Choi Min-sik (Korean: 최민식; 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),… Choi Min-sik (Korean: 최민식; 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.
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