Jung Woo-sung Biography
- Real name: Jung Woo-sung
- Birthday: April 22, 1973
- Nationality: Korean
- Agency: Artist’s Company
- Instagram: @tojws
Jung Woo-sung’s curiosities
Jung Woo-sung was born in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea to a family consisting of himself, his parents, as well as an older brother and older sister.
The actor is said to have spent his childhood in extreme poverty, which led him to work part-time rather than focus on his studies. Since Jung Woo-sung was often mistaken for an adult due to his height, he often took advantage of this and lied about his age to get work. He even dropped out of high school after his freshman year to support his family.
Because he was told he was too tall to become an actor, he first worked as a model.
Jung Woo-sung’s career
As an actor
Jung Woo-sung was selected as an actor through street casting and debuted with a leading role in the 1994 film “The Nine-Tailed Fox.” In 1995, he appeared in the K-drama “Asphalt Man,” which earned him critical acclaim and secured him the Best New Actor award at the 32nd Baeksang and SBS Drama Awards. He later achieved his breakthrough through the 1997 film “Beat”.
Later, Jung Woo-sung achieved A-list status, landing consistent endorsement deals and successful projects such as “A Moment to Remember”, “The Good, the Bad, the Weird”, “Steel Rain”, “Innocent Witness”, “A Reasonable Man” and many others.
In fact, the actor has achieved the most prestigious acting awards, as he won the Daesang Grand Prize for Films at the Baeksang Arts Awards with the 2019 film “Innocent Witness”. He has also secured Best Actor awards multiple times at highly regarded ceremonies and festivals such as the Blue Dragon Film Awards, Buil Film Awards, Korea Film Producers Association Awards and more.
As a director
In addition to his acting projects, Jung Woo-sung has also ventured into directing, having tried his hand at this field since 2000. His early works include MVs for the legendary first-generation K-pop group God
He has also directed several commercials, including one for the Samsung Galaxy S4.
The actor was also behind projects such as a short film for the omnibus film “Three Charm Lives” and the film “A Man of Reason,” the latter of which was invited to the Special Presentations section at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.
As CEO
In October 2012, Jung Woo-sung left his agency from 2009 and founded a new talent agency called “Red Brick House”, where he appointed his manager of 10 years as CEO. In 2016, however, he co-founded Artist Company together with actor Lee Jung-jae and became CEO himself.
Artist Company currently represents many artists, including Ha Jung-woo, Go Ara, Nam Ji-hyun and Yeom Jung-ah.
Personal life
Jung Woo-sung had a short-lived relationship with actress Lee Ji-ah, but the two broke up after Lee Ji-ah’s previous marriage to famous singer Seo Taiji was discovered.
In November 2024, it was reported that Jung Woo-sung has a child with model Moon Ga-bi. However, the actor reportedly refused to marry the 16-year-younger model, despite saying he will still take on his responsibilities as a father.
