Actor Choi Bool-am, who has captured the ups and downs of modern Korean history through his performances, has left a deep impression on the public with his life and philosophy.
In the MBC special documentary ‘Paha, I am Choi Bool-am’ aired on the 12th, the show highlighted his 67-year acting journey, the personal pain hidden behind the scenes, and his heartwarming efforts to give back to society.
To many, Choi Bool-am is the ultimate symbol of a kind and ideal father. However, it was heartbreaking to learn that he never truly felt his own father’s warmth as a child. He lost his father at just eight years old, having spent less than three years with him. His father, who was active in film production around the time of Korea’s liberation, passed away leaving behind only a single photograph, leaving Choi Bool-am to carry that void for the rest of his life.
Interestingly, the “father” figures he portrayed weren’t based on real memories, but on the image he spent his whole life longing for. In a past interview, he confessed, “I took every father role the world offered,” revealing that these roles were the image of the father he wished he had met.
After his touching performance in ‘Country Diaries’ where he embraced Geum-dong, he felt that staying within fictional stories wasn’t enough. This led him to dive into real-life child sponsorship. Alongside fellow actor Kim Hye-ja, he launched a massive campaign to raise social awareness, which eventually sparked real change through live broadcasts to find missing children and support for children with incurable diseases.
Defining an actor as “a clown who cries on behalf of others,” Choi Bool-am put his beliefs into action. He entered politics to help solve issues facing youth and personally taught acting to out-of-school teenagers, turning his entire life into one great masterpiece.
