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. This was followed by the romance melodrama
One Fine Day in 2006. Gong 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.
2008–2015: Military enlistment and comeback On January 14, 2008, Gong enlisted for the mandatory service, and was discharged on December 8, 2009. He did eight months of frontline active service in
Cheorwon and was transferred to the Defense Media Agency, where he served in the public relations department and hosted as a DJ for the army radio station. He made his comeback in the romantic comedy
Finding Mr. Destiny, which was a medium box office hit in Korea. He then initiated and pursued the production of a theatrical adaptation of
Gong Ji-young's novel
The Crucible, a congratulatory gift from his senior for his promotion during enlistment. This movie was internationally released under the title
Silenced. Upon its release on September 22, 2011, the film sparked public outrage. This led to a reopening of the investigations into the incidents on which the novel and film are based. Public demand for legislative reform reached the
National Assembly, where a revised bill to target sex crimes against minors and the disabled, dubbed the Dogani Bill after the Korean title of the film, was successfully passed in late October 2011. Gong then starred opposite
Lee Min-jung in the romantic-comedy series
Big written by the
Hong sisters. The drama was well received, although it was criticized for its ending. In 2013, he returned to the big screen, after a two-year gap, in the movie
The Suspect. He played an elite North Korean spy who defects after being betrayed by his country. In November 2013, Gong was appointed as a special representative of the
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Korea, in conjunction with a celebration of the 24th year since the
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was adopted. Following his appointment, he has visited countries around the world to raise awareness of the situation of children in underdeveloped countries. On July 7, 2014, Gong was named as an ambassador for the National Tax Service (NTS), alongside actress
Ha Ji-won. The pair modeled for promotional posters and took part in street campaigns that encourage honest tax payment in support of the NTS.
2016–present: Career resurgence Gong 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
Jeon Do-yeon. He then starred in the hugely successful zombie blockbuster
Train to Busan, which surpassed 11 million admissions in South Korea. Also that year, he starred in another box office hit
The Age of Shadows, which surpassed 6 million admissions in two weeks. In December 2016, Gong returned to television in
Kim Eun-sook's fantasy-romance drama
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, 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 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 confirmed to make a special appearance in
Kim Tae-yong's film
Wonderland. In 2021, Gong 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. Later that year, he appeared as
the Recruiter ( the Salesman) in
the first season of
Squid Game, a role he reprised in the first episode of
the second season in 2024. His brief appearance in the second season received positive reviews from fans on social media. In December 2021, Gong 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. 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 in its second week. The
Forbes review called it one of Netflix's "best sci-fi series to date." In 2024, Gong starred in the
mystery melodrama television series
The Trunk opposite
Seo Hyun-jin. Written by Park Eun-young and directed by
Kim Kyu-tae, it is based on the novel of the same name by
Kim Ryeo-ryeong about two people under a one-year marriage contract and a mysterious trunk. Gong played Han Jeong-won, a music producer. == Filmography ==