Drama Wiki
Advertisement

See also: His KProfile

SmallWikipediaLogo This page uses content from an article at Wikipedia. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Drama Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Yeo Jin-goo (여진구; 呂珍九, born August 13, 1997 in Seoul, South Korea) is a South Korean actor. Yeo began his career as a child actor, debuting in the film Sad Movie (2005). Nicknamed "Nation's Little Brother", he went on to play the younger characters of the lead roles in movies and television dramas such as in A Frozen Flower (2008), Giant (2010), Moon Embracing the Sun (2012), and Missing You (2012). He is known for playing the title character in the action thriller Hwayi: A Monster Boy (2013), for which he won Best New Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.

Since then, he has taken on lead roles in the films Shoot Me in the Heart (2015), The Long Way Home (2015), and Warriors of the Dawn (2017). He has also starred in the dramas Orange Marmalade (2015), The Royal Gambler (2016), Circle (2017), Reunited Worlds (2017), The Crowned Clown (2019), My Absolute Boyfriend (2019) and Hotel Del Luna (2019).

Early life and education[]

Yeo was born on August 13, 1997. He is the eldest of two siblings and has a younger brother. As a child, Yeo wanted to appear on television and therefore asked his parents to let him try acting. With the support of his parents, he took acting lessons and eventually made his debut on the big-screen with Sad Movie (2005).

He graduated from Namgang High School, an all boys high school, in 2016. He is currently studying at Chung-Ang University, majoring in the Department of Theater.

Career[]

2005–2011: Beginnings as a child actor[]

In 2005, Yeo made his debut at the age of eight in the film Sad Movie. He auditioned for the role of Park Hwi-chan and was chosen among 150 candidates despite having no previous acting experience. In 2006, he appeared in his first television drama I Want to Love, playing a sickly child of a single mother; followed by his first role in a sageuk drama Yeon Gaesomun as young Kim Heum-soon.

In 2008, he played the younger version of the lead roles in the series Iljimae and Tazza. He won his first acting award as Best Child Actor at the SBS Drama Awards for both dramas.

In 2010, he starred in the drama Giant as the younger counterpart to Lee Beom-soo's character. According to Yeo, this was the first time he fully immersed himself in a role and began taking acting seriously.

In 2011, he played the younger part of the title character in the historical drama Warrior Baek Dong-soo. He also made a brief appearance as teenage Ddol-bok in the drama Deep Rooted Tree. The appearance was upon the request of its lead actor Jang Hyuk, who took a liking to Yeo when the latter portrayed his younger version in the drama Tazza.

2012: Rising popularity[]

In 2012, Yeo rose to prominence when he starred in the fantasy-period drama Moon Embracing the Sun, playing the role of a young crown prince. The drama surpassed 40% in ratings and gained "national drama" status. This was followed by a well-received turn in melodrama Missing You. He won Best Young Actor at the 2012 MBC Drama Awards for his portrayal in both dramas.

2013–present: Transition to lead roles[]

In 2013, Yeo starred as the titular character in action thriller Hwayi: A Monster Boy, for which he garnered praises and won several Best New Actor honors from annual award ceremonies such as Blue Dragon Film Awards and Korean Association of Film Critics Awards. He is the youngest male actor to receive the Best New Actor award in the history of Blue Dragon Film Awards, at the age of sixteen. In the same year, he was also cast in the sitcom, Potato Star 2013QR3 as an aspiring mobile application developer.

In 2014, he starred in the film "Mr. Perfect" (백프로; Baekpeuro) alongside actor Yoon Si-yoon. He played the role of Lee Byeong-joo a young student who is also a resident on the island where Mr. Baek (Yoon Si-yoon) was invited to work as a temporary teacher.

In 2015, he starred in the film Shoot Me in the Heart, based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Jeong Yu-jeong. He had his first leading role on television with teen vampire series, Orange Marmalade, based on the webtoon of the same name. In the same year, he appeared in the Korean War film, The Long Way Home. Veteran actor Sol Kyung-gu, his co-star in the film, strongly recommended Yeo for the role of Yeong-gwang, and only signed the movie contract once Yeo's casting had been finalized.

In 2016, Yeo played the role of King Yeongjo in the SBS drama The Royal Gambler, and won an Excellence Award at the year end SBS Drama Awards.

In 2017, Yeo starred in tvN's science fiction drama Circle, and historical movie Warriors of the Dawn, both of which premiered in May. He was also cast for a special appearance in the star-studded film, 1987: When the Day Comes, based on the June Democratic Uprising. The movie reunited him with Director Jang Joon-hwan and actor Kim Yoon-seok of Hwayi: A Monster Boy. In July, he starred in SBS's romance drama Reunited Worlds.

In 2018, Yeo was cast in the romantic comedy My Absolute Boyfriend, based on the Japanese manga series of the same name. It aired on SBS the following year.

In 2019, he starred in tvN's remake of the 2012 Korean film Masquerade, titled The Crowned Clown. The series was a commercial success and consistently topped the ratings in its timeslot against cable and public channels. Yeo also earned positive reviews for his performance in the dual roles. The same year, he was cast in Hong sisters' fantasy mystery drama Hotel del Luna alongside IU. The drama was a commercial success, recording the highest ratings in its timeslot throughout its run.

Filmography[]

Main Article: Yeo Jin Goo (Filmography)

Ambassadorship[]

Year Title
2010 Youth Unified Education
2012 Child Protection Institution Child Abuse Prevention Day
2013 Stop the School Violence
2014 Vietnam Film Festival
Seoul International Youth Film Festival
Nanumyieum (Sharing by Connecting)
2016–present Taiwan Tourism

Awards and nominations[]

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2008 SBS Drama Awards Best Young Actor Iljimae, Tazza, Gourmet Won
2010 KBS Drama Awards The Reputable Family Nominated
2012 48th Baeksang Arts Awards Best New Actor (TV) Moon Embracing the Sun Nominated
6th Mnet 20's Choice Awards 20's Upcoming 20's Won
4th Pierson Movie Festival Best Child Actor Won
5th Korea Drama Awards Best Young Actor Nominated
MBC Drama Awards Moon Embracing the Sun
Missing You
Won
Popularity Award Moon Embracing the Sun Nominated
Best Couple Award
(with Kim Yoo-jung)
Nominated
5th Herald Donga TV Lifestyle Awards Style Icon Rookie N/A Won
2013 5th Pierson Movie Festival Best Child Actor Moon Embracing the Sun Won
6th Style Icon Awards Child Actor to Man N/A Won
28th Korea Best Dresser Swan Awards The Rising Star N/A Won
21st Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards Best New Actor (Film) Hwayi: A Monster Boy Won
33rd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Best New Actor Won
34th Blue Dragon Film Awards Won
2014 5th KOFRA Film Awards Won
50th Baeksang Arts Awards Best New Actor (Film) Nominated
14th Director's Cut Awards Best New Actor Won
23rd Buil Film Awards Nominated
51st Grand Bell Awards Nominated
6th Pierson Movie Festival Trend Choice Award N/A Won
2015 4th Marie Claire Film Festival Rookie Award Shoot Me in the Heart Won
52nd Grand Bell Awards Best New Actor Nominated
KBS Drama Awards Orange Marmalade Won
Popularity Award, Actor Nominated
Best Couple Award
(with Kim Seolhyun)
Nominated
2016 SBS Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial Drama The Royal Gambler Won
Best Couple Award
(with Jang Keun-suk)
Nominated
2017 tvN Movies Awards Most Promising Actor Hwayi: A Monster Boy Won
SBS Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Wednesday-Thursday Drama Reunited Worlds Nominated
2019 55th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actor (TV) The Crowned Clown Nominated

External Links[]

Trivia[]

  • Height: 175 cm (5'7")
  • Weight:
  • Zodiac sign: Leo
  • Blood Type: 0
  • Personality:
  • Nicknames: Nation's Little Brother
  • Education:
    • Namgang High School (Graduated)
    • Chung-Ang University (Graduated)
  • His family consists of his parents, his two siblings and him.
  • He is the oldest child.
  • He has a younger brother named Tae-goo, who was born in 2002.

  • As a child, he wanted to appear on television and therefore asked his parents to let him try acting.
    • With the support of his parents, he took acting lessons and eventually made his debut on the big-screen with "Sad Movie" in 2005.

  • Gallery[]

    Advertisement