Born on July 28, 1937, he acted while attending Hanyang University. His film acting began in 1967 with supporting and minor roles in Soil and The Horseman. Afterwards, he appeared in melodramas and historical dramas such as The Princess's Unrequited Love (1967), Longing in Every Heart(1967), To the End of My Life (1968), and Angry Earth (1968). He also tried his hand at film production and produced several films, including the historical drama Rang (1968), but suffered a lot of losses due to poor box office performance. As a Buddhist, he delivers impressive performances in Buddhist films such as Apostasy (1974) and Lotus (1974). Since the 1990s, he has appeared in many TV historical dramas, playing Prince Yangnyeong in Han Myeong-hoe (1994), Ambassador Muhak in Tears of the Dragon (1996), and Jo Young-in in The Age of the Unmanned (2003).