Woo Mi-hwa

Woo Mi-hwa (, February 2, 1974) is a South Korean actress.

She began her career as actress in theater, then transitioned to supporting roles on television and film.

Woo was born on February 2, 1974, into a mining family in Hambaek, a village near Yeongwol, Gangwon Province.

She spent her early years in her hometown until her father, faced with the decline of the mining industry, had to relocate to Seoul in search of employment.

Following her father's move, Woo's older sister also moved to Seoul, and eventually, Woo herself transferred to Boseong Girls High School in Namsan, Seoul.

During this time, she stayed with her sister while waiting for her mother to complete their affairs in their hometown before joining them in the city.

After completing high school, Woo enrolled in the Department of German Literature at Sookmyung Women's University.

The department had a tradition of staging German translation plays annually.

During a summer break, Woo participated in a play reading and production class, where she unexpectedly found herself chosen as an actress.

Despite her initial shyness and the challenges of adapting to city life as a rural girl, she developed a keen interest in acting and decided to pursue it further.

After obtaining her bachelor's degree in German Literature, Woo transferred to Dongguk University's Department of Theater and Film to further her studies in acting.

She debuted as theater actress in 1998 with role Petra in Korean adaptation of play An Enemy of the People.

Woo has performed in over 60 theatre productions.

After successfully passing the audition and becoming a trainee member of the Seoul Theater Company, and becoming a trainee member, Woo made her acting debut in 1998 at the age of 24.

Her debut role was Petra in the Korean adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's play An Enemy of the People.

It was a highly anticipated production directed by Kim Seok-man and featured acclaimed actors Lee Ho-jae as doctor Thomas Stokeman and Yoon Joo-sang as his older brother, Mayor Peter Stokeman.

Both actors had previously won the prestigious Lee Hae-rang Theater Award.

This project marked their first collaboration in 20 years since their last work together in Shakespeare's As You Like It.

For a young rookie actress like Woo, the opportunity to be a part of such a significant production was unexpected, and it left her with unforgettable memories.

Woo also participated in another project with the Seoul Theater Company, the MBC Family Musical Lulu and the Twelve Fairies – A Beautiful Winter Story (1999).

In this musical, which was televised by the MBC network, Woo took on dual roles as a rabbit and the Fairy of August.

From 2001 to 2004, Woo Mi-hwa was member of Yeonwoo Theater Company (Yeonwoo Mudae).

During that time, she participated in over ten of their stage productions, which included their famous plays Lee (2001) Korean Wooturi (2002) and That Guy Looks Like a Radish (2003).

In 2004, Son Ki-ho, a former member of the Yeonwoo Theater Company, established Theater Company Iru (극단 이루).

Woo and fellow actress Yeom Hye-ran joined him as founding members.

Through her collaboration with Son Ki-ho, Woo gained recognition as an actress in Daehangno.

One of their notable joint projects was the play Blowing Songs Flowers in the Rain, which premiered in 2010 and received numerous encore performances due to its popularity.

The play received critical acclaim and prestigious awards, including the 2010 Jeon Mun-yeon Drama Competition Winner and the 2010 Myeongdong Arts Theater Creative Factory awards.

Some of her stage roles during that period were in acclaimed revivals of Three Sisters and Dear Elena. She has received prestigious theater acting awards, including the 2011 Seoul Theater Festival Female Acting Award and Best Actress of the 2011 Korea Acting Awards for Blowing Songs Flowers in the Rain, Best Actress of the 2013 Korean Drama Awards for Three Sisters, and the 2017 SACA Best Actress Award for her portrayal of Elena in Lyudmila Razumovskaya Dear Elena.

Her most known role in television series is Lee Myung-shin, Hye-jin's step mother from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021).[11] She also acted important supporting roles in Bloody Heart and Link: Eat, Love, Kill.

She also known for her role as Dok Go-soon, chief of firefighter squad in drama [12]

She has appeared in supporting roles in various films and television dramas.

In the 2011 Seoul Theater Festival, it achieved further success by winning four awards, including the Grand Prize, Male Acting Award, Female Acting Award, and Popularity Award.

Woo herself was honored with the Female Acting Award at the 2011 Korean Drama Awards for her outstanding performance in the play.

Her first notable supporting role in television was from drama series Life (2018).

In the same year, Woo's other works were Sky Castle (2018), Doctor Prisoner (2018), and Black Dog: Being A Teacher (2018).

Before she started acting in crime drama Voice Season 4 (2020), She signed with her current agency D-plan Entertainment.

Her most known role in television series is Lee Myung-shin, Hye-jin's step mother from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021).

She also acted important supporting roles in Bloody Heart and Link: Eat, Love, Kill.

She also known for her role as Dok Go-soon, chief of firefighter squad in drama The First Responders.