Gong Ji-chul (Hangul born July 10, 1979), better known by his stage name Gong Yoo (Hangul, is a South Korean actor.....
He is best known for his roles in television dramas The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (2007) and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016-2017), and the films Silenced (2011), The Age of Shadows (2016), and Train to Busan (2016).
Career
2001-2006: Beginnings
Gong Yoo graduated from Kyung Hee University with a B.A.theater degree. He started his show business career as a video jockey on Mnet in 2000 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.
2007: Coffee Prince and breakthrough
In 2005, he landed his first lead role in SBS's Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy opposite Gong Hyo-jin. Gong Yoo was then cast in MBC's romantic comedy The 1st Shop of 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
Gong Yoo then enlisted the mandatory service on January 14, 2008, which ended on December 8, 2009. He did 8 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 was discharged in December 2009.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 production of a theatrical adaptation of Gong Ji-young's novel The Crucible, a gift from his senior as congratulations 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 Yoo then starred opposite Lee Min-jung in the romantic-comedy series Big written by the Hong sisters. Although the drama was initially well-received, it was later heavily 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 Yoo 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 Yoo was named as an ambassador for the National Tax Service, 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 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 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.
Filmography
Film
Television series
Music video appearances
Hosting
Awards and nominations
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Film adaptation of video game Ryu Ga Gotoku | ||
| 2010 | Finding Mr. Destiny | Han Gi-joon | Film adaptation of stage musical Finding Kim Jong-wook | ||
| 2011 | Silenced | Kang In-ho | Film adaptation of Gong Ji-young's novel The Crucible | ||
| 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 | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | |
| 2001 | School 4 | Hwang Tae-young | KBS2 | Ep. 29 to 48 | |
| 2002 | Whenever the Heart Beats | Park Chan-ho | |||
| Hard Love | Seo Kyung-chul | ||||
| 2003 | 20 Years | Seo Joon | SBS | ||
| Best Theater: Flying Saucer | Ki Jin | MBC | Ep. 533 | ||
| Screen | Kim Joon-pyo | SBS | |||
| My Room, Your Room | Kim Sung Joon | SayClub Internet Drama | |||
| 2005 | Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy | Park Tae-in | SBS | ||
| 2006 | One Fine Day | Seo Gun | MBC | ||
| 2007 | The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince | Choi Han-kyul | |||
| 2012 | Big | Seo Yoon-jae/Kang Kyung-joon | KBS2 | ||
| 2013 | Dating Agency: Cyrano | Magician | tvN | Cameo, ep. 9 | |
| 2016-2017 | Guardian: The Lonely and Great God | Goblin / Kim Shin | |||
| Year | Song title | Artist | |||
| 2014 | "How I Am" | Kim Dong Ryul | |||
| Year | Program | Role | Episodes | Network | Notes |
| 2004 | Music Camp | Host | 2004.01.10~2004.07.03 | MBC | |
| 2008~2009 (during enlistment) |
장병가요 ë² ìŠ¤íŠ¸ (Best Music) | episodes 155~186 | KFN | ||
| ê³µìœ ê°€ 기다리는 20ì‹œ | DJ | 371 episodes | |||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
| 2002 | 16th KBS Drama Awards | Best New Actor | Hard Love | Nominated | |
| 2003 | 11th SBS Drama Awards | New Star Award | Screen | Won | |
| 2005 | 13th SBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy | Nominated | |
| 2006 | 25th MBC Drama Awards | Special Award, Actor in a Miniseries | One Fine Day | Won | |
| 2007 | 1st Mnet 20's Choice Awards | Best Style | N/A | Won | |
| 26th MBC Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actor | Coffee Prince | Won | ||
| Popularity Award, Actor | Nominated | ||||
| Best Couple Award (with Yoon Eun-hye) | Nominated | ||||
| 2011 | 32nd Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actor | Silenced | Nominated | |
| Popular Star Award | Won | ||||
| 2012 | 48th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (Film) | Nominated | ||
| 26th KBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Big | Nominated | ||
| Best Couple Award (with Lee Min-jung) | Nominated | ||||
| 2013 | 8th Seoul International Drama Awards | Outstanding Korean Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | 19th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actor | The Suspect | Nominated | |
| 48th Taxpayers' Day | Presidential Commendation | N/A | Won | ||
| 22nd Korea Culture and Entertainment Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Film | The Suspect | Won | ||
| 2016 | Korea Film Actors Association Awards | Grand Prize | A Man and a Woman | Won | |
| 2nd Fashionista Awards | Best Fashionista – Red Carpet Category | N/A | Nominated | ||
| Best Dresser – Male | Nominated | ||||
| BloodGuts UK Horror Awards | Best Actor in an International Film | Train to Busan | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | 14th Seoul Creative Festival of Film Advertising | Model of the Year | N/A | Won | |
| 11th Asian Film Awards | Best Actor | Train to Busan | Nominated | ||
| iHorror Awards | Best Actor - Horror Film | Nominated | |||
| 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (TV) | Guardian: The Lonely and Great God | Won | ||
| Brand of the Year Awards | Actor of the Year | Won | |||
| 2017 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Best Actor | Train to Busan | Nominated | ||
| 22nd Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | |||
| Korea Advertisers Association Awards | Best Model Award | N/A | Won | ||
| 3rd Fashionista Awards | Best Fashionista – TV & Film Division | Guardian: The Lonely and Great God | Nominated |
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