Park Ho-san

Park Ho-san (Korean: 박호산; born Park Jung-hwan on October 18, 1972) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his performance in the stage play Suck (2008), In the Heights (2015), Chuncheon There (2009, 2015), Waiting for Heroes (2013), Frozen (2015), and The Book of a Thief (2015). Park has also known for his appearances as a supporting actor in the television series Prison Playbook (2017–2018), My Mister (2018), Lawless Lawyer (2018), and The Penthouse: War in Life (2020–2021).
Park was born on October 18, 1972, to a father who owned a business called Jimulpo, which provided flooring services. Park's passion for acting was ignited when he saw a play called Hamlet 4, directed by Ki Guk-seo, during his middle school years. A ticket to the play was given to him as a gift by a satisfied customer of his father's flooring business, Jimulpo. Despite attending the play alone due to his friends' lack of interest in the title, Park Jeong-hwan was captivated by the actors' performances under the vibrant stage lights. The experience was distinct from watching performances on television and left a lasting impression on him, solidifying his desire to pursue a career in acting.
Park's interest in acting was sparked when he saw the play "Hamlet." While attending Baejae High School in Seoul, he decided to pursue a major in acting and formed a theater club with friends. With his two friends, Park visited the theater and office of Seoul Yejeon (now Seoul University of the Arts) with two friends to find a drama class instructor.
Park enrolled at the Department of Theater and Film Park at Chung-Ang University.
In 1993, he became member of the Yeonwoo Theater Company, and made his debut in the play Winter Wanderer in 1996. In 1997, Park started cinema acting with a small role in film Black Jack. In 1998, he continued to act in minor roles in four films, Story of Man, Saturday, 2:00 pm!, Soul Guardians, and A Mystery of the Cube. In 2001, Park appeared in feature film Wanee & Junah.
Although he had a fondness for singing and an interest in musicals, he believed that plays and musicals were distinct. He particularly enjoyed watching plays in a place called Daehakro. However, in 2005, everything changed when he saw the play Agamemnon. This contemporary adaptation of a classic featured the main character singing like a rock singer instead of delivering a traditional speech, under the direction of Michael Marmarinos. The powerful singing in Agamemnon left a profound impact on Park. This experience opened doors for him to participate in musicals such as Assassin and Mr. Mouse. Through firsthand exposure to musicals, Park's perspective shifted, realizing that they held the same level of artistic value as plays.
When he reached the age of forty (korean age), Park believed his life had taken a wrong turn. While worrying about his future, his grandfather appeared in a dream and called him 'Ho-sani'. He became curious as to why he was being called Ho-san. A few months later, when he was considering changing his name, he remembered the name his grandfather called him in the dream came to mind. As a result, he changed his name to "Hoe Mosa" based on the name his grandfather called him.
Park and Lee Dong-soo were double cast as the 'Actor' in the horror thriller two-hander play Woman in Black, opposite Hong Seong-deok who played the role of 'Arthur Kipps'. The original work was adapted by Stephen Malatret from Susan Hill's best-selling novel and entered England's West End in 1989. It received a steady stream of audiences and had been performed non-stop for 22 years until the present date. The play was reopened on July 9th at Chungmu Art Hall's Middle Theater Black.
In 2011, Park starred as Erik Satie, a renowned French composer and pianist, in the musical Erik Satie from August 26th to 27th at the Ansan Arts Center's Dalmaji Theater. The musical combined Erik Satie's music and the contents of his dramatic life. It was an original work planned by the Ansan Arts Center and contained the will to expand the scope of new forms of production. Lee Joo-kwang played the film director Tommy and Han Seong-sik played multiple roles.
In the 13th performance of the musical Audition, Park and Heo Gyu rejoined the cast as Choi Jun-cheol and Park Byeong-tae, respectively. Furthermore, actors Song Yong-jin and Jang Deok-soo joined the cast as Park Byeong-tae, and Oh Eui-sik joined the cast as Choi Jun-cheol. The musical was performed at Daehakro Cultural Space Feeling 1 from June 7th to December 31st, 2011.
In 2013, Park reprised his role as Erik Satie and acted alongside Bae Hae-sun. Directed by Park Hye-sun, the production ran from November 22 to December 1, 2013, at the Grand Theater of Daehakro Arts Theater in Dongsung-dong, Seoul.
In 2014, Park starred in feature film The King of Jokgu, followed by The Great Army (2017), The Deokmo: The Age of Rebellion (2017), and The Selfish Man (2017), and acted in plays and musicals.
Park started with tvN's drama Liar Game (2014). In 2015, he played painter Lee Jung-seop in musical Myeongdong Romance. Also acted in several plays, included In the Heights (2015), Chuncheon There (2015), Frozen (2015), and The Book of a Thief (2015).
Park also appeared in 2016 SBS drama Wanted (2016) and followed by Innocent Defendant (2017). In 2017, Park impressed audiences with his supporting role in the drama series Prison Playbook, as Kang Chul-doo (aka "KAIST" of Mullae-dong. He has a severe lisp, which other inmates (especially Han-yang) make fun of. He is an engineer who was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months' imprisonment because of a gambling scam. Directed by Shin Won-ho, Prison Playbook became a successful hit. Since then, Park gained momentum as an actor.
In 2018, Park was cast in drama My Mister as replacement of Oh Dal-su. He appeared as Park Sang-hoon, who was the male protagonist's eldest brother. He is a middle-aged man who was fired from his job and then ran two failing businesses, which ended up in him being chased out of his own home. Though he has to live under his mother's roof, he's a romanticist at heart who always thinks about ways to find happiness. His performance received favorable reviews from the audience.
Park is a member of Man Theater, a theater company.
Park is married to theater actress Kim Dong-hwa, who is eight years younger than him. They have three sons, including rapper Park Joon-ho.