Cha Tae-hyun

He dated pop singer and songwriter Choi Suk-eun from high school days and finally married her in 2006. They are happily married and have one son and two daughters.

He has donated approximately $ 89,000 to help children with cancer and has made regular visits to the hospital to see patients.

Cha Tae-hyun was born on March 25, 1976 in Seoul, South Korea to Cha Jae-wan and Choi Su-min. His father was an assistant director at the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) and his mother was a voice over artist in the entertainment industry. He as a brother named Cha Ji-hyun who also joined show business as a film producer.

Cha Tae-hyun too wanted to follow his parent’s footsteps and join the show business. After completing high school he studied broadcasting from Seoul Institute of Arts, Multimedia Arts from Kyonggi University and Mass Communication from Chung-Ang University.

At the age of 19 he participated in the KBS Talent Contest and was declared the runner-up. While he was studying, he took up minor roles in television serials as well as commercials. He also made a film debut in the comedy ‘Halleijah’ and worked as a radio jockey for FM radio.

His first major role was in the romantic comedy film ‘My Sassy Girl’ alongside Jun Ji-hyun in 2001. The release of the movie was timed with the release of his debut album titled ‘Accident’ that made him an overnight sensation in Korea and the rest of Asia. The following year his performance in the tragic drama ‘Lovers Concert’ was equally successful.

After his initial success, his acting career took a downward turn due to adverse reviews of three of the comedies in which he appeared during 2002-2003. His bad luck continued with his films failing at the box office. However, this did not dampen his spirits and he came up with his second album titled ‘The Book’ that was well received.

He went on to host the ‘KBC Cool FM’s Mr Radio’ and proved his worth by being awarded the Best Radio DJ at the KBS Entertainment Awards ceremony in 2007. He came back into the limelight with his sterling performance in the comedy film ‘Scandal Makers’ that became the number one hit of 2008. Cha Tae-hyun was named the top male celebrity of the year by the South Korean advertising industry.

He joined the cast of the popular variety show, ‘2 Days & 1 Night’ that promotes South Korean tourism to this day. He also acted in the historical film titled ‘The Grand Heist’ about the Joseon era that was produced by his brother Cha Ji-hyun.

In 2016, he came out with a sequel to his super hit movie, which was titled ‘My New Sassy Girl’. He also appeared with his ‘My Sassy Girl’ co-star Jun Ji-hyun in a cameo in the drama ‘The Legend of the Blue Sea’. However, the sequel could not produce the same impact at the box office.

After his super hit movie ‘My Sassy Girl’ in 2001, he has appeared in ‘Lover’s Concerto’ (2001), ‘Happy Ero Christmas’ (2003), ‘Two Guys’ (2004), ‘Highway Star’ (2007), ‘BABO’ (2008), ‘Hello Ghost’ (2010), ‘Sunny’ (2011), ‘The Grand Heist’ (2012), and ‘Because I Love You’ (2017).

He has appeared in the television serials ‘Papa’ (1996), ‘First Love’ (1997), ‘Happy Together’ (1999), ‘First Love of a Royal Prince’ (2004), ‘Lights and Shadows’ (2011), ‘The Producers’ (2015), ‘Love in Moonlight’ (2016) and ‘Hit the Top’ (2017).

He has been MC for the ‘Mnet KM Music Festival’ (2001, 2002 and 2003) and the ‘Campus Song Festival’ (2002, 2003 and 2007). He has also been MC for the shows titled ‘Family Camp’ and ‘Happy Saturday’ on MBC and SBS respectively.

He has been a guest on various variety shows including ‘Family Outings’, ‘Running Man’, ‘Healing Camp, Aren’t You Happy’, ‘The Return of Superman’, ‘Radio Star’, ‘Talents for Sale’, ‘Please Take Care of My Refrigerator’, ‘Carefree Travellers’ and ‘Pot Stand’.

He has been a cast member of the reality show ‘2 Days & 1 Night’ and ‘Year of the Dragon Club’.