Choi Woo-shik 

(Korean: 최우식; born March 26, 1990) is a South Korean-Canadian actor based in South
Korea. He first gained widespread recognition for his leading role 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 international
critical acclaim and success, the latter winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best
Picture.

Contents

 1Early life
 2Career
 2.12011–2015: Early years
 2.22016–present: Rising fame and international breakthrough
 3Filmography
 3.1Film
 3.2Television series
 3.3Web series
 3.4Television shows
 3.5Music video appearances
 4Discography
 5Awards and nominations
 6References
 7External links

Early life[edit]
Choi was born in Seoul, South Korea, the younger of two sons. He migrated to Vancouver, Canada with his
family when he was ten years old, in grade five where he spent the next ten years of his life.[2] He attended
high school at Pinetree Secondary School.[3] His English name is Edward Choi and he goes by the
nickname Eddie.[4]
In 2011, while at Simon Fraser University, then-21-year-old Choi was given permission by his parents to
attend an acting audition in Korea, subsequently leading to him making his acting debut. Whilst in Korea,
Choi enrolled at Chung-Ang University, where he majored in cultural studies.[3]

Career[edit]
2011–2015: Early years[edit]
Choi made his acting debut in the period drama The Duo in 2011.[5] Supporting roles followed, and Choi
was cast in crime drama Special Affairs Team TEN as detective Park Min-ho.[6] Choi reprised his role when
the series was renewed for a second season in 2013.[7] He made his big screen debut that same year,
starring as a supporting character in the film Flu (film) and Secretly, Greatly. In the interim, Choi played
several characters on television series such as Rooftop Prince, You Are My Destiny and Pride and
Prejudice.
In 2014, Choi took on his first leading role in the coming-of-age independent film Set Me Free.[8] He played
the role of Young-jae, a sixteen-year-old student living in a group home, who pretends that he wants to
become a priest in order to prolong his stay at the home. The film was well received by critics, and Choi
was praised for his portrayal of the protagonist's inner conflict.[9] He won several awards for his acting,
including Actor of the Year at the Busan International Film Festival.[10][11] Later that year, Choi also starred
in the action comedy film Big Match, playing the role of genius hacker Guru.
Choi starred as the titular character in the romantic comedy cable series Hogu's Love. The series began
airing on 9 February 2015.[12] Choi also took part in the R-rated Hong Kong-Singaporean film In the
Room later that year. The film featured an anthology of characters, set in a single-room brothel at a hotel in
Singapore.[13]

2016–present: Rising fame and international breakthrough[edit]

Choi first gained international recognition with the blockbuster zombie thriller film Train to Busan, where he
played the role of high school baseball player, Yong-guk. Premiering at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on
May 13, the film was a critical and commercial success, going on to gross over $93.1 million worldwide.
[14] He followed this up with a short, but memorable role as a truck driver in action-adventure film Okja.
[15] This marked his first collaboration with director Bong Joon-ho and featured an international cast,
including Tilda Swinton and Paul Dano. Okja was screened in several independent theatres domestically,
and released on streaming platform Netflix worldwide.
Choi continued starring in several other films after this, including The Princess and the
Matchmaker and Monstrum. In 2018, Choi was cast as a mysterious assassin called the "Nobleman" in the
action film The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion.[16] The dark persona of the Nobleman was a shift from the
characters Choi usually played. In a press interview, co-star Park Hee-soon remarked that Nobleman could
be Choi's once-in-a-lifetime character.[17]