Ji Chang-wook (born July 5, 1987) is a South Korean actor. He rose to fame playing the leading role of Dong-hae in daily drama series Smile Again (2010-2011), and has since had roles in Warrior Baek Dong-soo (2011) and Empress Ki (2013-2014). Ji has headlined the television series Healer (2014-2015), The K2 (2016) and Suspicious Partner (2017), as well as crime-action film Fabricated City (2017).
Ji began his career in musical theatre. He made his onscreen debut in the 2006 film Days… and had a minor role in the 2008 television drama You Stole My Heart. He only officially debuted in the 2008 film Sleeping Beauty.
In 2009, he appeared in My Too Perfect Sons, playing the timid, sissy youngest brother who ends up raising his best friend’s daughter while just turning 20 years old. The weekend family drama received 40% ratings. He then had a supporting role in the action-comedy Hero.
In 2010, Ji was cast in his first starring role in the 159-episode daily drama Smile Again. Playing the role of a Korean-American short track speed skater, Ji trained four to five hours daily at the ice rink. Smile Again topped the ratings chart for 15 consecutive weeks, and he was awarded “Best Actor in a Daily Drama” at the KBS Drama Awards.
He then played the titular character in 2011 action historical drama Warrior Baek Dong-soo (2011). Adapted from Lee Jae-heon’s manhwa Honorable Baek Dong-soo, it is an origin story about Joseon-era swordsman Baek Dong-soo, showing his growing years until political intrigue creates a rivalry with his childhood best friend-turned-enemy. The series was number one in its timeslot for 13 weeks, and Ji received a “New Star Award” at the SBS Drama Awards. Later that year, he played the lead role in cable drama Bachelor’s Vegetable Store, based on the true success story of Lee Young-seok, a young man who turned a tiny 350-square-feet vegetable store in 1998 into a nationwide franchise with 33 stores.
In his first villain role, Ji played a pianist who envies his older brother’s natural gift for music in 2012 melodrama Five Fingers.
Ji returned to the musical theater in 2013 with The Days, playing a presidential bodyguard who went missing 20 years ago along with a mysterious female companion. The Days was a jukebox musical using the folk rock songs of Kim Kwang-seok.
Ji’s breakthrough came when he played Toghon Temür (also known as Ta Hwan), the 16th emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, in the historical drama Empress Ki. The drama drew solid viewership ratings nationwide throughout its run with an average rating of 35.12%. Ji’s portrayal of the young king left a strong impression on both critics and the audience, earning him critical acclaim.
Ji then starred as the title character in Song Ji-na-penned action thriller Healer from December 2014 to February 2015. He took martial arts lessons for his role as a mysterious errand guy in the series.After the drama aired, Ji became popular in China and other parts of Asia. He then took on roles in Mandarin-language dramas like The Whirlwind Girl 2 and Mr. Right.
In 2016, Ji starred in tvN’s action thriller The K2, as the title role, a bodyguard who gets betrayed by his fellow countrymen and falls in love with a girl with fear of people. The drama received favorable reviews, topping cable channel viewership ratings throughout its 8-week broadcast. In November 2016, he co-starred in the promotional web drama titled First Seven Kisses for Lotte Duty Free.
In 2017, Ji starred in the action film Fabricated City, playing the role of a jobless game addict who becomes a framed murderer. He was next cast in SBS’ romantic comedy thriller Suspicious Partner, which premiered in May. Ji is also set to star as a reckless rookie constable alongside Sol Kyung-gu’s apathetic veteran officer in the period-comedy film Two Constables, the fourth installment in the Two Cops franchise directed by Kang Woo-suk.
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