Moon was born in
Tokyo, Japan. His father was Rev.
Moon Ik-hwan, who fought for democracy alongside
Kim Dae-jung under the military regime led by
Park Chung Hee in 1970s, and was a well-known pro-
unification activist. After graduation from
Sogang University with a
bachelor's degree in International Business, Moon worked as a
salaryman for eight years. In 1985, he began acting in theater, and became a key figure in the beginning of the renaissance of
Daehangno stage plays in the mid-1980s, playing the leading role in such mega-hits as
Chilsu and Mansu and
Till the End of Time. Moon made his film debut in 1990 with
Black Republic directed by
Park Kwang-su. During his acting career, Moon has won Best Actor award at the
Blue Dragon Film Awards thrice,
Baeksang Arts Awards twice,
Chunsa Film Art Awards twice, and other accolades. Moon started his political activities in 2009, becoming the
Democratic United Party's temporary chairman in 2012. Since then, he has mostly made special appearances in movies. In 2017, Moon and a group of South Korean artists filed complaints against two former presidents,
Lee Myung-bak,
Park Geun-hye, and other six senior officials, asking for a prosecution investigation over the allegation of an "artist blacklist." Moon is a frequent collaborator of director
Lee Chang-dong. He has starred in four of Lee's films, including critically acclaimed
Burning (2018). ==Filmography==