Childhood & Early Life
He was born on July 7, 1991, in Seoul, South Korea. Not much is known about early education and family of this young talent who forayed into acting as a child artist.
Later while co-hosting the variety show ‘Hello Counselor’ he recalled his personal struggles as a child actor in one of its episodes while sympathising with a 12 year old guest on the show who was pushed by her father for acting lessons. Choi said “I didn’t want to act, but my mom would give me rewards and make me act. But by the time I became a middle school student, I didn’t like it”.
In that episode he also shared that “If someone would strike up a conversation with me by asking ‘Aren’t you Magic Kid [role he played on a television show]?’ I would start to fight them.” He would get stressed by such incidents which started affecting his social and personal life and moving on his parents respected his wishes and let him quit acting as a child artist.
He attended the ‘Chung-Ang University’ from where he studied Theater.
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Career
He made his debut in acting as child artist at around ten years of age with the South Korean TV series ‘Piano’. The melodrama where he featured as young Lee Kyung-ho aired on SBS for 16 episodes from November 21, 2001 to January 10, 2002 and garnered high ratings during its run.
In 2002 he essayed the role of Min Ho-soo in the KBS2 network South Korean television series ‘Magic Kid Masuri’.
His last acting endeavour as child artist was in the 2003 film ‘Project X’.
After a gap of around seven years, Choi returned to the world of glamour and entertainment as a handsome and charming young man.
His second innings in the field also started with television when he landed up playing Im Jung in the South Korean romance fantasy TV series ‘Padam Padam... The Sound of His and Her Heartbeats’. It aired for 20 episodes in the newly launched cable channel jTBC from December 5, 2011 to February 7, 2012.
He then played the role of Min Yoon-ki in the January 18, 2012 released South Korean sports drama film ‘Pacemaker’ that grossed US$2.96 million at box office. That year he also featured in two SBS TV series, as Yi Bang-won in ‘The Great Seer’ and as Oh In-sung (cameo) in ‘The King of Dramas’.
He appeared in the March 27, 2013, released music video of the song ‘Bye Bye Happy Days!’ by the South Korean pop girl group ‘Kara’.
He landed up with his first starring role of Gong Hyun-seok in the South Korean daily drama ‘Ugly Alert’ that aired on SBS for 133 episodes starting from May 20, 2013 to November 29, 2013.
This was followed by another starring role of Lee Yeok-ho in the South Korean coming-of-age romantic comedy teen miniseries ‘Adolescence Medley’. Adapted from a webtoon penned down by Kwak In-geun bearing same title, the miniseries aired on KBS2 for four episodes starting from July 10, 2013 to July 31, 2013.
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His role as Cha Ki-joon, a second-generation chaebol who secretly aspires to become a chef, in the South Korean daily TV romance family drama ‘Mother’s Garden’ is considered one of his most notable performances till present. His remarkable performance in the series that aired on MBC for 126 episodes starting from March 17, 2014 to September 18, 2014 earned him Best New Actor award at the MBC Drama Awards that year.
In 2014 he also featured as guest in the South Korean talk show ‘Radio Star’ that aired on MBC network.
The South Korean romance suspense fantasy TV series, ‘The Girl Who Sees Smells’ saw him playing the supporting role of Ye Sang-gil. It featured on SBS for 16 episodes starting from April 1, 2015 to May 21, 2015.
His next supporting role of Lee Hyung-soon in the South Korean melodrama family TV series ‘All About My Mom’ earned him nominations for Best New Actor and Best Couple Award (with Jo Bo-ah) at the 2015 KBS Drama Awards. This weekend series aired on KBS2 for 54 episodes from August 15, 2015 to February 14, 2016.
In 2015 he also featured in the SBS variety show ‘Running Man’.
He then played the role of Se-joon in the March 30, 2016, released film ‘Eclipse’.
He appeared as Sung Ji-heon, one of the main casts of the South Korean historical romantic and action TV series ‘The Flower in Prison’. The series that aired on MBS in commemoration of the network's 55th-founding anniversary ran for 51 episodes on weekends starting from April 30, 2016 to November 6, 2016.
In 2016 he also appeared in several TV variety programs namely ‘Happy Together’, ‘Celebrity Bromance’, ‘Tasty Road’, ‘We Got Married’ and ‘Hello Counselor’. Of these the latter, a variety talk show, where he appeared as guest on episodes 286 and 287 saw him become permanent host from August 29, 2016 to September 4, 2017. The show led him to bag the Rookie Award in Talk Show at the KBS Entertainment Awards in 2016.
He featured as KDI-109 in the 2017 web series ‘109 Strange Things’ that was shown in the South Korean web portal ‘Naver’.
The South Korean TV series ‘Missing Nine’ that aired on MBC from January 18, 2017 to March 9, 2017 featured him in the supporting role of Choi Tae-ho.
His last TV series so far is the South Korean legal-crime romantic-comedy drama ‘Suspicious Partner’ where he featured in one of the main casts of Ji Eun-hyuk. It aired on SBS for 40 episodes starting from May 10, 2017 to July 13, 2017.
He also signed with South Korean talent management agency and TV production company, ‘Huayi Brothers’ in July 2017.
Facts About Choi Tae-joon
Choi Tae-joon is known for his love of animals, especially his pet dog named Ggoma.
He has a hidden talent for playing the guitar and often enjoys strumming a few chords in his free time.
Choi Tae-joon is a self-proclaimed foodie and loves trying out new and unique dishes, with spicy food being his favorite.
He is an avid traveler and enjoys exploring new destinations, immersing himself in different cultures and experiences.
In addition to acting, Choi Tae-joon has a passion for photography and often captures beautiful moments through his lens.