popular Actor Award | Choi Woo-shik | Won |
| Wildflower Film Awards | 2015 | Best New Actor | Set Me Free | Won |
| Name | Choi Woo-shik |
| Nick Name | Eddie |
| Other Name | Edward Choi |
| Net Worth | $5 Million |
| Date of Birth | 26 March 1990 |
| Age | 33 Years Old |
| Birth Place | Seoul, South Korea |
| Currently Live In | Seoul, South Korea |
| Profession | Actor and Model |
| Debut | Flim: Etude, Solo (2011) TV Series: The Duo (2011) Web Series: Someday (2013) TV: I’m Real (2012) Music Video: My Old Story (2014) |
| Active Year | 2011 – Present |
| Famous Role | Kim Ki-woo/Kevin (alias) in Film Parasite (2019) |
| Nationality | Canadian and South Korean |
| Ethnicity | Asian |
| Hometown | Seoul, South Korea |
| Zodiac Sign | Aries |
| School/High School | Local School, Seoul, South Korea Pinetree Secondary School, Coquitlam, Canada |
| College/University | Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada Chung-Ang University, South Korea |
| Education Qualification | Arts Degree and Major in Cultural Studies |
| Father Name | Mr. Choi shik |
| Mother Name | Mrs. Choi shik |
| Brother Name | Choi Kyu-shik |
| Sister Name | – |
| Boyfriend | Park Seo-Joo (Rumored) |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Height (approx) | in centimeters: 182 cm in meters: 1.82 m in feet inches: 6′ 0″ |
| Weight (approx) | in kilograms: 64 kg in pounds: 141 lbs |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | Dark Brown |
