Moon Chae-won is a well-known South Korean actress who made her acting debut in 2007’s ‘Mackerel Run’ television drama. Her breakthrough performance was in the 2008 drama ‘Painter of the Wind.’ Due to its homoerotic connotation, the film deviated from its theme. The film was well received by the industry, and its two leads even won the ‘Best Couple’ award at the 2008 SBS Drama Awards—a first in Korean drama history. She continued to build her profile with strong performances in dramas such as ‘Brilliant Legacy,’ ‘The Princess’ Man,’ War of the Arrows,’ The Innocent Man,’ and ‘Good Doctor.’ Her performances in nearly all of these films earned her numerous awards and accolades. Moon will star in ‘Auspicious Grave,’ the third installment of Han Jae-‘Divining rim’s Art Trilogy,’ which will be released in 2018.
Childhood & Adolescence
Moon was born on November 13th, 1986, in South Korea’s Daegu province, but her family relocated to Seoul when she was in sixth grade. There is little information available about her parents or her high school years. She studied Western Painting at ‘Chugye University for the Arts’ but dropped out in 2006 to pursue her passion for acting.
Career of Moon
Moon landed a role in Dramax’s ‘Reconstruction of Love’ in 2007 after dropping out of college to pursue a career as an actress. She made her acting debut in ‘Mackerel Run’ alongside Lee Min-ho, a relative newcomer. She and Lee were chosen for the roles after auditioning alongside more than fifty other candidates. Lee and Moon later collaborated on the comedy film ‘Our School’s E.T’. Moon made a significant breakthrough in 2008, co-starring with Moon Geun-young in ‘Painter of the Wind.’ It was a period piece with homoerotic overtones. Moon portrayed a lovely gisaeng who falls in love with another painter who enjoyed dressing up as a man.
Despite the film’s high risk of controversy, it was surprisingly well-received by both the Korean public and critics. The film also earned her her first acting award, the Moon. In 2009, she delivered a spine-tingling performance in Korea’s highest-rated drama, ‘Brilliant Legacy.’ She portrayed a girl who exercised authority over her estranged step-sister. Her performance in ‘Brilliant Legacy’ cemented her status as a leading actress in the Korean drama industry. She also made a cameo appearance in ‘KBS2’s ‘My Fair Lady’.
Moon made her lead acting debut in 2010 with SBS’s ‘It’s Okay, Daddy’s Girl,’ in which she portrayed a girl who becomes mature and responsible following a family tragedy. She also made a cameo appearance in the twenty-first episode of ‘MBC’s ‘Road No.1’. In 2011, she starred in ‘War of the Arrows,’ a blockbuster action film about the Second Manchu Invasion of Korea. It became the year’s highest-grossing film. Moon portrayed a feminine woman who is kidnapped by a foreign army on the day of her wedding. Rather than abandoning her life, she survives by relying on her willpower and determination to live.
Moon handled her first solo female role with ease and grace, despite suffering minor injuries when she fell off a horse while shooting. She later starred in KBS2’s drama ‘The Princess’ Man,’ in which she portrayed Grand Prince Suyang’s daughter, who falls in love with the son of her father’s adversary. The forbidden love story was a commercial and critical success. In the same year, she appeared in a variety show called ‘Happy Together: Season 3’ (episode 206). She had previously appeared on the same show in 2009. (episodes 110-111).
In 2012, Moon received widespread acclaim for her performance in KBS2’s melodrama ‘The Innocent Man,’ in which she played a suspicious woman tasked with taking over her father’s corporation. In 2013, she starred in the medical drama ‘Good Doctor’ as a pediatric surgeon. The series was a modest success. In 2014, she starred in the short film ‘Awaiting,’ in which she played a woman who had been separated from her husband for sixty years due to North and South Korea’s division. ’38th Hong Kong International Film Festival’ screened the film. Moon returned to the big screen in 2015 with the romantic comedy ‘Love Forecast.’
Moon portrayed a female weather forecaster. With 1.89 million viewers, the film was a smash hit. She also made a guest appearance in episodes 228–29 of ‘Running Man’ on ‘SBS’ in 2015. She starred in ‘Mood of the Day’ in 2016. She returned to television with ‘MBC’s ‘Goodbye Mr. Black,’ in which she starred. She made a guest appearance on ‘JTBC’s ‘Please Look After My Refrigerator’ (episodes 60-61). In 2017, she starred as the female lead in ‘Criminal Minds’, a Korean adaptation on ‘tvN’. She has been cast in the third installment of the ‘Divining Art Trilogy,’ titled ‘Auspicious Grave,’ which is scheduled for release in 2018.
Awards and Accomplishments
In 2008, she won the 16th ‘Korean Culture and Entertainment Award’ for ‘Painter of the Wind’. She also won the ‘New Star’ and ‘Best Couple Award’ (along with Moon Geun-young) at the ‘SBS Drama Awards’ for ‘Painter of the Wind. In 2009, she was nominated for ‘KBS Drama Awards’ for her role in ‘My Fair Lady’ and for ‘Painter of the Wind’ at the ’45th Baeksang Arts Awards’.She won ‘Best New Actress Award (s)’ at the ’48th Grand Bell Awards’ and ’32nd Blue Dragon Film Awards’ for her role in ‘War of the Arrows.
She won the ‘Best Dressed of the Year’ award at the ‘9th Korea Lifestyle Awards’. She won the ‘Excellence Award Actress (Film) and (TV)’ at the ’19th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards’ for ‘War of the Arrows’. At the SBS Drama Awards, she won the ‘Popularity Award,’ the ‘Top Excellence Award, and Actress for ‘War of the Arrows.
She received the ‘Best Couple Award’ alongside Song Joong-ki for ‘The Innocent Man’, as well as the ‘Netizens Award’ at the ‘SBS Drama Awards’.
At the ‘KBS Drama Awards,’ she won the ‘Best Couple Award’ alongside Joo Won for ‘Good Doctor’ and the ‘Popularity Award (Actress)’. Additionally, she received the ‘Excellence Award (Actress in a Mid-length Drama)’ at the ‘KBS Drama Awards’ for her performance in ‘Good Doctor’. She won the ‘Producer’s Choice Award’ at the ’19th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival’ for her role in ‘Love Forecast. She was nominated for the ‘MBC Drama Awards’ in the category of ‘Top Excellent Actress in Mini-series’ for her role in ‘Goodbye Mr Black’.
Private Life of Moon
Moon was rumored to be dating her co-star in ‘The Innocent Man,’ Song Joong Ki, but the two later denied any relationship. She is currently single.
Estimated Net Worth
Moon’s estimated net worth, monthly and annual salaries, the primary source of income, cars, and lifestyle have all been updated. Moon, who earned between $3 million and $5 million, has a net worth of between $3 million and $5 million. Moon earned the majority of her money from her Yeezy sneakers. While she exaggerated the size of her business over the years, the money she earned from her profession was substantial–enough to rank as one of the largest celebrity cashouts of all time. Her primary source of income is from her success as an actor. Her net worth is estimated to be between $5 and $10 million. Along with her sizable social media following, actor