Park Ho-san

Park Ho-san (; born Park Jung-hwan on October 18, 1972) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his performance in the stage play Suck, In the Heights (2015), Chuncheon There (2009, 2015), Waiting for Heroes (2013), Frozen (2015), and The Book of a Thief (2015). Park has also known for his appearances as a supporting actor in the television series Prison Playbook (2017–2018), My Mister (2018), Lawless Lawyer (2018), and The Penthouse: War in Life (2020–2021).

Early life and education Park was born on October 18, 1972, to a father who owned a business called Jimulpo, which provided flooring services. Park's passion for acting was ignited when he saw a play called Hamlet 4, directed by Ki Guk-seo, during his middle school years. A ticket to the play was given to him as a gift by a satisfied customer of his father's flooring business, Jimulpo. Despite attending the play alone due to his friends' lack of interest in the title, Park Jeong-hwan was captivated by the actors' performances under the vibrant stage lights. The experience was distinct from watching performances on television and left a lasting impression on him, solidifying his desire to pursue a career in acting.

Park's interest in acting was sparked when he saw the play "Hamlet." While attending Baejae High School in Seoul, he decided to pursue a major in acting and formed a theater club with friends. With his two friends, Park visited the theater and office of Seoul Yejeon (now Seoul University of the Arts) with two friends to find a drama class instructor.

Park enrolled at the Department of Theater and Film Park at Chung-Ang University.

Career In 1993, he became member of the Yeonwoo Theater Company, and made his debut in the play Winter Wanderer in 1996. In 1997, Park started cinema acting with a small role in film Black Jack. In 1998, he continued to act in minor roles in four films, Story of Man, Saturday, 2:00 pm!, Soul Guardians, and A Mystery of the Cube. In 2001, Park appeared in feature film Wanee & Junah.

Although he had a fondness for singing and an interest in musicals, he believed that plays and musicals were distinct. He particularly enjoyed watching plays in a place called Daehakro. However, in 2005, everything changed when he saw the play Agamemnon. This contemporary adaptation of a classic featured the main character singing like a rock singer instead of delivering a traditional speech, under the direction of Michael Marmarinos. The powerful singing in Agamemnon left a profound impact on Park. This experience opened doors for him to participate in musicals such as Assassin and Mr. Mouse. Through firsthand exposure to musicals, Park's perspective shifted, realizing that they held the same level of artistic value as plays.

Park and Lee Dong-soo were double cast as the 'Actor' in the horror thriller two-hander play Woman in Black, opposite Hong Seong-deok who played the role of 'Arthur Kipps'. The original work was adapted by Stephen Malatret from Susan Hill's best-selling novel and entered England's West End in 1989. It received a steady stream of audiences and had been performed non-stop for 22 years until the present date. The play was reopened on July 9th at Chungmu Art Hall's Middle Theater Black.

In 2011, Park starred as Erik Satie, a renowned French composer and pianist, in the musical Erik Satie from August 26 to 27 at the Ansan Arts Center's Dalmaji Theater. The musical combined Erik Satie's music and the contents of his dramatic life. It was an original work planned by the Ansan Arts Center and contained the will to expand the scope of new forms of production. Lee Joo-kwang played the film director Tommy and Han Seong-sik played multiple roles.

In the 13th performance of the musical Audition, Park and Heo Gyu rejoined the cast as Choi Jun-cheol and Park Byeong-tae, respectively. Furthermore, actors Song Yong-jin and Jang Deok-soo joined the cast as Park Byeong-tae, and Oh Eui-sik joined the cast as Choi Jun-cheol. The musical was performed at Daehakro Cultural Space Feeling 1 from June 7th to December 31st, 2011.

In 2013, Park reprised his role as Erik Satie and acted alongside Bae Hae-sun. Directed by Park Hye-sun, the production ran from November 22 to December 1, 2013, at the Grand Theater of Daehakro Arts Theater in Dongsung-dong, Seoul.

In 2014, Park starred in feature film The King of Jokgu, followed by The Great Army (2017), The Deokmo: The Age of Rebellion (2017), and The Selfish Man (2017), and acted in plays and musicals.

Park started with tvN's drama Liar Game (2014). In 2015, he played painter Lee Jung-seop in musical Myeongdong Romance. Also acted in several plays, included In the Heights (2015), Chuncheon There (2015), Frozen (2015), and The Book of a Thief (2015).

Park also appeared in 2016 SBS drama Wanted (2016) and followed by Innocent Defendant (2017). In 2017, Park impressed audiences with his supporting role in the drama series Prison Playbook, as Kang Chul-doo (aka "KAIST" of Mullae-dong. He has a severe lisp, which other inmates (especially Han-yang) make fun of. He is an engineer who was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months' imprisonment because of a gambling scam. Directed by Shin Won-ho, Prison Playbook became a successful hit.

In 2018, Park was cast in drama My Mister as replacement of Oh Dal-su.

Park is a member of Man Theater, a theater company.

Personal life Park is married to theater actress Kim Dong-hwa, who is eight years younger than him. They have three sons, including rapper Park Joon-ho.

Filmography

Film

Television series + Year Title Role Notes 2014 Liar Game 2016 Wanted Ham Tae-sub 2017 Innocent Defendant Choi Dae-hong 2017–2018 Prison Playbook Kaist 2018 Mother My Mister Park Sang-hun Lawless Lawyer Chun Seung-bum The Guest Detective Ko Exit 2018–2019 Less Than Evil Jeon Choon-man 2018 The Ghost Detective Lee Kyung-woo 2019 Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency Ma Dong-deok Pegasus Market Kwon Young-goo Catch the Ghost Choi Do-cheol 2020 Dinner Mate Keanu 2020–2021 True Beauty Im Jae-pil Hush Uhm Sung-han 2021 The Penthouse: War in Life Yoo Dong-pil Season 2 (cameo; episode 13)Season 3 (supporting cast) Racket Boys Park Jeong-yong Cameo (Episode 1) 2022 Tracer Hwang Cheol-min Cameo Hunted Young-soo Today's Webtoon Jang Man-cheol Behind Every Star himself Cameo (episode 5) 2023 Taxi Driver 2 Bishop Cameo (episode 14–16) Twinkling Watermelon Choi Hyeon 2023–2024 Maestra: Strings of Truth Jeon Sang-do My Happy Ending Nam Tae-joo 2025 Karma Hwang Cheol-mok

Web series + Year Title Role 2020 Extracurricular Jung Jin 2021 Would You Like a Cup of Coffee? Park Seok 2022 Monstrous Kwon Jong-soo

Stage Concert +Concert performances of Park Ho-san 2015 Musical Talk Concert Who Am I 23 뮤지컬토크콘서트 Who Am I 23 Performer Olympus Hall July 30, 2015 2017 Thanks Concert Thanks 콘서트 Singer - February 1, 2017 The Pro Actors Concert 더프로액터스 콘서트 Performer Gwanguk Art Center BBCH Hall April 1, 2017 2018 Wonju Winter Dancing Carnival 원주 윈터 댄싱카니발 Wonju Chiak Sports Complex February 10, 2018 - February 18, 2018 Kim Kwang-seok Revival - Wonju 김광석 다시부르기 - 원주 Singer Wonju Chiak Sports Complex March 24, 2018 Kim Kwang-seok Revival - Jinju 김광석 다시부르기 - 진주 Gyeongsangnam-do Culture and Arts Center June 23, 2018 2021 Band-aid Concert 반창고 콘서트 Singer Gyeonggi Art Center September 7, 2021

Musical

Theater

Awards and nominations