Oh was born and raised in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province. He dropped out of his e-Business Management course at Anyang Industrial Technical School and at the age of 22, moved to Seoul on his own to pursue a career in acting. He first found work as a commercial model, then made his acting debut in 1998 with a minor role in the film Kka . Despite starring in a few movies, Oh would become better known for his work in television. He soon earned heartthrob status among fans for his handsome face and well-defined muscles, but critics initially dismissed him as just another model-turned-actor with attractive looks but little talent. In 2004, Oh established his acting credentials in A Second Proposal, about a divorcee getting another chance at love; he won Best Supporting Actor at the KBS Drama Awards. He next starred in Couple or Trouble, a Hong sisters-penned romantic comedy series inspired by Overboard about a handyman who gets his petty revenge on an amnesiac heiress by lying to her that she's his live-in girlfriend so that she'll help take care of his three nephews. Couple or Trouble received high ratings and praise for its stars' acting, and Oh took home two popularity prizes at the MBC Drama Awards. This was followed by more leading roles in Autumn Shower as a man who falls for the best friend of his comatose wife, Get Karl! Oh Soo-jung as a pro-golfer who wants to get back at the ex-girlfriend who dumped him when he was overweight and unsuccessful, and Single Dadin Love as a mixed martial arts fighter whose young son has been diagnosed with a brain tumor; but these series drew lackluster ratings. In 2009, he played a smart yet socially inept underperformer whose wife will do anything to help him climb the corporate ladder in Queen of Housewives; despite being outshined by his other costars, Oh proved his willingness to look foolish in the service of comedy. Oh then reunited with Single Dad in Lovetelevision director Kwak Jung-hwan in his most high-profile, critically acclaimed series yet: historical dramaThe Slave Hunters. Using his physicality to great effect, Oh portrayed a Joseon military general who becomes a runaway slave and his performance garnered him an Excellence Award at the 2010 KBS Drama Awards. In 2011, Oh was cast in a supporting role in Sector 7, a 3Daction film about a creature lurking on an oil rig, then appeared in the Korea-China-Japan co-production Strangers 6 and medical dramaThe Third Hospital. He also played ousted guard Baek Dong-soo in The Grand Heist, a Joseon-set comedy heist film about the theft of ice blocks from the royal storage. Oh next starred in Queen of the Office, a workplace dramedy adapted from Japanese television dramaHaken no Hinkaku that addresses the plight of temps, followed by paranormalpolice proceduralCheo Yong as the titular ghost-seeing detective, and period dramaMore Than a Maid where he played a mysterious slave on an undercover assignment. He then played an obstetrician/gynecologist with impotence problems in the adult romantic comedy filmLove Clinic.
Personal life
On January 9, 2007, Oh's ex-girlfriend, a bar hostess identified only by her surname Lim and bar name "Anna," killed herself shortly after they broke up. Oh said although he loved her, Lim was the one who ended their two year relationship because she didn't want to get in the way of his career. Lim's bereaved family and friends, however, insisted that Oh broke up with her on January 3, and the hurt drove her to suicide. A TV program later interviewed Lim's relatives and with their permission, entered her bedroom, and some of Oh's personal items were shown on camera, such as his screenplay and photos. After the show was aired, the TV station was severely criticized by the public for compromising the privacy of the people involved. Oh married Eun Bo-ah on April 12, 2014 at the Shilla Hotel. Eun works in the fashion industry. They welcomed their first child, a daughter named Oh Seo-heun, on Dec 30, 2015. Both he and his daughter have been cast members of reality program The Return of Superman since 2016. They welcomed their second child, a son, on August 18, 2018.
