# Joo Won

Joo Won (Korean: 주원; born Moon Joon-won on September 30, 1987) is a South Korean actor. He is known for starring in the television series Bread, Love and Dreams (2010), Ojakgyo Family (2011–2012), Bridal Mask (2012), Good Doctor (2013), Yong-pal (2015), and Alice (2020).

## Early life and education

Joo Won was born in Seoul, South Korea.
He studied at Kaywon High School of Arts and continued his education on Theatre and Arts in Sungkyunkwan University. In 2013, Joo Won announced that he would be furthering his studies at Konkuk University.

## Career
### 2006–2009: Beginnings

Upon making it into college, Joo Won's father came up with the stage name Joo Won for him as the Hangul pronunciation of the name sounds similar to "God-willing".
With his love for singing, he became involved in Frees, a co-ed television performance group formed by SBS as part of a children's TV program. The show premiered in 2006, but Joo Won left the show quickly thereafter. Joo Won later auditioned for the stage musical Altar Boyz, based on the American musical of the same name. This musical role was a first of many to come, as he later appeared in other musicals, namely Singles, Grease, Sinsangnam and most notably, Spring Awakening.
Originally, Joo Won was the understudy for Melchior in Spring Awakening. However, the original actor who played Melchior left the musical midway through the production, thus allowing Joo Won to perform later on in the production. His performance in Spring Awakening caught the attention of his future agency, Sim Entertainment.

### 2010–2012: Rising popularity and breakthrough

Joo Won first appeared in the 2010 television drama Bread, Love and Dreams as the antagonist to the titular character. King of Baking, Kim Takgu recorded high viewership ratings of over 50%, earning "national drama" status, and Joo shot to fame.
He went on to star in the KBS2 weekend family drama Ojakgyo Family in 2011, opposite Uee. He took home the Best New Actor award at the KBS Drama Awards and Baeksang Arts Awards. The same year, Joo made his big-screen debut in the action crime film S.I.U. alongside Uhm Tae-woong.
However, it was Joo's third small screen project Bridal Mask that truly propelled him to mainstream popularity. He portrayed a pro-Japanese Korean police officer by day and a masked vigilante who fights for Korean independence by night. For his role in Bridal Mask, Joo Won took home the Excellence award and Popularity award at the 2012 KBS Drama Awards. The same year, he starred opposite Park Bo-young in the horror thriller Don't Click, and joined the second season of the popular variety program 2 Days & 1 Night.

### 2013–2017: Mainstream success

In 2013, Joo starred in MBC's drama 7th Grade Civil Servant, based on the action-romance movie My Girlfriend Is an Agent. The same year, Joo was offered his most challenging role; an autistic savant who becomes a genius pediatric surgeon for KBS's medical drama Good Doctor.
After four years of absence from the musical scene, Joo returned to the musical stage with the Korean version of Ghost the Musical. Due to schedule conflicts, he has since stepped down from 2 Days & 1 Night to concentrate on his acting career. In late 2013, Joo starred in the romantic comedy film Steal My Heart opposite Kim Ah-joong.
In 2014, Joo starred in Fashion King, based on a popular webtoon of the same title. He returned to the small screen with Naeil's Cantabile, the Korean adaptation of Nodame Cantabile.
In 2015, Joo starred in action thriller Yong-pal, alongside Kim Tae-hee. The drama garnered strong ratings and Joo won the Grand Prize (Daesang) at the SBS Drama Awards. He next starred in the thriller Fatal Intuition, which opened at the top of the box office, earning more than 1 million ticket sales.
On November 3, 2015, Joo received the "Most Welcomed Actor" award at the second Asian Influence Awards Oriental Ceremony held in China. He then starred in the Korean-Chinese film Sweet Sixteen, a romantic drama based on an Internet novel will depict the love story of three men and one woman.
Joo's final project before enlistment was My Sassy Girl, a historical remake of the 2001 hit film. The television series premiered in 2017.

### 2019–present: Comeback from military

In 2020, Joo returned to television in the SBS science fiction romance drama Alice. In 2022, he starred in the Netflix film Carter in the title role.
In November 2022, Joo Won signed with Ghost Studio.

## Personal life
### Military service

Joo Won started his mandatory military service on May 16, 2017. In June 2017, the actor completed his six-week basic training and became an assistant instructor for the 3rd Infantry Division.
During the military service, Joo Won emceed at the Armed Forces Festival 2017. He also participated at the 63rd Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony on June 6, 2018.
On February 5, 2019, Joo Won was discharged from the military after completion of 21 months of mandatory military service.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | S.I.U. | Kim Ho-ryong | |
| 2012 | Don't Click | Joon-hyuk | |
| 2012 | Niko 2 : Little Brother, Big Trouble | Niko | Korean dub |
| 2013 | Steal My Heart | Lee Ho-tae | |
| 2014 | Fashion King | Woo Ki-myung | |
| 2015 | Fatal Intuition | Jang-woo | |
| 2016 | Sweet Sixteen | Qu Weiran | Chinese film |
| 2016 | Clocking Out | Seo Ki-woong | Short film |
| 2022 | Carter | Carter | Netflix film |
| 2024 | The Firefighters | Choi Cheol-woong | |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2010 | Bread, Love and Dreams | Gu Ma-jun / Seo Tae-jo |
| 2011–2012 | Ojakgyo Family | Hwang Tae-hee |
| 2012 | Bridal Mask | Lee Kang-to / Sato Hiroshi / Gaksital |
| 2013 | 7th Grade Civil Servant | Han Gil-ro / Han Pil-hoon |
| 2013 | Good Doctor | Park Shi-on |
| 2014 | Naeil's Cantabile | Cha Yoo-jin |
| 2015 | Yong-pal | Kim Tae-hyun |
| 2017 | My Sassy Girl | Gyun-woo |
| 2020 | Alice | Park Jin-gyeom |
| 2023 | Stealer: The Treasure Keeper | Hwang Dae-myung / Skunk |
| 2024 | The Midnight Studio | Seo Ki-joo |

### Television shows

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2006 | Frees | Cast member |
| 2012–2013 | 2 Days & 1 Night | Cast member |
| 2014 | Joo Won's Life Log | Himself |

### Narration

| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
| 2012 | Memories of civilization - Map | Four-part series documentary | |

### Music video appearances

| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
| 2010 | "Miss You" | SM the Ballad | |
| 2012 | "I Made Another Woman Cry" | 2BiC | |

## Musical theatre

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2007 | Altar Boyz | Matthew |
| 2008 | Singles | ensemble |
| 2008 | Grease | Doody |
| 2009 | Sinsangnam | Yeon Ha-nam |
| 2009 | Spring Awakening | Melchior |
| 2013–2014, 2020–2021 | Ghost the Musical | Sam Wheat |

## Discography
### Soundtrack

| Year | Title | Track |
| 2010 | Bread, Love and Dreams OST (Part 7) | "My Love" |
| 2012 | Bridal Mask OST | "Judgment Day" |
| 2012 | Bridal Mask OST | "Love and Love" |
| 2012 | Bungo: Stories of Desire OST | "Nadeshiko" |
| 2013 | 7th Grade Civil Servant OST | "I Don't Know Love" |
| 2013 | Good Doctor OST | "소독약 (Love Medicine)" |
| 2013 | Good Doctor OST | "If I Were" |
| 2014 | Naeil's Cantabile OST | "Innocent" |
| 2017 | My Sassy Girl OST | "I Believe" |

## Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
| APAN Star Awards | 2013 | Top Excellence Award , Actor | Good Doctor | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2015 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Naeil's Cantabile, Yong-pal | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2021 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Alice | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2021 | Popular Star Award, Actor | Alice | Nominated |
| Asia Model Awards | 2011 | Special Award – Best New Model | Joo Won | Won |
| Asian Influence Awards Oriental Ceremony | 2015 | Most Influential Asian Award | Joo Won | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2012 | Best New Actor – Television | Ojakgyo Family | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2012 | Best New Actor – Film | S.I.U. | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2014 | Best Actor – Television | Good Doctor | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2016 | Best Actor – Television | Yong-pal | Nominated |
| Buil Film Awards | 2012 | Best New Actor | S.I.U. | Nominated |
| K-Drama Star Awards | 2012 | Excellence Award, Actor | Bridal Mask | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2010 | Best New Actor | Bread, Love and Dreams | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2011 | Best New Actor | Ojakgyo Family | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2012 | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Bridal Mask | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2012 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial Drama | Bridal Mask | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2012 | Popularity Award | Bridal Mask | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2013 | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Good Doctor | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2013 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama | Good Doctor | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2013 | Netizens' Award | Good Doctor | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2013 | PD Award | Good Doctor | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2013 | Best Couple Award | Joo Won (with Moon Chae-won) Good Doctor | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2014 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Naeil's Cantabile | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2014 | Popularity Award, Actor | Naeil's Cantabile | Won |
| KBS Entertainment Awards | 2012 | Best Newcomer in a Variety Show | 2 Days & 1 Night | Won |
| Korea Drama Awards | 2013 | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Good Doctor | Nominated |
| Korea Drama Awards | 2015 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Yong-pal | Nominated |
| Korea Producers & Directors Awards | 2014 | Best Performer | Good Doctor | Won |
| Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards | 2012 | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Bridal Mask | Nominated |
| Korean Musical Awards | 2009 | Best New Actor | Spring Awakening | Nominated |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2013 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | 7th Grade Civil Servant | Won |
| The Musical Awards | 2010 | Best New actor | Spring Awakening | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2015 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Yong-pal | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2015 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Yong-pal | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2015 | Top 10 Stars | Yong-pal | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2015 | Chinese Netizen Popularity Award | Yong-pal | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2015 | Best Couple Award | Joo Won (with Kim Tae-hee) Yong-pal | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2017 | Top Excellence Award – Actor in a Monday-Tuesday Drama | My Sassy Girl | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2020 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Alice | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2020 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Fantasy/Romance Drama | Alice | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2020 | Producers' Award | Alice | Won |

### State honors

Name of the organization, year presented, and the award given :
| Organization | Year | Award | Ref. |
| Financial Services Commission | 2021 | Prime Minister's Commendation | |

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
| Forbes | 2013 | Korea Power Celebrity | 18th | |