Gong Yoo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gong Yoo
Gong in September 2021
Born	Gong Ji-cheol (1979-07-10) July 10, 1979 (age 45) Busan, South Korea
Education	Kyung Hee University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2001–present
Agent	Management SOOP
Korean name
Hangul	공유
Hanja	孔劉
Revised Romanization	Gong Yu
McCune–Reischauer	Kong Yu
Birth name
Hangul	공지철
Hanja	孔地哲
Revised Romanization	Gong Jicheol
McCune–Reischauer	Kong Chich'ŏl
Signature

Gong Ji-cheol (Hangul: 공지철; born July 10, 1979), known professionally as Gong Yoo (Hangul: 공유), is a famous South Korean actor. He is well-known for his main roles in TV shows like Coffee Prince (2007) and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016–2017). He also appeared in the Netflix series Squid Game (2021–2024). His popular movies include Train to Busan (2016), Silenced (2011), and The Age of Shadows (2016).

Early life and education

Gong Yoo was born Gong Ji-cheol on July 10, 1979, in Busan, South Korea. His father was involved in baseball and managed the Lotte Giants team for a few years. Gong Yoo went to Dongin High School. Later, he studied Theater and Film at Kyung Hee University.

In 2017, it was shared that Gong Yoo is a descendant of the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius. He is part of the 79th generation of Confucius's family, from the Gokbu Gong clan.

Career

2001–2004: Early acting days

Gong Yoo earned a degree in theater from Kyung Hee University. In 2000, he began his career as a video jockey on Mnet. He started acting in the TV series School 4 in 2001. After that, Gong Yoo took on many smaller roles in dramas and movies. He also hosted a music show called Music Camp in 2004.

2005–2007: Coffee Prince and becoming famous

In 2005, Gong Yoo got his first main role in the SBS show Hello My Teacher, where he acted alongside Gong Hyo-jin. This was followed by the romantic drama One Fine Day in 2006.

Gong Yoo then starred in the MBC romantic comedy Coffee Prince. This show became a huge hit and made him very famous. Its popularity not only made him a top actor but also a hallyu star, meaning he became popular across Asia.

2008–2015: Military service and return

Gong Yoo in January 2011

On January 14, 2008, Gong Yoo began his mandatory military service. He finished his service on December 8, 2009. During his time, he served in the public relations department and was a DJ for the army radio station.

He returned to acting in the romantic comedy Finding Mr. Destiny. This movie did fairly well at the box office in Korea.

Gong Yoo then helped produce a movie called Silenced, based on a novel. This film was released on September 22, 2011. It caused a lot of public discussion and led to new investigations into the real-life events it was based on. People demanded changes to laws, and a new law, called the Dogani Bill, was passed to protect children and people with disabilities.

Gong Yoo in December 2013

Gong Yoo later starred with Lee Min-jung in the romantic-comedy series Big. The show was popular, even though some viewers didn't like its ending.

In 2013, he returned to movies after two years in The Suspect. He played a North Korean spy who is betrayed by his country.

In November 2013, Gong Yoo became a special representative for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Korea. This was to celebrate 24 years since the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted. He has visited different countries to help raise awareness about children in need.

On July 7, 2014, Gong Yoo was chosen as an ambassador for the National Tax Service (NTS) in Korea, along with actress Ha Ji-won. They helped encourage people to pay their taxes honestly.

2016–present: Big successes

Gong Yoo had a very successful period in his career starting in 2016 with several hit projects. His first film that year was the drama A Man and a Woman with Jeon Do-yeon.

Then, he starred in the hugely popular zombie movie Train to Busan. This film was seen by over 11 million people in South Korea. In the same year, he also starred in another successful movie, The Age of Shadows, which had over 6 million viewers in just two weeks.

In December 2016, Gong Yoo returned to TV in the fantasy-romance drama Guardian: The Lonely and Great God. He played the main character, a goblin. This drama was a massive hit. Gong Yoo won the Best Actor award at the Baeksang Awards for his role.

In 2018, Gong Yoo was cast in the film Kim Ji-young: Born 1982. This was his third time working with actress Jung Yu-mi. In the movie, Gong Yoo plays the husband of the main character, Kim Ji-young.

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

Gong Yoo in October 2021

In 2021, Gong Yoo starred in the action thriller film Seo Bok with Park Bo-gum. Gong Yoo played a former intelligence agent trying to find the first human clone. Later that year, he appeared as the salesman in the first season of Squid Game, a popular Netflix series. He returned to this role in the second season in 2024. Fans on social media really liked his brief appearance in the second season.

In December 2021, Gong Yoo appeared as team leader Han Yoon-jae in the Netflix original sci-fi thriller series The Silent Sea. The show is set in a future where Earth has a big water shortage. It follows a team on a mission to an abandoned station on the moon. The show was popular and became the most-watched non-English series on Netflix globally in its second week. Forbes magazine called it one of Netflix's "best sci-fi series to date."

Filmography

Film

Television series

Web series

Music video appearances

Hosting

Discography

Awards and nominations

State honors

Listicles

See also

In Spanish: Gong Yoo para niños