Choi Ji Woo is famous for her fragile, innocent beauty and tragic roles in Korean films of the 1990s.
* Choi Ji Woo's beauty over time
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Choi Ji Woo's real name is Choi Mi Hyang, born into a wealthy family with a military tradition in Paju, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. As a child, the beauty showed early talent for dancing and singing, so her parents wanted her to become a singer. However, at that time, Choi Ji Woo only liked dancing. |
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Entering puberty, schoolgirl Choi Mi Hyang became famous throughout her hometown for her fragile, innocent beauty but strong, stubborn and dynamic personality. The actress confided that when she was still in school, she was not liked by her friends and teachers because of her stubbornness. After graduating from Busan Dance College, the beauty born in 1975 decided to go to Seoul to start a career. |
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In 1994, when she was only 19 years old, Choi Ji Woo first appeared in an MBC audition and won first place. With a height of 1.74 m, a prominent figure and face, the beauty immediately caught the attention of many directors. At that time, Ji Woo realized that she was passionate about movies and wanted to immerse herself in roles. |
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To hone her acting skills, she entered Han Yang University - majoring in Theater and Cinema. In 1995, the beauty first entered the film industry through the TV series "War and Love". The role became a stepping stone, helping her shape her style. From here, she officially started her artistic career with the stage name Choi Ji Woo. |
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After a few small roles, in 1996, Ji Woo caused a stir when she appeared alongside Bae Yong Joon, Lee Seung Yeon and Choi Soo Jong - the top stars at that time - in the hit movie "First Love". She transformed into the rich lady Kang Seok Hee, who loved and pursued Chan Woo (played by Bae Yong Joon) but was not reciprocated. The role brought the beauty the "Best New Actress" award from KBS. |
* Choi Ji Woo in the movie "First Love" (1996)
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In the late 1990s, Ji Woo became the "muse" of many famous directors and the "darling" of major television stations. Her acting talent in television series and movies such as "The Hole" (1997), "First Kiss" (1998)... made a strong impression on the audience. |
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She is often assigned to roles with tragic and unfortunate fates, always striving in life. The reputation and career of the beautiful Choi rose in the films "The Truth" (2000), "Beautiful Days" (2001)... She is known as "Queen of Tears", "Crying Beauty" or "Queen of Tragedy". |
* Choi Ji Woo in the movie "Truth" (2000)
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From a talented young actress, she quickly became an A-list star in the Korean entertainment industry. Choi Ji Woo once confided: "My dream is to transform into characters with rough, strong personalities - close to my nature. In real life, I am a person who rarely cries and always tries to not feel any pressure." |
* Ji Woo and Lee Byung Hun in"The beautiful days"
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"Winter Sonata" (2002) and "Stairway to Heaven" (2003) are the works that brought Choi Ji Woo's name to the whole of Asia. The beautiful actress's emotional crying scenes made it easy for the audience to sympathize with the character's pain. |
* Ji Woo - Bae Yong Joon in "Winter Sonata"
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On Naver, Yoon Suk Ho - director of a famous Korean series about four seasons - once shared: "Choi Ji Woo is a wonderful actress, possessing a charming figure. Just looking at her, viewers feel fluttered." |
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As the tragic genre gradually declined and romantic comedies took over, Ji Woo and other stars who specialized in playing gentle, unfortunate roles struggled to find a way to break away from their old image. However, Ji Woo's later works were not as successful as expected because audiences only remembered the characters she played before. |
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During her 23 years in the entertainment industry, Choi Ji Woo has won many awards and become a representative star of the Korean Wave (Hallyu) in many Asian countries. Before becoming famous, she dated Song Seung Hun. In 2009, Choi Ji Woo surprised fans when she publicly announced her relationship with Lee Jin Wook, who was six years younger than her. They worked together in the 2007 film “Air City”. However, three years later, the couple went their separate ways. The reason was that they could not stand the pressure of being scrutinized by the public and the media. At the age of 42, she is still single. |
According to VNE