Cha Tae-hyun (; born March 25, 1976) is a South Korean actor, singer, television personality, radio DJ and director. He is best known for his lead roles in the box-office hit comedies My Sassy Girl (2001), Scandal Makers (2008), Hello Ghost (2010), The Grand Heist (2012), and fantasy drama action hit Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017) as well as the television series Jeon Woo-chi (2012), The Producers (2015), and Police University (2021). He made his directorial debut with the variety-drama Hit the Top (2017), in which he also starred.
From 2012 to 2019, he was a cast member of the variety show 2 Days & 1 Night. He is a co-founder of the talent management agencies Blossom Entertainment (with Ju Bang-ok) and Basecamp Company (with Zo In-sung).
Career
1995–2000: Beginnings Cha Tae-hyun started his career as a silver medalist in a 1995 KBS Talent Contest. Over the next several years he would star in a large number of TV dramas such as Sunflower and Happy Together, while also appearing in numerous TV commercials. He was the radio DJ for KBS Cool FM's FM Popular Music with Cha Tae-hyun from 1999 to 2000, and made a minor film debut in the comedy Hallelujah.
2001–2007: My Sassy Girl and musical debut In 2001, he rose to fame through the hugely successful romantic comedy My Sassy Girl where he acted alongside Jun Ji-hyun. Cha's expressive acting established him as a recognized star in Korea as well as the Asian region at large, and he extended his fame by releasing his debut album Accident. His next film Lovers' Concerto (2002), a tragic melodrama with actresses Son Ye-jin and Lee Eun-ju, also proved to be a popular success.
From 2003, however, Cha's casting choices proved to be less inspired. He appeared in three comedies -- Crazy First Love, Happy Ero Christmas and Two Guys —that were widely criticized by audiences for their weak scripts and lack of creativity. He released his second album The Book later that year.
His 2005 films—the relationship film Sad Movie with an all-star ensemble cast, and melodrama My Girl and I opposite Song Hye-kyo, the remake of Japanese hit film Crying Out Love in the Center of the World —were box office disappointments. 2007's Highway Star, in which he played a masked trot singer, was a moderate success.
Cha hosted KBS Cool FM's Mr. Radio from 2007 to 2008, and was awarded Best Radio DJ at the 2007 KBS Entertainment Awards alongside Ahn Jae-wook."안재욱 차태현, 최우수 라디오DJ상 수상" . E Daily (in Korean). December 22, 2007. Retrieved November 18, 2012. He then portrayed the town's jester who has the intelligence of a six-year-old in BABO (which means "fool" in Korean), a film adaptation of Kang Full's popular online comic.
2008–2012: Revived popularity and 2 Days & 1 Night Cha regained his top star status when his comedy flick Scandal Makers became the number one film of 2008, attracting 8.2 million moviegoers and ranking among Korea's biggest hits of all time. The film centers on a radio talk show host, who was ex- idol, who must face unforeseen consequences of a love affair when he was a teen, when he discovers that he already has a daughter (Park Bo-young) and a grandson (Wang Seok-hyun) at the age of 30. As a result of the film's success, the advertising industry named Cha as the top male celebrity endorser of 2009.
He reunited with BABO director Kim Young-tak in 2010's Hello Ghost, a film about a man who after several suicide attempts, becomes possessed by four different ghosts. It was another box office success at 3 million tickets sold, and Cha's performance led him to be dubbed as "Korea's Jim Carrey."
Based on a true story, his 2011 film Champ depicts the relationship between a recently injured racehorse named Woo-bak and the jockey who tries to tame her. Cha spent time with the horse before and during filming, luring his four-legged partner with a combination of carrots and sugar cubes.
In 2012, he became a regular cast member of the second season of popular variety program 2 Days & 1 Night, and remained as a member until 2019. The show, which focuses on introducing various places in Korea to the viewers while the cast takes on different missions, has consistently scored high viewership ratings.
2013–2018: Continued success and directorial debut Cha played his first historical role in The Grand Heist, as the leader of a Joseon era group of thieves who band together to steal ice. The action-comedy film was produced by his brother Cha Ji-hyun. He took on another sageuk role as the titular character in TV series Jeon Woo-chi, an impish Taoist wizard who becomes an unlikely hero.
In 2014, he starred as an introverted man with dynamic visual acuity who works at a CCTV control center in the comedy film Slow Video, his third collaboration with director Kim Young-tak. This was followed by The Producers in 2015, in which Cha played a hot-headed but soft-hearted television producer.
In 2016, Cha reprised his role in My New Sassy Girl, a sequel to the 2001 hit film. However, the film did not live up to its predecessor and was a failure at the box office. The same year, he reunited with My Sassy Girl co-star Jun Ji-hyun in a cameo appearance in SBS's fantasy drama The Legend of the Blue Sea.
In 2017, Cha starred in the romantic comedy Because I Love You, playing a gifted composer who connects people in love; the film was again produced by his brother Cha Ji-hyun. He next starred in KBS2's variety-drama Hit the Top, which he also directs. The same year, Cha starred in the fantasy blockbuster Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds, based on the webtoon of the same name by Joo Ho-min.
In 2018, Cha starred in the romance drama Matrimonial Chaos, a remake of the Japanese television series of the same title.
2019–present In March 2019, Cha was reported to have engaged in gambling, which was discovered through Jung Joon-young's phone's text messages during the police's investigation of the latter for illicit sex video crimes. Cha subsequently issued a formal statement of apology and withdrew from all his shows.
In 2020, Cha was cast in the crime detective drama Team Bulldog: Off-Duty Investigation.
In 2021, Cha starred in KBS2 drama Police University, playing Yoo Dong-man, a detective-turned-professor at the National Police University.
In March 2025, Cha announced that he ended his exclusive contract with Blossom Entertainment, which he also co-founded, and established a new company with Zo In-sung called Basecamp Company.
Personal life Cha's father, Cha Jae-wan, was an assistant director for special effects at KBS, and his mother Choi Su-min, now retired, was a voice-over artist. His brother is film producer Cha Ji-hyeon.
On June 1, 2006, Cha married his high school sweetheart, pop lyricist Choi Suk-eun. They dated for 13 years; she was his first and only girlfriend. They have three children, a son (Cha Soo-chan) and two daughters (Cha Tae-eun, Cha Su-jin).
In 2011, Cha revealed on SBS talk show Healing Camp, Aren't You Happy that he has a panic disorder.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1997 Hallelujah Bad youngster in church Bit part 2001 My Sassy Girl Gyun-woo 2002 Lovers' Concerto Lee Ji-hwan 2003 Crazy First Love Son Tae-il Happy Ero Christmas Sung Byung-ki 2004 Who's Got the Tape? Jap-beom Cameo Windstruck Man at train station Cameo Two Guys Kim Hoon 2005 Sad Movie Jung Ha-suk My Girl and I Kim Su-ho 2007 Highway Star Bong Dal-ho / Bong Pil 2008 Horton Hears a Who! Horton the Elephant Voice role; Korean dub BABO Seung-ryong My Mighty Princess Pigeon man Cameo Scandal Makers Nam Hyun-soo 2009 Maybe (Rabbit and Lizard) Yeong-nam Cameo Triangle Cameo 2010 Hello Ghost Kang Sang-man 2011 Sunny Poster model of insurance company Cameo Champ Seung-ho 2012 Never Ending Story Song-kyung's friend Cameo The Grand Heist Lee Deok-mu 2013 Steal My Heart Ho-tae's neighbor Cameo 2014 Tazza: The Hidden Card Radio DJ Cameo The Con Artists New Technician Cameo Slow Video Yeo Jang-boo 2016 My New Sassy Girl Gyun-woo 2017 Because I Love You Lee Hyeong Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds Kim Ja-hong 2022 The Killer: A Girl Who Deserves to Die Gangster Cameo 2023 My Heart Puppy Jin-guk
Television series Year Title Role Notes 1995 Our Sunny Days of Youth 1996 Papa Jang Jung-moon Looking Into Each Other's Eyes and Loving Each Other Daughter-in-law's Three Kingdoms 1997 First Love Chan-woo's friend Ready Go! Park Chan-ki 1998 Shy Lovers Hwang In-soo Sunflower Dr. Heo Jae-bong 1999 Happy Together Ha Shin-yeop I'm Still Loving You Park Young-jae Into the Sunlight Kang In-ha 2000 Juliet's Man Jang Gi-poong 2004 First Love of a Royal Prince Choi Gun-hee 2007 Flowers for My Life Yoon Ho-sang 2008 General Hospital 2 Choi Jin-sang 2011 Lights and Shadows Drunkard Cameo; Episode 2 2012 My Husband Got a Family Tae-bong Cameo; Episode 26 Jeon Woo-chi Jeon Woo-chi 2014 Drama Festival – "4teen" Adult Young-hoon Cameo 2015 The Producers Ra Joon-mo 2016 Love in the Moonlight Farm servant Cameo; Episode 1The Legend of the Blue Sea Han River con-man Cameo; Episode 4 2017 Hit the Top Lee Gwang-jae Also director 2018 Matrimonial Chaos Cho Suk-moo 2020 Team Bulldog: Off-Duty Investigation Jin Gang-ho Birthcare Center Nurse Ahn's son Cameo; Episode 8 2021 Police University Yoo Dong-man 2022 Café Minamdang Priest Cameo, episode 102023 Brain Works Geum Myung-se Family: The Unbreakable Bond Bakery shop owner Cameo; Episode 1
Web series Year Title Role 2023 Moving Jeon Gye-do
Television shows Year Title Role Notes 1998 Family Camp MC Happy Saturday MC 2012–2019 2 Days & 1 Night Cast member Seasons 2–3 2015Cool Kiz on The BlockFoot volleyball member, guest swimmer, cycling candidate 2016 Gura Chacha Time Slip - New Boy 2017 Dragon Club – Childish Bromance Cast member 2018–2019 Radio Star Host 2018 Where on Earth?? Cast member 2020 Hometown Flex MC 2021–2023Unexpected Business MC with Zo In-sung (Seasons 1–3)2021 National Bang Bang Cook Cook Cast member Wild Idol Panelist Many Chat MC with Yoo Hee-yeol2022 Famous Singers Daily MC Suspicious Bookstore East West South Book Host 2023 Golf Battle: Birdie Buddies Cast Member Season 5 Express Delivery Mongolia EditionCast Member 2024 Apartment 404 Cast Member 2024–2025 Handsome Guys Cast member
Hosting Year Title Notes 2000 Mnet KM Music Festival with Kim Hyun-joo 2001 with Song Hye-kyo 2002 Campus Song Festival with Yoon Do-hyun 2003 with Lee Hyori Mnet KM Music Festival with Sung Yu-ri 2007 Campus Song Festival with Lee Hyori
Radio shows Year Title Role Notes 1999–2000 FM Popular Music with Cha Tae-hyun DJ KBS Cool FM 2007–2008 Mr. Radio
Discography
Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected details, chart positions, and sales Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales Accident: THE [BU:K]: Accident Released: February 12, 2001 Label: SidusHQ, Yejeon Media Formats: CD, cassette 3 KOR: 275,632 THE [BU:K] Released: May 2, 2003 Label: SidusHQ, Yejeon Media Formats: CD, cassette 6 KOR: 72,735
Extended plays + List of extended plays, with selected details, chart positions, and sales Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales Hong Cha Project Released: May 27, 2016 Label: Blossom Entertainment, 24th Street Formats: Digital download — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.
Singles As lead artist + List of singles, with year, and album Title Year Album "I Wait Every Day" () 2016 Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend OST "Archive People" 2019
Soundtrack appearances