[4] He and his family lived in a poor neighborhood on the slopes of a hill until his father became successful with his restaurant business in the Jongno area, Seoul.

But theater remained his main priority, as Cho and his friends established a theatrical company named "Jongak" (종각, literally "Bell Pavilion"), which produced several works on the stage such as Tricycles (세발자전거, 1989), Look Back in Anger (성난 얼굴로 돌아보라, 1990) and The Lovers of Woomook-baemi (우묵배미의 사랑, 1990).

In 1991, Cho won Best New Actor in Theater at the Baeksang Arts Awards for his acting in Equus; he reinterpreted the leading role Alan Strang as an innocent person, though he is largely depicted as a cruel and rebellious character.

Cho was praised for reinvigorating the faltering local theater scene in Daehangno by coming up with the series and its star-studded casting, promotion and marketing.

[8][9][10] In 2018, Cho starred as a doctor and head of an organ transplant centre in the medical TV series Cross opposite Go Kyung-pyo.

[20] His son Cho Soo-hoon is a short track speed skater who won a gold medal in the 500 meter competition for male university students at the 2008 Korean National Winter Sports Festival,[21] while his daughter Cho Hye-jung, who attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, is also an actress.