Gong Yoo

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.