Choi Gwi-ha began his acting career on stage as a member of the Meulmye Theater Company in Bucheon. After acting mostly in short films in the early years of his career, he bagged his first full-length film appearance in the romantic comedy Why Did You Come to My House in 2009. His breakthrough came in 2014 when he was cast in the hit tvN series Misaeng. In 2016, he joined director Na Hong-jin’s critically acclaimed horror film The Wailing, which won Best Film at the 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards. Also in 2016, he became part of the blockbuster zombie apocalypse movie Train to Busan. In 2017, he acted alongside Song Kang-ho and German actor Thomas Kretschmann in the historical action drama film A Taxi Driver, which earned him the Best New Actor trophy at the 18th Director’s Cut Awards. That same year, he played one of the main characters in the action thriller film The Outlaws. In 2019, he starred in OCN’s Running Investigators along with Lee Yo-won.

Choi Gwi-ha attended Daejin University.