# Cha In-pyo

Cha In-pyo (Korean: 차인표; born October 14, 1967) is a South Korean actor and director.

## Early life

Cha graduated from Rutgers University in the U.S. with a degree in economics. His father ran a shipping company and had intended for Cha to take over the family business.

## Career

Cha had dreamed of becoming an actor since he was a teenager, so he auditioned for General's Son, but at the recommendation of his parents, he went to the U.S. with his mother to study. After working at Hanjin Shipping for several years, he quit his job to pursue acting full-time. In 1993 he joined MBC and made his debut in the television series Under the Same Roof [ko] before enlisting and completing his mandatory military service. His major breakthrough came in the 1997 television series Star in My Heart, one of the first Korean dramas to be broadcast overseas and widely acknowledged to be the "first generation" of the Korean Wave, earning him public recognition. In 2004 he starred in the SBS romantic-mystery drama Hong Kong Express. While the drama did not garner as much attention, the scene in which his character expresses his rage by furiously brushing his teeth in front of the bathroom mirror became iconic and was often parodied by comedians or used as a meme on Korean variety shows to indicate silent rage. Cha later stated on Cultwo Show that the scene was not in his script since the only direction he received was "expressing anger in the bathroom".
Cha has since garnered an extensive filmography in both film and television, including Crossing which was South Korea's entry for the 81st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and earned him several nominations for various awards. He has also collaborated with Korean-American director Benson Lee in the period drama-comedy indie film Seoul Searching, which was screened at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and features a diverse cast and crew drawn from the worldwide overseas Japanese, Chinese and Korean diaspora. He returned to network television in the weekend drama The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop, which drew ratings of over 30% for much of its run and earned him nominations at the 2016 KBS Drama Awards.

## Personal life

Cha met his future wife, co-star Shin Ae-ra, on the set of the drama Love in Your Heart [ko] and they married in March 1995 prior to his enlistment. As two of the top television stars of the 1990s, their marriage received extensive media coverage and was one of the most reported events of the year. They have a son and two daughters. Their decision to adopt their daughters was met with praise, especially given the rarity of adoptions by local Korean families compared to overseas families.

## Philanthropy

On July 22, 2022, Cha donated 10 million won to treat a baby with stage 3 cancer from Uzbekistan through All That Medi.
In December 2022, Cha donated 50 million won to Yana (You Are Not Alone), a support group for young people preparing for self-reliance.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2023 | Honey Sweet | Seok-ho | |
| 2021 | What Happened to Mr. Cha? | Himself (Fictionalized) | Netflix January 1 |
| 2019 | Heaven's Quest | | |
| 2015 | Seoul Searching | Mr. Kim | |
| 2014 | My Boy | Do Gong | |
| 2013 | The Flu | South Korean President | |
| 2012 | The Tower | President Jo | |
| 2009 | A Dream Comes True | Im Sang_hyeon | Telecinema |
| 2008 | Crossing | Kim Yong-su | |
| 2006 | Hanbando | Yi Sang-hyeon | |
| 2004 | Mokpo the Harbor | Baek Seong-gi | |
| 2003 | Season in the Sun | Kim Sin-bu | |
| 2002 | Iron Palm | Ah Yi-eon | |
| 1999 | Dr. K | Kang Ji-min/Dr. K | |
| 1998 | Zzang | Hwang Gi-pung | |
| 1996 | Albatross | Lieutenant Jo Gyeong-min | Cho Chang-ho |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Note |
| TBA | People of the Blue House | Go Han-pyo | Sitcom |
| 2016 | The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop | Bae Sam-do | |
| 2015 | D-Day | Minister Koo Ja-hyuk | |
| 2014 | Endless Love | General Chun Tae-Woong | |
| 2012 | Sent From Heaven | Cha Se-joo | |
| 2011 | Gyebaek | Moo Jin | Cameo |
| 2010 | Big Thing | Kang Tae-san | |
| 2010 | The Reputable Family | Choi Gook-sun | |
| 2007 | White Tower | Noh Min-guk | |
| 2007 | Love in Moments Apart | Zhao Ming Wei | Chinese drama |
| 2005 | Hong Kong Express | Choi Kang-hyuk | |
| 2004 | The Age of Heroes | Chun Tae-sun | |
| 2004 | Endless Love | Ji Dong-yang | Chinese drama |
| 2004 | The Four Detective Guards | Tie Shou (Iron Hand) | Chinese drama |
| 2003 | Perfect Love | Park Shi-woo | |
| 2001 | Her House | Jang Tae-ju | |
| 2000 | The Golden Era | Park Kwang-chul | |
| 2000 | Fireworks | Choi Jong-hyuk | |
| 1999 | Beautiful Seoul | Cho Sang-chul | |
| 1999 | The Boss | Kim Choon-sam | |
| 1997 | You and I | Park Young-kyu | |
| 1997 | Star in My Heart | Lee Joon-hee | |
| 1997 | Heroic Rebellion | Han Young-ung | |
| 1996 | Reporting for Duty | Cha Sung-yun | |
| 1995 | Making Men | Park Han-joo | |
| 1994 | Kareiski | Yoon Ho-jun | |
| 1994 | My Son's Woman | Kang Min-wook | |
| 1994 | Love is in Your Embrace | Kang Pung-ho | |
| 1994 | The White Journey | | |
| 1993 | Han Ji-bong's Three Families | | |

### Web series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2015 | Sense8 | Sun's Attorney | Season 1 | |

### Web shows

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2022 | Saturday Night Live Korea | Host | Season 2 – Episode 2 | |

## MC

* Green Father (2023) - Cast Member
* 59th Grand Bell Awards (2023) - with Jang Do-yeon
* Jongno Photo Studio (2022) - Host; Chuseok's special
* Bistro Shigor (2021) - head chef
* Fireman Boy (Cast Member , 2021)
* Environmental Special (Korean: 환경 스페셜) (007)
* Blackbox (KBS, 2002)
* Love for Three Days (Korean: 3일간의 사랑; co-host, Park Cheol) (iTV, 1998)

## Music videos

* Forgiveness (용서, Cho Jang-hyuk, 2001)
* Sad... (Cho Jang-hyuk, 2001)
* Forever (영원, Sky, 1999)

## Discography

* "Heart Fire" (心火, Xin Huo) - The Four Detective Guards opening theme song (2004)
* "Dream" (梦, Meng) - The Four Detective Guards ending theme song (2004)

## Novels

* Cha, In-pyo. (2011). Today's Forecast (Korean: 오늘예보). Hainaim (해냄출판사). ISBN 978-89-6574-313-2.
* Cha, In-pyo. (2009). Goodbye, Hill (Korean: 잘 가요 언덕). Sallim (살림). ISBN 978-89-522-1103-3.

## Awards

| Year | Ceremony | Film / Series | Award |
| 2016 | KBS Drama Awards | The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop | Best Couple Award with Ra Mi-ran |
| 2010 | SBS Drama Awards | Big Thing | Producer's Award |
| 2010 | Corporate Social Responsibility Korea Awards | | Ministry of Health and Welfare Commendation, Private Sector |
| 2010 | Pony Chung Scholarship Foundation | | Pony Chung Innovation Award |
| 2009 | Korea CEO Summit | | KCS Volunteer Service Award |
| 2008 | Asan Foundation | | Asan Special Award |
| 2008 | Chunsa Film Art Awards | Crossing | Special Jury Prize |
| 2006 | Korean Presidential Awards | | Presidential Commendation for the Promotion and Protection of Children's Rights |
| 2006 | Model Awards | | Hallyu Star Award |
| 2005 | Korea Green Foundation | | 100 People Who Light Up Our World |
| 2003 | SBS Drama Awards | Perfect Love | Top Excellence Award, Actor |
| 2003 | SBS Drama Awards | Perfect Love | Top 10 Stars |
| 2001 | MBC Drama Awards | Her House | Grand Prize (Daesang) |
| 2000 | Baeksang Arts Awards | The Boss | Best Actor in TV |
| 1998 | Baeksang Arts Awards | You and I | Popularity Award |
| 1997 | MBC Drama Awards | You and I | Excellence Award, Actor |
| 1995 | Baeksang Arts Awards | Love is in Your Embrace | Popularity Award, TV |