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Gong Yoo

Gong Yoo

Actor · Born July 10, 1979 (47) · Busan, South Korea

Gong Yoo (Hangul: 공유) is a South Korean actor. He started his career in showbiz as a VJ and subsequently debuted with parts in school dramas and films, eventually gaining starring roles in prime time dramas such Hello My Teacher and One Fine Day. His role as a cafe manager who falls in love with a girl disguised as a man in romantic comedy The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince solidified his status as a drama leading man. The popularity of the drama made him a regional star. After serving the 2-year compulsory military service, Gong Yoo made his comeback with romantic comedy Finding Mr Destiny and Silenced, a film project spearheaded by the actor himself upon reading the book based on the real events of deaf students being sexually exploited by the staff in a South Korean special school. Gong took on the role as a North Korean agent in action film the suspect in 2013. His post-military television comeback Big was however, not as well received. While Gong remained popular with Korean audience and brand sponsors, he experienced somewhat of a career renaissance in 2016 with box office hits Train to Busan and Age of Shadows, as well as one of the most-viewed Korean cable television drama, Goblin.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 10, 1979 (47)
From
Busan, South Korea
Works as
Actor
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 33 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 46% in 30 days

What are Gong Yoo's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
31%
Morality
20%
Survival
16%
Self
15%
Power
9%
Ideas
9%
Romantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFate2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 6

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 5 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 2 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 4 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 2 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 4

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 2 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 6

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

11 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 5 of 11 analyzed roles.

Hero
5 of 11
Mentor
4 of 11
Ally
2 of 11
Show the 11 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
7
Melancholic
5
Warm
4
Dread
3
Bittersweet
3
Other
10

How their films linger

Bittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Gong Yoo's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Gong Yoo's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

33 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page; 11 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Tantara (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Show 22 episodes · as Dong-gu

  • Love Untangled(2025)

    as Cafe Owner

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Trunk(2024)

    Show 8 episodes · as Han Jeong-won

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Wonderland(2024)

    as Sung-jun

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Silent Sea(2021)

    Show 8 episodes · as Han Yun-jae

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Squid Game(2021)

    Show 6 episodes · as Recruiter · as The Recruiter

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • Seobok(2021)

    as Ki-heon

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Kim Ji-young: Born 1982(2019)

    as Jung Dae-hyun

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Guardian: The Lonely and Great God(2016)

    Show 16 episodes · as Goblin / Kim Shin

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • The Age of Shadows(2016)

    as Kim Woo-jin

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Train to Busan(2016)

    as Seok-woo

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • A Man and a Woman(2016)

    as Ki-hong

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Suspect(2013)

    as Ji Dong-chul

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Dating Agency: Cyrano (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 16 episodes · as Magic man · as Magician (cameo)

  • Akai ito no Onna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 44 episodes · as Jung Chul-geun

  • Big (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 16 episodes · as Seo Yoon-jae / Kang Kyung-joon

  • Silenced(2011)

    as Kang In-ho

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Finding Mr. Destiny(2010)

    as Han Gi-joon

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Running Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Coffee Prince (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 17 episodes · as Choi Han-kyul

  • Yakuza: Like a Dragon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Park

  • One Fine Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 16 episodes · as Seo Gun

  • Hello My Teacher (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 16 episodes · as Park Tae In

  • She's on Duty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Kang No-young

  • S Diary(2004)

    as Yu In

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Gam’s Victory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Park Cheol-su

  • Spy Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Choi Ko-bong

  • Screen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 18 episodes · as Kim Jun-Pyo

  • Twenty Years Old (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 40 episodes · as Joon

  • My Tutor Friend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Jong-soo

  • 거침없는 사랑 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 19 episodes · as Suh Kyung-chul

  • School 4 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Hwang Tae-young

  • Train to Busan: Behind the Scenes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 33 titles, 31 of them dated from 2001 to 2025; peak year 2015.

Biggest box office

Train to Busan (2016)

$94M worldwide

Highest rated

Silenced (2011)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)

Film career

20012025

Peak 2015 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 8 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting33 of 33: 33 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score75th

By decade

2000s13 · acting2010s12 · acting2020s6 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 29% of 14 roles
0313

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Gong Yoo's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 75th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed2

Most divisive · actor

Wonderland (2024)

50th percentile spread · 17% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Silenced (2011)

Midcredits 99th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the acting 79/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles; fans 84, detractors 61. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Gong Yoo's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles49–92 · median 76 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles4–81 · median 14 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 47 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles5–76 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles55–92 · median 77 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Gong Yoo work with?

People who share at least 2 of Gong Yoo's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jung Yu-mi shares the most, 3.

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers