Name: 최진실 / Choi Jin-shil (Choe/Chae Jin-sil)
Chinese name : 崔眞實
Nickname: Miser
Profession: Actress
Birthdate: 1968-Dec-24
Birthplace: Seoul, South Korea
Height: 163 cm
Weight: 46 kg
Star sign: Capricorn
Blood type: O
Family: Divorced from baseball player Jo Sung Min & 2 children
Hobby: Swimming, Drawing
Education: Sun-Il Girls’ High School
Family: Brother/singer/actor Choi Jin Young and two children
About Choi Jin Shil
Choi Jin Shil was a popular South Korean actress. She committed suicide at the age of 39. Since her debut in 1988 till her death in 2008 she appeared in various soap operas, movies and commercials, becoming a household name. Her popularity was widely considered due to her friendly and approachable demeanour rather than the statuesque looks of her contemporaries.
Her fame started with a TV commercial, appearing as a newly wedded bride. Her cute and smart image in the commercial was an instant success. Her appearances in movies and TV soaps that followed, whether comical or sad, in most part were characters the audience could easily relate to. They were all successful, notably My Love My Bride (Na-ui sa-rang na-ui shin-bu, 1990), Jealousy (Jil-too, 1992), Promise (Yak-sok, 1992). With her growing popularity her poverty stricken teenage years also became known to the public. This added to her popularity as a success story of hard work coming to fruition. Her personal image along with the roles she played won her the title ‘People’s star’.
Her popularity stumbled twice during her career. In 1994, her manager Bae Byung Soo was stabbed to death by her driver. The second was her divorce to the baseball player Cho Sung Min in September 2004. Both times she made her way into the hearts of her fans by giving fervent performances in her roles. You and I (Gu-dae grigo na) in 1997 and My Rosy Life (Jang-mit-bit In-seng) in 2005. In her last TV drama Last Scandal (Nae seng-eh ma-ji-mak scan-dl, 2008) she played the character of a divorcee who wins the hearts of 2 handsome successful brothers and eventually marries one of them. The show was a huge success and a new word ‘Joomarella’, a combination of the words ajooma (middle aged woman) and Cinderella came to popular use to describe a divorcee who regains love and a happy life.
In late September 2008, one of her best friend’s husband Ahn Jae Hwan, also an actor, committed suicide due to failing business and high volume of debt. Soon after, Choi was rumoured to have lent a large sum of money to Ahn which spread rapidly through online reports and blogs. This was a shock to Choi and is favoured as the key factor leading up to her suicide, although there have been other reports of Choi’s suffering from depression since her divorce with Cho, her confidence as a single mom and the pressure of always being at the top of the stardom. The police reported the rumour to be false.
On the day of Choi’s death, all 3 major TV stations spent a third of their news hour on covering the story. 4 days after her death, a representative at the National Assembly suggested a new law to prevent ‘cyber-insulting’ which for a short period had the nick name of ‘Choi Jin Shil Law’.
TV Series
The Last Scandal of My Life (MBC, 2008)
Bad Woman, Good Woman (MBC, 2007)
My Rosy Life (KBS2, 2005)
War of the Roses (MBC, 2004)
Since We Met (MBC, 2002)
Roses and Beansprouts (MBC, 1999)
Memories (MBC, 1998)
Wish Upon A Star (MBC, 1997)
You and I (MBC, 1997)
Movies
The Legend of Ginko (2000)
Mayonnaise (1999)
The Letter (1997)
Baby Sale (1997)
Holiday in Seoul (1997)
Ghost Mama (1966)
Who Drives Me Mad (1995)
Mom Gets a Lover (1995)
How To Top My Wife (1994)
I Wish For What Is Forbidden (1994)
Woman for Love, Woman for Marriage (1993)
Mr. Mamma (1992)
A Room in the Woods (1992)
Susan Brink’s Arirang (1991)
Well, It’s a Secret 2 (1991)
My Love, My Bride (1990)
KokchiTtan (1990)
Partisans of South Korea (1990)
Awards
29th Blue Dragon Film Awards: Honor Popularity (2008)
Grand Bell Awards: Most Popular (1995)
Death
Choi was found dead after an apparent suicide at her home early morning on October 2, 2008.
Other Related Suicide
Friend: Ahn Jae Hwan on 2008-Sep-08
Younger Brother: Choi Jin Young on 2010-Mar-29
Husband: Jo Sung Min on 2013-January-06
34 Responses to “Choi Jin Shil”
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January 5th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
hi miss choi jin-shil!!
you are a very talented actress i really love your role in a rossy life you make me cry! i love you muah!
January 24th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
she’s such a remarkable actress!
i really love watching her films!
February 4th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Estupenda actriz!!!
January 21st, 2008 at 9:19 pm
“my rossy life”… it’s… really… really… good film…
..mengajarkan byk hal film itu..
akting yg bagus.. alami..
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:13 pm
my mom watch dis 1…
May 26th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
You’re my idol. You’re very beutiful and very skill.
My mother really love watching your films
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:03 am
Oh it’s so shocking that she died of suicide.
http://www.buhaykorea.com/2008/10/02/choi-jin-sil-suicide/
October 2nd, 2008 at 5:22 pm
RIP
October 3rd, 2008 at 9:24 am
Sad………..
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I still can’t believe that you’ve gone. Why..?? there was something that has been hurtting you for long time, but i’ve fought bravely for years. Why you gave up and left behind your children. I love you so much. That was huge shock when the news said you die.
October 3rd, 2008 at 8:45 pm
My deepest condolences to the family and children of Ms Choi. May God be with you to comfort and give you strength to overcome this grief. Take good care of yourself.
October 4th, 2008 at 9:46 am
condolonces …
October 4th, 2008 at 10:54 am
sad………. i still can’t believe that you’ ve gone . why….why??? i love you so much choi jin shil .
October 4th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
My deepest condolences to the family and friends…
May God heal the pain and sadness in your heart…
R.I.P
October 4th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
May you be at peace and in a better place now. Hope
your children and family gain strength and move on with their life
soon. God bless.
October 5th, 2008 at 12:01 am
I didn’t know you but I know of your depressing pain. I promise to watch all your movies again with a glad heart and good remeberance of you! Its the family memebers who really suffer from a suicide and my warm wishes of recover go out to them. from USA.
October 7th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
May you rest in peace.
How i wish it did not happen.
October 8th, 2008 at 12:52 am
sad.May you rest in peace.
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:37 pm
I hope you find the right place and peace.
Remember to always look ourself, don’t always judge by they’re act before we know what they did!
November 3rd, 2008 at 8:08 pm
may u rest in peace
December 1st, 2008 at 6:53 pm
i hate her husband, good luck for Choi jin Yuong and her Mom
December 1st, 2008 at 6:55 pm
She always lives in our heart!
April 12th, 2009 at 10:22 am
As I watched the Last Scandal aka My Life’s Last Romance, I couldn’t stop thinking about her taking her life. I can’t believe that internet comments made her do it since she seemed a strong and talented person. Before pride, one must think first of leaving young children orphaned. My my best to her children and family. RIP.
August 17th, 2009 at 9:00 am
Watched ‘Last Scandal’ for the 1st time last week. It is among the ULTIMATE BEST and FUNNIEST drama’s I’ve seen this year, eventhough it’s debut was 2008. Since I only became a true fan of kdrama’s this Spring, I didn’t know of Ms. Choi’s fate until today. It’s truly sad. Her acting is one that I viewed with enjoyment and ease. Never, ever was their a moment of disappointment while watching her performance. I pray for strength for her remaining loved ones that I know miss her deeply.
-RIP, Ms. Choi.
October 19th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
i am very sad when i heard that she was dead,,,…
rest in peace to her
i will be missed you!
October 25th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
i like your acting…
Rest in peace…. amen
November 7th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
itz a gr8 shock 2 learn dat choi jin sil passed away…she waz nevertheless a very wel established n versatile actress in particular..i njoyed watchin her in Last Scandal…we wil alwayz miss u thruout…may god bless her departed soul n let her live in peace..luv u..!
November 7th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
itz a gr8 shock 2 learn dat choi jin shil passed away…she waz nevertheless a very wel established n versatile actress in particular..i njoyed watchin her in Last Scandal…we wil alwayz miss u thruout…may god bless her departed soul n let her live in peace..luv u..!
January 10th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
r.i.p..MAY YOUR SOUL FIND HAPPINESS..we will always miss you.
March 31st, 2010 at 7:08 am
today i read the news that your brother commited suicide,too
very tragic, i´m really sad two suicides in one family is really a tragedy
may you both rest in peace
November 15th, 2012 at 2:00 am
such a waste… a great actress gone… I love her in a “Rosy life” and I enjoyed “The Last Scandal”…. Rest in peace… you will always be remembered.
January 8th, 2013 at 7:01 pm
what a waste of life!!
January 9th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
her ex husband also committed suicide. I’m very curious with what they are thinking.
October 6th, 2013 at 7:27 pm
[…] Name: 최진영 / Choi Jin Young (Choe Jin Yeong) Profession: Actor and singer Birthdate: 1971-Feb-27 Death: 2010-Mar-29 Birthplace: Seoul, South Korea Height: 174cm Weight: 60kg Star sign: Pisces Blood type: B Family: Sister/actor Choi Jin Shil […]