Cha dropped out of
Sungkyunkwan University, He was cast in the TV
sitcom New York Story, which would eventually pave the way for his debut in film. Although his debut film
Holiday In Seoul (1997) and many of his subsequent roles did not establish him as a major star, he attracted attention in 2000 for his performance as an
arsonist in the firefighting film
Libera Me. The following summer, the runaway success of
Kim Sang-jin's comedy
Kick the Moon (over 4.3 million tickets sold) secured his place in the industry as a leading actor with strong star appeal. In early 2003, Cha took on a slightly more serious role as a corrupt schoolteacher who is transferred to a country school in the film
My Teacher, Mr. Kim. The film grossed over 2.4 million admissions and drew Cha additional praise for his acting abilities (he would later team up again with director Jang Gyu-seong for 2007 comedy
Small Town Rivals). His next role, in
Ghost House, reunited him with director Kim Sang-jin in a successful comedy about a man who buys a dream home, only to discover it is haunted by a young female ghost. The film's unexpectedly robust commercial success confirmed Cha's popularity among Korean audiences. He was named as major film actor from his agency Gooder Better Entertainment. Cha starred in his first
melodrama Over the Border (2006), about a
North Korean defector. He then reunited with Jang Jin in
My Son (2007), and he said his experience as a father helped a lot in learning the character. Stylish crime thrillers
Eye for an Eye (2008), and
Secret (2009) followed. Cha returned to television in 2009, in the political fairytale
City Hall penned by writer
Kim Eun-sook. 2010 was a busy year for him, with Cha appearing in two films, the
Lee Joon-ik-helmed period actioner
Blades of Blood, and
Korean War film
71: Into the Fire, followed by spy series
Athena: Goddess of War. In 2011 his character in the hit romantic comedy series
The Greatest Love, arrogant top star "Dokko Jin," became a mini pop culture phenomenon, giving rise to numerous commercial deals and parodies, as well as awards for Cha. Cha made his theater debut in 2012 in the stage play
Bring Me My Chariot Fire alongside Japanese actors
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi,
Ryōko Hirosue,
Teruyuki Kagawa, and Korean veteran actor
Kim Eung-soo. Set in the historically turbulent early 1900s, the plot focuses on the friendship of artists from Korea and Japan who work together to preserve traditional Korean arts. In 2014, Cha signed with the talent agency
YG Entertainment, then starred in the police series ''
You're All Surrounded. This was followed by his third team-up with director Jang Jin in the comedy noir film Man on High Heels'', which subverted Cha's "macho" image by having him play a
transgender homicide detective. In 2015, Cha appeared in
Three Meals a Day: Gochang Village, a cable
reality show set on the remote Manjae Island for which he earned the nickname "Chajumma" (from the word
ajumma) because of his versatile cooking skills despite the minimal amount of ingredients and implements. He was then cast as
Prince Gwanghae in the period drama
Splendid Politics, which focused on power struggles for the throne amid the backdrop of the
Joseon Dynasty. Cha next plays cartographer and geologist
Kim Jeong-ho in
Kang Woo-suk's period epic
Gosanja, Daedongyeojido, adapted from
Park Bum-shin's novel
The Map Maker. In 2017, Cha was cast in tvN's fantasy romantic comedy drama
A Korean Odyssey by the
Hong sisters. Cha the starred in the family comedy-drama film
Cheer Up, Mr. Lee in 2019 and the disaster film
Sinkhole in 2021. Later in 2021, he starred alongside
Kim Soo-hyun in the
Coupang Play's television series
One Ordinary Day, based on the British television series
Criminal Justice. In 2022, he appeared in the tvN drama
Our Blues. In October 2022, it was revealed that Cha will participate in film
The Tyrant as one of the main characters. Initially
The Tyrant was originally created with theater release in mind, but after filming was completed, it was edited in four-part series. The decision to expand it was made to effectively showcase the individual charm of each character and highlight the directorial expertise of
Park Hoon-jung. It was announced as part of
Disney+ 2024 lineup on February 19 and is set to premiere worldwide on August 14, 2024. In March 2025, Cha left
YG Entertainment and signed with new agency
KeyEast. == Personal life ==