Cho Jae-hyun (born June 30, 1965) is a South Korean film, stage, and TV actor. He is commonly dubbed "director Kim Ki-duk's persona" since Cho has starred as leading and supporting characters in a number of films directed by Kim.[1][2][3]

Cho Jae-hyun
Cho Jae-hyun in 2017
Born (1965-06-30) June 30, 1965 (age 59)
EducationKyungsung University – Theater and Film
Chung-Ang UniversityMaster's degree in Performing and Visual Media
OccupationActor
Years active1989–2018
Children2 (incl. Cho Hye-jung)
Korean name
Hangul
조재현
Revised RomanizationJo Jae-hyeon
McCune–ReischauerCho Chae-hyon

Early years and education

edit

Cho Jae-hyun was born in Gyeongju on June 30, 1965.[4] He and his family lived in a poor neighborhood on the slopes of a hill until his father became successful with his restaurant business in the Jongno area, Seoul. In a 2002 interview with the film magazine Cine21, Cho said he was a rebellious boy wandering outside the home. He aspired to be a painter, so tried to enter an art high school but failed. When he entered another high school, Cho ran away from home to Busan. Cho worked as a waiter there, and studied on his own to pass a qualification exam equivalent to obtaining a high school diploma. However, Cho failed it, so returned to Seoul to finish his high school year.[5]

Cho was admitted to study theater and film at Kyungsung University. Cho recollected he indulged himself in Busan's culture as a freshman and sophomore, then focused on theater for the rest of his university years. Cho said a question from his junior in school during his third summer break shook him to rethink about his future; "What would you do after the graduation from the school?" Cho said he felt shame at the time because he could not clearly answer the question. Therefore, Cho started dedicating himself to acting.[5]

Acting career

edit

After graduation, Cho was selected as a TV actor by a public recruit of Korea Broadcasting System (KBS), and officially debuted as a professional actor by starring as the youngest brother of Yu In-chon in The Age of Ambition (야먕의 세월). But theater remained his main priority, as Cho and his friends established a theatrical company named "Jongak" (종각, literally "Bell Pavilion"), which produced several works on the stage such as Tricycles (세발자전거, 1989), Look Back in Anger (성난 얼굴로 돌아보라, 1990) and The Lovers of Woomook-baemi (우묵배미의 사랑, 1990). In 1991, Cho won Best New Actor in Theater at the Baeksang Arts Awards for his acting in Equus; he reinterpreted the leading role Alan Strang as an innocent person, though he is largely depicted as a cruel and rebellious character.

In 2009, Cho revisited Equus by directing the play and playing the other lead character Martin Dysart.[6] This was part of the highly successful Yeongeuk Yeoljeon ("A Series of the Best Plays"),[7] of which Cho was the programmer in 2008-2009. Cho was praised for reinvigorating the faltering local theater scene in Daehangno by coming up with the series and its star-studded casting, promotion and marketing.[8][9][10]

In 2018, Cho starred as a doctor and head of an organ transplant centre in the medical TV series Cross opposite Go Kyung-pyo.[11][12] However, on February 24, 2018, while the TV series was still being shot and aired, he was removed from the cast list following his admission of committing sexual harassment.[13]

Other activities

edit

Cho is also the chairman of the Gyeonggi Film Council since 2009,[14] executive festival director of the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs) since 2009,[15][16] chairman of the Gyeonggi Arts Center since 2010,[17] an associate professor at Sungshin Women's University's College of Convergence Culture and Arts since 2012,[18] and an associate professor at Kyungsung University's Department of Theater and Film since 2014.[19]

Personal life

edit

When Cho Jae-hyun was 24 years old in 1989, he married his college sweetheart who was an anchor for the campus channel.[20] His son Cho Soo-hoon is a short track speed skater who won a gold medal in the 500 meter competition for male university students at the 2008 Korean National Winter Sports Festival,[21] while his daughter Cho Hye-jung, who attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, is also an actress.

Sexual assault

edit

On February 23, 2018, Cho Jae-hyun was accused of sexual misconduct by actress Choi Yul, who claimed that Cho had sexually assaulted her in the past.[22] On February 24, Cho acknowledged the allegations.[23]

In July 2018, a woman only known as "miss A" filed a lawsuit against Cho for 300 million as damages from an alleged sexual assault.[24] The Seoul Central District Court ruled against her in January 2021.[25]

Filmography

edit

Film

edit

As actor

edit
Year Title Role
1988 I Love You (short film)
1989 Prostitute 2
1990 Man Market
1991 Portrait of the Days of Youth
1992 Sorrow Like a Withdrawn Dagger, Left My Heart
1995 The Eternal Empire
1996 Karuna
Crocodile Crocodile
1997 Wind Echoing in My Being Young man
Wild Animals Cheong-hae
1998 Girls' Night Out Yong-jak
Spring in My Hometown
1999 The Face Kim Jae-mok
2000 Interview Byung-kwon
The Isle Mang-chi
2001 Prison World Cup Question
Address Unknown Dog Eyes
Bad Guy Han-ki
2003 Sword in the Moon Yoon Gyu-yup
2004 Mokpo the Harbor Lee Su-cheol
Father and Son: The Story of Mencius Maeng Man-su
Love, So Divine Cathedral construction worker (cameo)
2006 The Romance Hyeong-jun
Hanbando Choi Min-jae
2007 Puff the Rice (short film) Jae-won
Beyond the Years Dong-ho
2009 Marine Boy Kang
The Executioner Bae Jong-ho
2010 The Influence King Gojong
2011 The Kick Master Mun
2012 The Weight Mr. Jung/Han Hae-woon
2013 El Condor Pasa Father Park
Moebius Father
2014 The Fatal Encounter Gwang-baek
2015 A Korean in Paris Sang-ho
2016 Seondal: The Man Who Sells the River Seong Dae-ryeon

As director

edit
Year Title Notes
2006 "Standing in the Shade of a Tree-lined Road" by Yim Jae-beom Music video
2013 5th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival Film festival trailer
His Special Day Documentary short
2014 6th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival Film festival trailer
2015 A Break Alone Feature film;
also credited as screenwriter

Television series

edit
Year Title Role
1989 The Tree of Love
1990 Love on a Jujube Tree
The Age of Ambition
1993 Drifting Myth
Woman's Man
Joy Amidst Sadness
Love and Friendship
1994 MBC Best Theater – "A Meeting with the Perfect Man"
The Way to You
MBC Best Theater – "Human Decency"
1995 One Fence
You Said You Love Me
1996 Thief
Glorious Dawn
1997 The Mountain
Passionate Love
Railing on Fire
1998 Legendary Ambition Ma Dal-soo
Like the Wind, Like the Waves
MBC Best Theater – "Jeondeungsa"
1999 You're One-of-a-Kind
School 2 Cho Jae-hyun
Happy Together Jo Pil-doo
Queen Park Jang-soon
Did We Really Love?
2000 Juliet's Man
Rookie Heo Jang-seok
School 3
2001 Piano Han Eok-kwan
2003 Snowman Han Pil-seung
Damo (cameo)
2005 Hong Kong Express Kang Min-soo
Smile of Spring Day Im Dae-beom
2007 New Heart Choi Kang-gook
2011 Gyebaek[26] King Uija
2012 Syndrome Cha Tae-jin
Sent from Heaven Geum Bo-hwa's
ex-boyfriend (cameo)
2013 The Scandal Ha Myung-geun
2014 Jeong Do-jeon[27] Jeong Do-jeon
Punch Lee Tae-joon
2015 Take Care of My Dad Himself
Assembly (cameo, episode 1)
2016 The Master of Revenge Kim Gil-do
Solomon's Perjury Han Kyung-moon
2017 Whisper Lee Tae-joon
2018 Cross Go Jung-hoon

Theater

edit
Year Title Role
1991 Equus Alan Strang
2004 Equus Alan Strang
2007 Kyung-sook, Kyung-sook's Father Jo Jae-soo
2008 Educating Rita Frank
2008-2009 Dandelions in the Wind[28] Ahn Jung-ki
2009-2010 Equus[6] Martin Dysart
2011 Dandelions in the Wind Ahn Jung-ki
2012 Thursday Romance[29] Jeong-min
2014-2015 Educating Rita Frank
2016 Blackbird Ray

Awards and nominations

edit
Year Award Category Nominated work Result
1991 Baeksang Arts Awards Best New Actor (Theater) Equus Won
1992 Blue Dragon Film Awards Best New Actor Sorrow Like a Withdrawn Dagger, Left My Heart Won
1993 Baeksang Arts Awards Best New Actor Won
1998 Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Supporting Actor Girls' Night Out Nominated
1999 SBS Drama Awards Best Supporting Actor Happy Together Won
KBS Drama Awards Best Supporting Actor Won
2001 Busan Film Critics Awards Best Supporting Actor Address Unknown Won
SBS Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor Piano Won
Top 10 Stars Won
2002 Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actor Bad Guy Won
2003 MBC Drama Awards Special Acting Award Snowman Won
2008 Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actor (TV) New Heart Nominated
Korea Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor Nominated
MBC Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor Won
PCG Awards Communicator of the Year Won
2011 A Series of the Best Plays 3 Awards Award for Excellence Equus (as director) Won
2013 Fantasia International Film Festival[30][31] Best Actor The Weight Won
Sydney Intercultural Film Festival Best Actor Won
Grimae Awards Best Actor The Scandal Won
MBC Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Project Drama Nominated
Golden Acting Award, Actor Won
2014 Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actor (TV) Jeong Do-jeon Won
Korea Drama Awards Grand Prize (Daesang) Nominated
APAN Star Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial Drama Won
KBS Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor Won
Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial Drama Nominated
PD Award Won
2015 Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actor (TV) Punch Nominated
Gwangju International Film Festival Grand Prize (Daesang) Won
SBS Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Drama Special Won
Top 10 Stars Won
2016 KBS Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama The Master of Revenge Nominated

References

edit
  1. ^ 조재현 [Cho Jae-hyun]. Korean Movie Database (KMDb) (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2021-08-21. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  2. ^ 조재현 "김기덕 감독, 연기인생의 은인" Archived 2021-08-21 at the Wayback Machine. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). 11 March 2006. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  3. ^ Shin, Hae-in (5 January 2009). "Just a touch of femininity perfects a villain: actor Cho Jae-hyun". Yonhap. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  4. ^ "Full Profile Of Korean Actor, Cho Jae-hyun". Channel-K. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ a b Choi, Soo-im (3 January 2002). "야누스의 얼굴, 조재현 (1)". Cine21 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  6. ^ a b Chung, Ah-young (28 October 2009). "Best Play Series to Open With Equus". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  7. ^ Chung, Ah-young (21 July 2008). "Musicals Slightly Down, Plays Up in Ticket Sales". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  8. ^ Chung, Ah-young (25 May 2008). "Theater Series Much Closer to Audience". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  9. ^ "Actor Jo Jae-hyeon returns as a programmer". KBS Global. 5 November 2008. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
  10. ^ Chung, Ah-young (6 January 2009). "Best Play Series Project Draws Curtain". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  11. ^ Kim Yoon-ji (2017-11-13). "'크로스' 측 "고경표·조재현, 캐스팅 확정…1월 첫방송"". E Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2017-11-13. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
  12. ^ Kwon Hye Lim (2017-11-13). "고경표X조재현, tvN '크로스' 캐스팅…'영애씨' 후속". Joy News (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2017-11-13. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
  13. ^ Jo, Yoon-sun (February 24, 2018). "[공식입장 전문] '크로스'측 "조재현 하차 결정, 최대한 빠른 시기에 진행"". Sports Chosun (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  14. ^ Lee, Hyo-won (2 February 2009). "Gyeonggi Province Aims to Become Film Hub". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 2014-12-13. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  15. ^ Lee, Hyo-won (20 September 2011). "Organizers hope film fest sheds light on NK". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  16. ^ "7-day festival of documentaries closes its curtain". Korean Film Biz Zone. 2 October 2012. Archived from the original on 2014-12-19. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  17. ^ "Actor Cho heads Gyeonggi Arts Center". The Korea Herald. 9 August 2010. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  18. ^ Lee, Claire (13 February 2012). "Actor Cho to teach at university". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  19. ^ Jin, Eun-soo (25 February 2014). "Jo Jae-hyun to teach at Kyungsung University". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2014-03-01. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
  20. ^ "조재현, 결혼 20주년 깜짝이벤트 무산된 사연 공개" Archived 2022-12-25 at the Wayback Machine. Newsen (in Korean). 28 November 2008. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  21. ^ ""★, 우리도 동계 스포츠 출신"...송혜교·장동건, 응원 메세지 전해" Archived 2010-02-25 at the Wayback Machine. Sportsseoul (in Korean). 16 February 2010. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  22. ^ "Two popular actors embroiled in sexual abuse allegations". Yonhap News Agency. February 23, 2018. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  23. ^ "(LEAD) Veteran actor Cho Jae-hyun apologizes to sexual abuse victims". Yonhap News Agency. February 24, 2018. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  24. ^ Hwang Jae-ha (January 8, 2021). "조재현에 성폭행 피해" 주장 여성, 3억원 손배소 패소 [The woman who accused "Cho Jae-hyun of sexual assault" loses 300 million won lawsuit]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  25. ^ Park Se-yeon (January 8, 2021). "조재현에 성폭행 당했다" 미투여성, 3억 손배소 패소 ["I was sexually assaulted by Cho Jae-hyun." Me Too woman loses 300 million lawsuit]. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  26. ^ Kim, Heidi (May 25, 2011). "Jo Jae-hyun to turn king in new historical drama". Asiae. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  27. ^ Do, Je-hae (3 January 2014). "Joseon founding seen in unique angle". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 2014-01-07. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  28. ^ "All That Star: Cho Jae-hyun". Arirang News. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2012-10-05.
  29. ^ Lee, Claire (3 December 2012). "Five unusual dates on Thursdays". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on 2017-09-27. Retrieved 2012-12-04.
  30. ^ "Cho Jae-hyun Collects Gong at Montreal Film Fest". The Chosun Ilbo. 13 August 2013. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2013-08-13.
  31. ^ Lee, Claire (12 August 2013). "Cho Jae-hyun wins acting prize at Montreal Film Festival". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2013-08-19.
edit