# Park Hae-soo

Park Hae-soo (Korean: 박해수; born November 21, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He is best known worldwide for portraying Cho Sang-woo in the first season of the Netflix hit series Squid Game (2021), which earned him a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
Park started his career in theater and has played a large number of leading and supporting roles in plays and musicals. He subsequently expanded his career into film and television and achieved his breakthrough with Prison Playbook (2017–2018), one of the highest-rated Korean dramas on cable television. He is also known for his frequent collaborations with Netflix, including Time to Hunt (2020), Yaksha: Ruthless Operations (2022), and Narco-Saints (2022).

## Early life

Park was born in Suwon, Gyeonggi, South Korea, on November 21, 1981. He got his first taste of acting when he joined the theater club at Bundang Jungang High School. With a dream of becoming a theater actor, Park enrolled in the Department of Theater and Film at Dankook University. During this time, he also worked part-time jobs at sushi and barbeque restaurants and in concert venues. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts, Park enlisted for mandatory military service. He served in the 50th Infantry Division and worked as a teaching assistant in a recruit training center.

## Career

Park started out primarily as a stage actor and has been active in both plays and musicals since his debut in 2007. In 2012, director Kim Jin-min saw a poster of Park for the musical Samcheon – Flower of Ruin and offered him a role in the television series God of War, which became Park's on-screen debut. Over the next few years, he continued to play minor and supporting roles in film and television. In March 2016, after gaining attention with his supporting role in the historical drama Six Flying Dragons, Park signed with BH Entertainment.
In 2017, Park made a breakthrough in his career when he landed the lead role in the drama series Prison Playbook after director Shin Won-ho saw his performance in the play Male Impulse. The series was a hit and brought Park widespread recognition.
In April 2019, Park appeared opposite IU in the anthology series Persona. In November 2019, he won the Blue Dragon Film Award for Best New Actor for his performance in the film By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture. At the time, he was the oldest recipient of the award at the age of 38 (the second oldest since 2021).
In February 2020, Park appeared in the dystopian thriller Time to Hunt, which premiered at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, becoming the first South Korean film to be selected for the Berlinale Special Gala. Director Yoon Sung-hyun cast him in the film after watching the play Male Impulse in 2017. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was released worldwide on Netflix in April 2020.
In November 2020, Park appeared in prima ballerina Kim Joo-won's stage production Sagunja – Seasons of Change, which combined acting and dancing. Back in 2014, Kim saw Park practicing for the Korean production of Nick Dear's Frankenstein and had expressed a wish to work with him in the future. In preparation for Sagunja, he took ballet and modern dance classes for three months. Prior to that, he studied dance as part of his acting training.
In 2021, Park gained international fame after playing Cho Sang-woo in the first season of the Netflix series Squid Game. Following the success of the show, Park opened an account on Instagram, gaining over 800,000 followers in a single day. For his performance, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
In 2022, Park appeared in three Netflix productions: Yaksha: Ruthless Operations, Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area, and Narco-Saints. All three spent four to five weeks in the Global Top 10. In July 2022, Park signed with the U.S. talent agency UTA. Later that year, he successfully hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live Korea, ranking first on the list of most buzzworthy performers on OTT shows.
In 2023, Park returned to theater with the play Faust. The production was a critical and commercial success, with Park receiving rave reviews for his performance.
In 2024, Park starred in Simon Stone's stage production of The Cherry Orchard, alongside actress Jeon Do-yeon. The play received positive reviews.

## Personal life

Over a ten-year period, Park was roommates first with actors Im Chul-soo and Lee Gi-seob, and then with Im and Park Eun-seok.
Park was in a relationship with musical actress Lim Kang-hee from 2013 to 2016.
On January 14, 2019, Park married in a private ceremony held in Seoul. On September 17, 2021, his wife gave birth to a son.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2014 | The Pirates | Hwang Joong-geun | |
| 2015 | Minority Opinion | Goo Hwan's assistant | |
| 2016 | Master | President Jin's bodyguard | |
| 2019 | By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture | Lee Chan-woo | |
| 2020 | Time to Hunt | Han | Netflix film |
| 2022 | Yaksha: Ruthless Operations | Kang Ji-hoon | Netflix film |
| 2023 | Phantom | Takahara Kaito | |
| 2025 | Lobby | CEO of August CC Golf Course | |
| TBA | The Great Flood | Hee-jo | Netflix film |
| TBA | Tristes Tropiques | | |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2012 | God of War | Kim Yun-hu | |
| 2013 | Me and Mom and Dad and Grandma and Anna | Father | Drama Festival 2013 |
| 2015–2016 | Six Flying Dragons | Yi Ji-ran | |
| 2016–2017 | The Legend of the Blue Sea | Hong Dong-pyo | |
| 2017 | The Liar and His Lover | Bass player | Cameo (Episode 1) |
| 2017–2018 | Prison Playbook | Kim Je-hyuk | Masked Singer (Episode 4) |
| 2018 | Memories of the Alhambra | Agent A | Cameo (Episode 1, 2, 4, 8) |
| 2019 | Persona | Baek Jeong-u | Segment "Collector" |
| 2021 | Racket Boys | Lee Jae-joon | Cameo (Episode 6) |
| 2021 | Squid Game | Cho Sang-woo | |
| 2021 | Chimera | Cha Jae-hwan | |
| 2022 | Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area | Berlin | |
| 2022 | Narco-Saints | Choi Chang-ho | |
| 2025 | Karma | The Witness | |
| TBA | Butterfly | | |
| TBA | The Price of Confession | Baek Dong-hun | |

### Variety shows

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2021 | The Game Caterers | Cast member | Season 1 – Episode 10–12 | |
| 2022 | Saturday Night Live Korea | Host | Season 3 – Episode 6 | |

### Music video appearances

| Year | Song Title | Artist | Ref. |
| 2022 | "Last Scene" | Chen | |

## Stage
### Musical

Musical performances :
| Year | Title | Title | Role | Theater | Date | Ref. |
| Year | English | Korean | Role | Theater | Date | Ref. |
| 2008 | Adolescence | 사춘기 | Young-min | Jeongmiso Theater | August 15 to October 12 | |
| 2009 | Hero | 영웅 | Choi Jae-hyung | LG Art Center | October 26 to December 3 | |
| 2009 | The 39 Steps | 39 계단 | Richard Hannay | Dongsung Art Centre | February 21 to March 29 | |
| 2009 | The 39 Steps | 39 계단 | Richard Hannay | Sejong Center for the Performing Arts | July 30 to August 30 | |
| 2010–2011 | Hero | 영웅 | Foreign Minister | Haeoreum Grand Theater | December 4 to January 1 | |
| 2011 | The Chorus – Oedipus | 더 코러스 – 오이디푸스 | Oedipus | LG Art Center | April 26 to March 1 | |
| 2011 | Hero | 영웅 | Foreign Minister | Ansan Culture and Arts Center | October 26 to December 31 | |
| 2012 | The Goddess is Watching | 여신님이 보고 계셔 토크콘서트 | Lee Chang-seop | Chungmu Art Hall | August 6–19 | |
| 2012 | Samcheon – Flower of Ruin | 삼천-망국의 꽃 | Ceremony general | Daehangno TOM Theater | October 26 to January 20 | |
| 2013 | The Goddess is Watching | 여신님이 보고 계셔 토크콘서트 | Lee Chang-seop | Daehangno Art One Theater | August 5 | |
| 2013 | The Chorus – Oedipus | 더 코러스 – 오이디푸스 | Oedipus | LG Art Center | October 9–20 | |
| 2014 | The Chorus – Oedipus | 더 코러스 – 오이디푸스 | Oedipus | Victoria Theatre | August 22–23 | |
| 2015 | Asteroid B612 | 소행성 B612 | Dad | CJ azit | August 24–25 | |

### Theater

List of Stage Play(s) :
| Year | Title | Title | Role | Theater | Date | Ref. |
| Year | English | Korean | Role | Theater | Date | Ref. |
| 2007–2008 | Mr. Lobby | 미스터 로비 | | Mudiz Hall | August 10 to June 8 | |
| 2007–2008 | Annapurna | 안나푸르나 | Gwang-nam | Gangnam Theatre | October 9–28, 2007 | |
| 2010 | A Streetcar Named Desire | 욕망이라는 이름의 전차 | Steve | Dongsoong Art Center | March 19 to May 23 | |
| 2010 | A Streetcar Named Desire | 욕망이라는 이름의 전차 | Steve | Hwaseong Art Hall | July 10–11 | |
| 2010 | Fool for Love | 풀 포 러브 | Martin | SM Art Hall | July 6 | |
| 2010 | Fool for Love | 풀 포 러브 | Martin | Donggu Arts & Sports Center | October 23–24 | |
| 2011 | Full Bloom | 됴화만발 | Kei | Namsan Arts Center | September 6–25 | |
| 2011 | The Seagull | 갈매기 | Treplev | Sogang University Mary Hall | November 25 to December 11 | |
| 2014 | Macbeth | 맥베스 | Macbeth | Myeongdong Theater | March 8–23 | |
| 2014 | One Day | 원데이 | | CJ azit | June 23–24 | |
| 2014 | Frankenstein | 프랑켄슈타인 | The Creature | CJ Towol Theater | October 10 to November 9 | |
| 2014 | Frankenstein | 프랑켄슈타인 | The Creature | Ansan Culture and Arts Center | November 15–16 | |
| 2014–2015 | The Man from Earth | 맨 프럼 어스 | John Oldman | Daehangno Uniplex | November 7 to February 22 | |
| 2015 | Judo Boy | 유도소년 | Park Kyung-chan | Daehangno Art One Theater | February 7 to May 3 | |
| 2015 | Judo Boy | 유도소년 | Park Kyung-chan | Ansan Culture and Arts Center | May 21–24 | |
| 2015 | Judo Boy | 유도소년 | Park Kyung-chan | Seongnam Arts Center | May 29–31 | |
| 2015 | Judo Boy | 유도소년 | Park Kyung-chan | Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center | August 21–23 | |
| 2015 | Judo Boy | 유도소년 | Park Kyung-chan | Osan Culture and Arts Center | October 2–3 | |
| 2015 | Judo Boy | 유도소년 | Park Kyung-chan | Bongsan Cultural Center | October 9–10 | |
| 2015 | Judo Boy | 유도소년 | Park Kyung-chan | Uijeongbu Arts Center | October 23–24 | |
| 2015 | Judo Boy | 유도소년 | Park Kyung-chan | Gunpo Culture and Arts Center | November 20–21 | |
| 2017 | Male Impulse | 남자충동 | | Daehangno TOM Theater | February 6 to March 26 | |
| 2018 | NASSIM | 낫심 | | Doosan Art Center | April 10–29 | |
| 2020 | Sagunja – Seasons of Change | 사군자_생의 계절 | | Jeongdong Theater | October 22 to November 8 | |
| 2023 | Faust | 파우스트 | Mephistopheles | LG Arts Center SEOUL | March 31 to April 29 | |
| 2024–2025 | The Cherry Orchard | 벚꽃동산 | Lopakhin | LG Arts Center SEOUL | June 4 to July 7, 2024 | |
| 2024–2025 | The Cherry Orchard | 벚꽃동산 | Lopakhin | Busan Cultural Center | March 13–15, 2025 | |

## Narration

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2022 | Architecture Audio Tour | LG Arts Center SEOUL |
| 2023 | The Whale and I | SBS documentary; with Han Ji-min |
| 2023 | Future Ending | TVING documentary |

### Audio books

| Year | Title | Album | Ref. |
| 2021 | "To Build a Fire" | 100 Actors Reading World Literature | |

## 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 | 2018 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Prison Playbook | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2022 | Excellence Award, Actor in an OTT Drama | Squid Game | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2023 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Narco-Saints | Won |
| Asia Contents Awards | 2022 | Best Supporting Actor | Squid Game | Won |
| Asia Star Awards | 2022 | Asia Wide Award | Park Hae-soo | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2018 | Best New Actor – Television | Prison Playbook | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2020 | Best New Actor – Film | Time to Hunt | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2019 | Best New Actor | By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture | Won |
| Blue Dragon Series Awards | 2022 | Best Supporting Actor | Squid Game | Nominated |
| Buil Film Awards | 2020 | Best New Actor | By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture | Won |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2020 | Best New Actor | By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture | Won |
| Director's Cut Awards | 2019 | Best New Actor | By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture | Nominated |
| Director's Cut Awards | 2023 | Best Actor in Television | Narco-Saints | Nominated |
| Dong-A Theater Awards | 2012 | Yoo In-chon Best New Actor | The Chorus – Oedipus & Full Bloom | Won |
| Grand Bell Awards | 2020 | Best New Actor | By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture | Nominated |
| Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | 2022 | Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Series, Drama | Squid Game | Nominated |
| Korea Theater Awards | 2011 | Best New Actor | The Chorus – Oedipus & Full Bloom | Won |
| Newsis Hallyu Expo | 2022 | Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award | Park Hae-soo | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Squid Game | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Squid Game | Nominated |
| The Seoul Awards | 2018 | Best New Actor (Drama) | Prison Playbook | Won |