---
name: "Oh Kwang-rok"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/oh-kwang-rok"
fi1m_id: "oh-kwang-rok"
imdb_id: "nm1059108"
tmdb_id: 528339
wikidata_id: "Q9119065"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "27 August 1962"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 82
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-18T07:55:18.942491+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Oh Kwang-rok

## Identity

Oh Kwang-rok

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/oh-kwang-rok
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** oh-kwang-rok
- **IMDb ID:** nm1059108
- **TMDB ID:** 528339
- **Wikidata ID:** Q9119065
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh_Kwang-rok, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9119065, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1059108/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/528339

Actor. Born 27 August 1962 in Busan, South Korea.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 27 August 1962, Busan, South Korea
- **Active:** 2003–present
- **Also known as:** 오광록, 吳光祿, Oh Gwang-rok
- **Average Fi1m score:** 82, as actor, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 85 (1), 2020s 80 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 82 to 80 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 1 of 1 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Thriller 2, Comedy 1, Crime 1, Drama 1, Mystery 1
- **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $59m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh_Kwang-rok, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9119065, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1059108/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/528339

## Fi1m on Oh Kwang-rok

> Oh Kwang-rok makes a father's remorse uncomfortable to watch without turning him into a villain. We value the tenderness and neediness he brings to *Return to Seoul*, a substantial part for an actor accustomed to brief appearances.

In *Return to Seoul* (2022), Oh Kwang-rok plays a father who apologises as though forgiveness ought to follow immediately. He is soft, drinks too much and wants reassurance from the daughter who has come to meet him. We felt uncomfortable watching him, because his remorse keeps asking Freddie to put his feelings first. Oh makes that pressure apparent without making the man seem calculated; he can be sorry and still ask too much.

He came to film after nearly two decades working mainly in theatre, with *Waikiki Brothers* (2001) marking the transition. Park Chan-wook gave him small parts across *Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance* (2002), *Oldboy* (2003) and *Sympathy for Lady Vengeance* (2005). The suicidal man in *Oldboy* is an early example of his ability to suggest quiet desperation in a brief appearance. He has a distinctive nasal voice, useful for someone repeatedly cast as ordinary men and eccentrics who must register quickly.

Davy Chou gives him more to do in *Return to Seoul*, without making the reunion his story. Kim Sun-young's aunt does most of the talking, while Park Ji-min's Freddie sits unmoved through the family's emotion. Oh's father need not explain everything himself for his unhappiness to be clear. What matters is how he plays against that unresponsive daughter: we can understand his wish to be forgiven without finding her cold for withholding it. Chou is right not to hurry them towards an understanding.

The later chapters of *Return to Seoul* are thinner than its first, and Oh's performance cannot make them equally compelling. Park Ji-min remains the chief reason we recommend the film, with Oh helping to give her someone difficult to respond to. His father invites tenderness, but the self-pity makes an uncomplicated response impossible, and the performance is better for letting us see it. Start with *Return to Seoul*, and allow yourself to feel sorry for him without taking his side.

## Biography

Oh Kwang-rok is a South Korean character actor. Born on 28 August 1962 in Busan, he began his career in theatre, making his professional debut in a 1982 production of *Death of a Salesman*. He trained at the Samil-ro Warehouse Theater and was a founding member of the theatre company Wanjamunui.

He moved into film in the late 1990s and gained recognition for his role as Hyun-gu in *Waikiki Brothers* (2001). Subsequent appearances include *Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance* (2002) and *Oldboy* (2003).

In *Return to Seoul* (2022) he played Freddie's biological father. He received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 2023 Asian Film Awards for the performance.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *No Other Choice* (2025), Fi1m 78, as Mi-ri's Father — [page](https://film.one/film/no-other-choice.md)
- *Return to Seoul* (2022), Fi1m 83, as Father — [page](https://film.one/film/return-to-seoul.md)
- *Oldboy* (2003), Fi1m 85, as Suicidal Man — [page](https://film.one/film/oldboy.md)

## Complete filmography (85)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Coming of Age* (2026), Actor
- *Before the Call* (2025), Actor
- *No Other Choice* (2025), as Mi-ri's Father — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/no-other-choice.md)
- *Uncle Samsik* (2024), series, as Joo In-tae
- *Island* (2022), series, as Butler Jang
- *Return to Seoul* (2022), as Father — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/return-to-seoul.md)
- *A Model Family* (2022), series, as Park Deuk-soo
- *Melancholia* (2021), series, as Ji Hyun-wook
- *Fighter* (2021), as Director
- *Inssa* (2021), as Old man Kim
- *The Cursed Lesson* (2020), as Section chief
- *Jukdo Surfing Diary* (2020), as Cheog-rok
- *Extracurricular* (2020), series, as Jae Ik [Wang Cheol's military mate]
- *The Nightmare* (2020), as Representative
- *Rainbow Playground* (2019), Actor
- *바다가 들린다* (2019), series, Actor
- *Big Issue* (2019), series, as Doctor Go
- *Beautiful Days* (2018), as Zhen Chen's Father
- *Devilish Joy* (2018), series, as Joo Man-Sik
- *Rock N Roll Grandpa* (2018), Actor
- *Autumn Sonata* (2017), as Suryeon's father
- *Warriors of the Dawn* (2017), as Pockmark
- *The Tooth and the Nail* (2017), as Theater Owner
- *Tomorrow with You* (2017), series, as Shin Seong-gyu
- *조용한 식사* (2016), series, Actor
- *If You Were Me* (2016), as Dr. Kim
- *Alice in Earnestland* (2015), as Neurosurgeon
- *Five Senses of Love* (2015), as Young-il
- *Iron Lady Cha* (2015), series, as Oh Dal Soo [Mi Ran's husband]
- *The Con Artists* (2014), as Professor Min
- *Healer* (2014), series, as Ki Young-jae
- *Our Older Sister* (2014), as Detective Kim
- *Love Cells* (2014), series, as Seo-rin's manager
- *Live TV* (2014), Actor
- *High School King of Savvy* (2014), series, as Choi Jang-ho
- *The Stone* (2014), as Lee-soo
- *God's Eye View* (2014), as Yohan
- *One Day* (2014), as Mr. Oh
- *11 A.M.* (2013), as Doctor Seo
- *Empress Ki* (2013), series, as Heuk Soo [Merchant/Slave Trader]
- *Rough Play* (2013), as Jo Gang-ho
- *Fasten Your Seatbelt* (2013), as Jeju Airport traffic controller (cameo)
- *Killer Toon* (2013), as Chief Detective
- *Born To Sing* (2013), as Maeng Gwajang
- *Eating, Talking, Faucking* (2013), as Creator
- *Short Family* (2012), series, Actor
- *Mai Ratima* (2012), as Junk shop owner
- *The Spies* (2012), as Viagra
- *Sunday Punch* (2011), as Geun-suk
- *Vampire Idol* (2011), series, as Oh Gwang-rok
- *Always* (2011), as Park Chang-soo
- *Endless Joke* (2011), Actor
- *Night Fishing* (2011), as Angler
- *No Doubt* (2010), as Professor Kim (uncredited)
- *Man of Vendetta* (2010), as GPS Seller (uncredited)
- *Yogurt Lady* (2010), Actor
- *Red* (2010), as Painter
- *The End* (2009), Actor
- *The Case of Itaewon Homicide* (2009), as Attorney Kim
- *Take Off* (2009), as Chemist 2
- *Baby and Me* (2008), as Gwang-rok
- *Like Father, Like Son* (2008), Actor
- *Powerful Opponents* (2008), series, as Cha Kwang-su
- *Seven Days* (2007), as Yang Chang-gu
- *风云真空真之创世神话：高丽篇* (2007), series, Actor
- *The Legend* (2007), series, as Hyeon-go
- *The Elephant on the Bike* (2007), as Dong-gyu's father
- *If In Love Like Them* (2007), series, Actor
- *Maundy Thursday* (2006), as Death Row Inmate 2896
- *Doctor Kkang* (2006), series, as Bong Eun-tak
- *Vampire Cop Ricky* (2006), as Vampire Hunter
- *Mr. Socrates* (2005), as Dong-hyeok's Father
- *A Boy Who Went to Heaven* (2005), as Ne-mo's father
- *How Does the Blind Dream* (2005), as Blind acupuncturist
- *Lady Vengeance* (2005), as Se-hyun's Father
- *A Bittersweet Life* (2005), as Gangster
- *She's on Duty* (2005), as Bae Doo-sang
- *A Moment to Remember* (2004), as Homeless
- *The Last Wolf* (2004), Actor
- *Oldboy* (2003), as Suicidal Man — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/oldboy.md)
- *Spring Bears Love* (2003), as Jeong Hoon
- *Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance* (2002), as Laborer 2
- *Waikiki Brothers* (2001), as Hyun-goo
- *The End of April* (2000), Actor
- *Lilith*, Actor

## Gallery

- ![Oh Kwang-rok](https://film.one/media/person/21146/gallery-6d26c0f446c9.jpg) Oh Kwang-rok — lotteent (official Lotte Entertainment YouTube account)

Verification:(official Lotte website, SNS list on Lotte official blog,  official lotteent Facebook account (has a link to the YouTube account)., CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/%28%ED%95%B4%EC%96%B4%ED%99%94%29_VIP_%EC%85%80%EB%9F%BD_%EB%A6%AC%EB%B7%B0_%EC%98%81%EC%83%81_%EC%98%A4%EA%B4%91%EB%A1%9D.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Oh Kwang-rok](https://film.one/media/person/21146/gallery-6922f1a539bb.jpg) Oh Kwang-rok — Image via TMDB

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/oh-kwang-rok