The Top Veteran Actor Choi Byung-mo
If you are an avid Korean drama or movie watcher, chances are you have been familiar with Choi Byung-mo. His faces are often found in a top drama as a supporting actor. Whether it’s the main actor’s friend or even the show’s villain, he nailed it all! Choi Byung-mo’s career also dates back to the year 2003, so he has been very active in the acting industry for many years.
Starting out as a small supporting role in the dramas, now Choi Byung-mo’s career is on the rise as he starred in many popular movies and dramas as one of the lead actors. Are you curious to know what else are his recent roles? Check out this article below to find out all the details you’d like to know!
Full profile of Choi Byung-mo
- Name: Choi Byung Mo
- Birth name: 최병모 / Choi Byeong Mo
- Profession: Actor
- Date of Birth: January 14, 1972
- Place of Birth: South Korea
- Zodiac: Capricorn
- High: 184 cm
- Weight: 74 kg
- Agency: Big Punch Entertainment
- Instagram: @choibyungmochoi
Choi Byung mo Acting Debut and Career Journey
Choi Byung-mo first made his big-screen debut was in a film entitled The First Amendment of Korea which aired in 2003. There, he filled a small role as a supporting cast named Jegal Bong. Then, his movie career was taking a halt as from 2006 to 2012, Byung-Mo was busy starring in various musical drama titles, such as Suspense Hamlet (2006), Dr. Yirabu (2008), I Would Like to See (2008-2009), 3 Days and 2 Nights with My Mother (2010-2012), and Unforgettable (2012). From his theater appearances, he paved his name as one of the top actors for his versatile acting and expressions.
After he retired from the theater scene, his face returned to the big screen with the film Flu in 2013. And starting from that appearance, his name was on a roll as he continuously starred in movies for 5 consecutive years (2013-2018). Not to mention, along the way, he also made various roles in Korean TV dramas for 6 consecutive years (2014-2020). From an official to a murderer, Byung-mo always poses his character very well. He can play any role, from the supporting best friend (Another Miss Oh) to the villain father (Flower of Evil).
Until now, he has starred in 21 Korean Dramas and 20 film titles, including four films that have not aired yet. He has proved himself to be one of the veteran actors in demand today.
Choi Byung-Mo Movie Appearances
Movies have always been Choi Jung-mo’s stepping stone before diving into the drama world, as he made his acting debut in a movie called The First Amendment of Korea (2003) and even after a while, he re-debuted on a big screen through the movie called The Flu (2013). He has appeared in many famous movies such as Gangnam Blues (2015), The Handmaiden (2016), and The Great Actor (2016). But through that, Byung-mo’s best performance might be found in his recent critically-acclaimed movie, The Merciless (2017) and Herstory (2018). Although he was not playing the lead role in both movies, his name was still on the important cast. Not to mention, both the movies have received much international recognition, giving him more achievement to be proud of.
Choi Byung mo in The Merciless (2017)
When The Merciless was being screened at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, the movie got a seven-minute standing ovation from the audience. That shows how great the movie storyline, screenwriting, direction, and characters are, as also praised by Michele Halberstadt from ARP Films. Not only being critically acclaimed, but the movie was also a box office success as it has sold 95,261 tickets upon its first day of release. The movie itself was released on May 17, 2017.
One of the best Korean action-crime films ever made, The Merciless offers an excellent storyline with a tense thriller. The movie was produced by Director Byun Sung-hyun, who is already known for directing several other famous films, and also starred a top ensemble cast such as Sol Kyung-gu, Im Si-wan Jeon Hye-Jin, Kim Hee-won, Kim Seong-oh, Lee Kyoung-young, and of course, Choi Byung-mo. With this combination, the movie also gained international recognition for its wide distribution, covering a total of 117 countries worldwide including 85 countries including France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, Australia, India, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore, etc.
The story centers around Jae-ho (Sol Kyung-gu) who is the inmate leader who set his own rules and placed all inmates under his control in a prison facility. He has the ambition to be the boss of a mafia group. But, his ambition was hindered by Hyun-soo (Im Si-wan) who is an undercover cop posing as Jae-ho’s fellow inmate. In the movie, Choi Byung-mo played the role of Captain Choi, a supporting cast that is on Hyun-soo’s side.
Choi Byung-mo in Herstory (2018)
Released in theaters on June 27, 2018, Herstory is yet another Byung-mo’s critically acclaimed film who was directed by Min Kyu-dong and offers a great deal of ensemble cast. The movie received positive feedbacks and award recognition for portraying the case of comfort women who remains an international dispute between Japan and Korea (even until today). The movie tells the story of a group of Busan-based women who sued the Japanese government for forcing Korean women into sexual slavery as comfort women for the Japanese military during World War II.
The movie received many awards and recognition such as 27th Buil Film Awards, 55th Grand Bell Awards, 2nd The Seoul Awards, 6th Marie Claire Asia Star Awards, etc. Choi Byung-mo played one of the many supporting characters named Soon-mo.
Choi Byung-mo Drama Appearances
Not only appears in movies, but Choi Byung-mo is also very active in the dramas, starring in over 21 Korean Dramas for 6 consecutive years (2014 to 2016). Choi Byung-mo’s K-drama roles may have been found in many famous dramas such as the supporting best friend or villain, but it just in recent years that Choi Byung-mo gained recognition as one of the lead characters through the widely popular drama, Love Affairs in the Afternoon (Chanel A, 2019) and Flower of Evil (tvN, 2020).
Choi Byung-Mo in Love Affairs in the Afternoon (2019)
Before The World of Married (2020), a drama about extra-marital affairs has already gained much interest from the Korean public. One of the dramas that portray this is Love Affairs in the Afternoon.
Love Affairs in the Afternoon is a Korean romantic melodrama broadcast by Channel A in 12 episodes starting July 5, 2019. This drama tells the story of a woman named Son Ji-eun (Park Ha-sun) who moved to a small town to follow her husband’s job as a civil servant. Her new life there becomes tedious until she meets a man named Yoon Jung-woo (Lee Sang-yeob) who works as a biology teacher. Love Affairs in the Afternoon is an adaptation of a Japanese drama entitled Hirugao: Love Affairs in the Afternoon which aired on Fuji TV in 2014. The Japanese drama stars Aya Ueto and Michiko Kichise. The drama has managed to captivate viewers by presenting provocative love stories as well as detailed emotional portrayals of the cast. This drama has been adapted into a novel and film. Love Affairs in the Afternoon stars Park Ha-sun, Lee Sang-yeob, Jo Dong-hyuk, Choi Byung-mo, Yoo Seo-jin, Mi Mi Kyng, Shin Soo-yun, Shim Hye-yeon, Oh Dong-min, and many more. Love Affairs in the Afternoon is directed by Kim Jung-min and in collaboration with writer Yoo So-jung.
Choi Byung-mo confirmed that he would play a role in this drama on March 28, 2019, where he would be playing the character of Lee Young-jae, the owner of a publishing company and best-selling authors. Although Lee Young-jae seemed to get everything under control (with a surface portrayal of a happy family), he was devastated because his wife Soo-ah (Ye Ji-won) was having an affair with another man.
Choi Byung-mo in Flower of Evil (2020)
Flower of Evil is perhaps one of Choi Byung-mo’s big drama role as he played a very important and quirky character here. It was also one of the top drama in the year 2020. Flower of Evil attracted public attention thanks to the mystery contained in each episode, making the rating continues to increase from week to week. The drama aired on tvN every Wednesday and Thursday from July 29 to September 23, 2020, and starred top actor Lee Jon-gi and top actress Moon Chae-won as the lead characters. It tells the story of a married couple who kept secrets from each other.
Besides the story that makes you curious, the cast is no less stunning with their capable acting. Choi Byung-mo stole the role with his impressive acting as the show’s villain. He plays the father of the main character, Lee Joon-gi, who is named Do Min-Seok. Do Min-seok on the surface looks like a normal metal craftsman and father of two, but later, he turns out to be a mysterious and creepy character in the drama!
Who would have guessed that he later turns out to be a serial killer, who is known to have killed 7 people. And even when he has died from suicide, his spirit still appears and harasses his sons
He is also said to have died from suicide and his spirit often appears to harass his son! Creepy, right?
Just leave it to Choi Byung-mo to portrait a very creepy character with an air of elegance.
Choi Byung-mo Latest Role in SF8 (2020)
In 2020, Choi Byung-mo is once again played in a well-though, tense thriller drama called SF8 which often been dubbed as the Korean version of the worldwide known British science fiction, Black Mirror. SF8 is an anthology drama about how technology affects modern human life directed by eight South Korean directors who are members of the DGK (Directors Guild of Korea). Each of the eight stories in SF8 is not only directed by a different director but also presents a different story as well. Likewise with the actors and actresses. Each title in the SF8 project lasts 40 minutes.
Aside from Choi Byung-mo, SF8 is also played by a row of well-known actors and actresses, such as Super Junior‘s Siwon and Lee Yeon-hee, EXID‘s Hani, Moon So-ri, Kim Bo-ra, David Lee, Uee, Lee Shin-young, and Lee Dong-hwi. Each will appear in a different science fiction story.
What interesting about this drama is because it has the science fiction genre, something that is not common in the K-drama world. The drama tells the story about technological sophistication such as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), robots, games, fantasy, horror, superpowers, to natural disasters.
Although Choi Byung-mo was just appeared briefly in the first episode, “The Prayer”, as the manager of the nursing episode, this was still his latest interesting drama in 2020.
So, those are all the things that you need to know regarding the top veteran actor, Choi Byung-mo, who has been in the industry for 17 years! What do you think about his movies and his roles? Please, share us your thoughts in the comment section below!
