# Choi Jong-won

Choi Jong-won (Korean: 최종원; born January 27, 1950) is a South Korean actor and politician. Choi began his acting career in theater, then made his screen debut in 1978 and became known as a veteran actor of stage, film and television of over forty years. He won Best Supporting Actor at the Grand Bell Awards in 1995 for the Joseon-era period drama The Eternal Empire.
Choi entered politics in 2004, when he ran and lost in the 17th National Assembly elections as an Uri Party candidate. He ran again in the by-elections on July 28, 2010, under the Democratic Party, where he won as the lawmaker representing Gangwon Province (Taebaek, Jeongseon, Yeongwol, and Pyeongchang) in the 18th National Assembly, succeeding Lee Kwang-jae who resigned to run for the Gangwon governorship. On September 16, 2010, Choi was elected as the head of DP's Gangwon provincial chapter.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1979 | Grave Wood | |
| 1979 | The Third Han River Bridge | |
| 1980 | White Smile | |
| 1982 | Late Autumn | |
| 1982 | The Chrysanthemum and the Clown | |
| 1984 | The Woman Shot the Man | |
| 1984 | The Fear of Ancestral Rites | |
| 1984 | Sadness Even in the Sky | |
| 1985 | The Tiger Butterfly Is Lonely at Dusk | |
| 1985 | Madame Aema 3 | |
| 1989 | Come Come Come Upward | Bi-gu |
| 1989 | Gagman | Taxi driver |
| 1989 | Shock Continues Long | |
| 1990 | Oseam | |
| 1990 | Mayumi | Choi Kang-il |
| 1990 | Ggok-Ji-Ddan | |
| 1990 | The Dream | Pyeong-mok |
| 1990 | My Love, My Bride | Pastor |
| 1991 | Stairways of Heaven | Detective agency employee |
| 1991 | Things that Sadden My Wife | Prosecutor |
| 1991 | Fly High Run Far | |
| 1991 | The Mulberry Field Traveler | |
| 1992 | Kim's War | Homeroom teacher |
| 1992 | The World Is Beautiful Enough to Live In | Choon-sik |
| 1992 | A Keeper of the Heart | |
| 1993 | First Love | Park Young-shin's father |
| 1993 | The Supreme Order | Lee Hwa-ryong |
| 1993 | Seopyeonje | Cheon-ga |
| 1993 | Two Cops | Tae-seong |
| 1994 | The Eternal Empire | Sim Hwan-ji |
| 1994 | The Man of 49 Days | Detective 1 |
| 1994 | Rosy Life | Company president Han |
| 1994 | The Taebaek Mountains | |
| 1994 | How to Top My Wife | Hit man |
| 1995 | Bitter and Sweet | |
| 1995 | Gun and Gun | Kim Nun-seok |
| 1995 | The Hair Dresser | Rosen Lee |
| 1995 | Who Drives Me Crazy | Hwang Dal-soo |
| 1995 | Millions in My Account | |
| 1996 | Seven Reasons Why Beer Is Better Than a Lover | Video shop owner |
| 1996 | Karuna | Yang Cheon-soo |
| 1996 | 1996 Mulberry | Sam-bo |
| 1996 | Love Story | Sung-woo's office story |
| 1996 | Jungle Story | Senior colleague |
| 1996 | The Adventures of Mrs. Park | (cameo) |
| 1997 | The Rocket Was Launched | |
| 1997 | The Audition | Director Jin |
| 1997 | Father | Mr. Park |
| 1997 | Hallelujah | |
| 1997 | Destiny | Director Choi |
| 1998 | The Happenings | Jang Deok-bae |
| 2000 | Pisces | Department head Choi |
| 2001 | Love Her | Owner |
| 2001 | Paradise Villa | Taxi driver |
| 2005 | Blood Rain | Royal emissary Choi |
| 2005 | Princess Aurora | Chief of detective squad |
| 2006 | Hanbando | Kim Hong-soon |
| 2006 | Traces of Love | Seo Min-joo's father |
| 2008 | Santamaria | Old man Mr. Shin |
| 2008 | Summer Whispers | Professor Noh |
| 2010 | Le Grand Chef 2: Kimchi Battle | Ja-woon |
| 2011 | The Client | Professor Ahn |
| 2014 | A Dynamite Family | Father |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1995 | Jazz | Boss Kang |
| 1996 | Papa | Shin Shin-ho |
| 1996 | Reporting for Duty | Woo Myung-do |
| 1996 | When the Salmon Returns | Young-chae's father |
| 1997 | The Angel Within | |
| 1998 | Six Children | |
| 1998 | The King and the Queen | Han Myung-hoi |
| 2000 | Three Friends | |
| 2000 | Did You Ever Love? | |
| 2001 | Pretty Woman | Director Dokgo |
| 2002 | Sunlight Upon Me | |
| 2002 | Age of Innocence | Uncle |
| 2003 | Drama City: "The Barley Field" | Choi Young-dal |
| 2003 | She is Cool | |
| 2006 | Seoul 1945 | Lee In-pyung |
| 2006 | Special of My Life | Baek-Gom-Pa boss |
| 2006 | Cloud Stairs | Doctor Byun |
| 2007 | Bong-jae Returns | Park Bong-jae |
| 2007 | Auction House | Heo Myung-hwan |
| 2008 | The Great King, Sejong | Ha Ryun |
| 2008 | Daughter-in-Law | Ma Pyung-moon |
| 2009 | The Quiet Village | Chief minister |
| 2009 | Hot Blood | Ha Ryu's father |
| 2010 | The Reputable Family | Choi Won-young |
| 2014 | Gunman in Joseon | Kim Jwa-young |
| 2014 | KBS Drama Special: "The Girl Who Became a Photo" | Min Sung-taek |
| 2014 | Healer | Park Jung-dae, the Elder |
| 2015 | Six Flying Dragons | Yi In-gyeom |
| 2016 | Monster | Jo Ki-ryang |
| 2016 | Sweet Stranger and Me | Chairman Kwon |
| 2017 | Untouchable | Goo Yong-chan |
| 2018 | Mr. Sunshine | Heungseon Daewongun |
| 2020 | Royal Secret Agent | Kang In-chung |
| 2021 | Lovers of the Red Sky | Ha Ram's grandfather (cameo) |

## Theater

| Year | Title | Role |
| | The Little Prince | |
| | The Collector | |
| | The Merchant of Venice | |
| | Equus | |
| | Hamlet | |
| | King Lear | Lear |
| | Head of Dried Walleye Pollack | |
| | A Dwarf Launches a Little Ball | |
| | A Streetcar Named Desire |
| | Death of a Salesman | |
| | You Can See Apgujeong-dong from Oksu-dong | |
| | Oliver! | |
| | The Unfilial Son Is Weeping | |
| | 99 품바 | |
| | Beautiful Street | |
| 1980 | Father's Sea | |
| 1983 | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | George |
| 1985 | Annie | |
| 1992 | Marvelous Guys | |
| 2000 | Guys and Dolls | |
| 2000 | The Beautiful Distance | |
| 2002 | Years of a Mother's Love | |
| 2009 | American Buffalo | Don |
| 2012 | The Watch (Heavenly Clock) | King Sejong |
| 2013 | Marriage | Butler |
| 2013 | It Was a Little Darkness in the Hole of a Wooden Gong | Mang-ryeong |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1980 | Korea Theater Festival | Best Actor | Father's Sea | Won |
| 1983 | 20th Dong-A Theatre Awards | Best Actor | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Won |
| 1985 | Producers' Group Acting Awards | Most Entertaining in Theater | Annie | Won |
| 1989 | 13th Seoul Theater Festival | Best Actor | | Won |
| 1991 | Love Theater Festival | Best Actor | | Won |
| 1995 | 33rd Grand Bell Awards | Best Supporting Actor | The Eternal Empire | Won |
| 1999 | KBS Drama Awards | Best Supporting Actor | | Won |