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Gong Ji-cheol (Korean: 공지철; born July 10, 1979), better known by his stage name Gong Yoo (Korean: 공유), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television dramas Coffee Prince, Goblin, The Silent Sea, and Squid Game, and the films Silenced, Train to Busan and The Age of Shadows.

His stage name is a combination of his father's family name "Gong" and of his mother's family name "Yoo".

Career[]

2001–2004: beginnings[]

Gong Yoo graduated from Kyung Hee University with a B.A. degree in theater. In 2000, he started his show business career as a video jockey on Mnet and debuted as an actor in the TV series School 4 in 2001. Thereafter, Gong did a number of supporting roles in dramas and movies and also hosted the music program Music Camp in 2004.

2005–2007: Coffee Prince and breakthrough[]

In 2005, he landed his first lead role in SBS's Hello My Teacher opposite Gong Hyo-jin. This was followed by the romance melodrama One Fine Day in 2006.

Gong Yoo was then cast in MBC's romantic comedy Coffee Prince, which became his breakout role. The popularity of the drama not only solidified his status as a leading man, but also made him a hallyu star.

2016–present: career resurgence[]

Gong Yoo experienced a new high in his career with consecutive hit works in 2016. His first film in 2016 was the melodrama A Man and a Woman alongside critically acclaimed actress Jeon Do-yeon. He then starred in the hugely successful zombie blockbuster Train to Busan, which surpassed 11 million admissions in South Korea. He then starred in another box office hit The Age of Shadows, which surpassed 6 million admissions in two weeks.

In December 2016, Gong Yoo returned to television in Kim Eun-sook's fantasy-romance drama Goblin, playing the titular goblin. The drama was a massive hit and Gong won Best Actor at the Baeksang Awards for his performance.

In 2018, Gong Yoo was cast in the feminist film Kim Ji Young: Born 1982, which is his third collaboration with actress Jung Yu-mi (after Silenced and Train to Busan), Gong plays the role of Kim Ji-young's husband.

In March 2020, Gong Yoo confirmed to make a special appearance in Kim Tae-yong's film Wonderland,

In 2021, Gong Yoo starred in Lee Yong-ju's action thriller film Seo Bok alongside Park Bo-gum. Gong plays a former intelligence agent who is caught up in the chase of catching the first human clone to uncover the secret to eternal life. That year, he appeared as a recruiter salesman in Squid Game.

In December 2021, Gong Yoo appeared as team leader Han Yoon-jae alongside Bae Doona, Lee Joon, Kim Sun-young, and others in the Netflix original sci-fi thriller series The Silent Sea executive produced by Jung Woo-sung. Set in a distant dystopian future where Earth faces acute water shortage, the series follows an expedition team to an abandoned station on the moon. The fan response to the series was mixed, but it topped Netflix’s global charts to become the most-watched non-English series for week 2. It was also appreciated by critics and scored a 100 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Forbes review called it one of Netflix’s “best sci-fi series to date.”

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role
2003 My Tutor Friend Lee Jong Soo
2004 Spy Girl Choi Ko Bong
Superstar Mr. Gam Park Chul Soo
S Diary Yoo In
2005 She's on Duty Kang No Young
2007 Like a Dragon Park Chul
2010 Finding Mr. Destiny Han Gi Joon
2011 Silenced Kang In Ho
2013 The Suspect Ji Dong Chul
2016 A Man and a Woman Ki Hong
Train to Busan Seok Woo
The Age of Shadows Kim Woo Jin
2019 Kim Ji Young: Born 1982 Jung Dae Hyun
2021 Seo Bok Gi Heon
TBA Wonderland

Television series[]

Year Title Role
2001 School 4 Hwang Tae Young
2002 Whenever the Heart Beats Park Chan Ho
Hard Love Seo Kyung Chul
2003 20 Years Seo Joon
Best Theater: Flying Saucer Ki Jin
Screen Kim Joon Pyo
My Room, Your Room Kim Sung Joon
2005 Hello My Teacher Park Tae In
2006 One Fine Day Seo Gun
2007 Coffee Prince Choi Han Kyul
2012 Big Seo Yoon Jae / Kang Kyung Joon
2013 Dating Agency: Cyrano Magician
2016–2017 Goblin Goblin / Kim Shin

Web series[]

Year Title Role
2021 Squid Game Recruiter
The Silent Sea Han Yoon Jae

Official Links[]

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