South Korean actor Gong Yoo has been one of the most beloved actors in the Korean entertainment world for almost two decades now, and a recognizable brand and face all over the world for his appearances in some of the most iconic dramas, shows, and movies. Born Gong Ji-cheol in the city of Busan, Gong pursued an undergraduate degree in theater and began his acting journey in television series. His first leading role was in Hello My Teacher in 2005, but he quickly rose to prominence after appearing in the smash hit drama Coffee Prince in 2007. Ever since then, his career has continued to escalate to all-new levels.

In the years after his military service and return to acting, his career hit an all-time high when he appeared in the Korean movie Train to Busan, where he became a familiar face all over the world due to the movie’s popularity. Gong then appeared in the Korean drama Goblin, which was extremely successful internationally as well. Ever since then, he has been appearing in high-profile shows and movies like Squid Game, The Silent Sea, and the film adaptation of Kim Ji-young, Born 1982. He’s currently cast to make an appearance in the upcoming movie Wonderland by Kim Tae-yong. Until then, these are Gong Yoo’s best movies and TV shows so far, ranked.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

12 One Fine Day

     MBC

One Fine Day, a Korean drama released in 2006, is a throwback for Korean drama fans. It is based on a manga series titled Flower of Eden. Two siblings are brought together as step-siblings after their parents get married to each other. However, both parents died not too long after their union. The two are then sent to an orphanage and are adopted by different families. Years later, one lives in Korea (Sung Yu-ri), and the ​​other in Australia (Gong Yoo). After Gong’s character hears about his sister’s adopted family and how rich they are, he decides to return to Korea to try and swindle some money out of them.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

11 The Suspect

     Green Fish Pictures

Gong Yoo portrays Dong-cheol in 2013’s The Suspect, a former top agent from North Korea. The North Korean government abandons him in the middle of a mission, forcing him to flee to China to find out the fate of his wife and daughter. After discovering they have been killed, he decides to seek revenge against the perpetrators, defecting to South Korea to seek out the most resources. However, after the businessman he works for is murdered, he becomes the prime suspect, forcing him on the run yet again as South Korean and North Korean officials are looking for him.

10 A Man and a Woman

     Bom Film Productions

Jeon Do-yeon and Gong Yoo star in A Man and a Woman, a romance movie set in Finland. Jeon’s character meets Gong’s in Finland, where they both have brought their kids to a camp. The two try to follow the children while they are at camp, but end up at a hotel together, leading to sexual tension. They end up leaving without finding out who the other person is, but when they return to South Korea, their paths continue to cross. Both are struggling with their home lives and marriages, bringing them together romantically once again.

9 Silenced

     CJ Entertainment

When Silenced was released in 2011, it sparked debate in South Korea. It is based on a true event where students at a school for the deaf were sexually assaulted by staff members. The movie is also based on The Crucible, a novel written about this. Kang In-ho, portrayed by Gong Yoo, has just been hired as an art teacher for a school that caters to deaf children. When he arrives, he discovers that many of his students are emotionally distant and do not respond to him, but when he continues to try to talk to them, he discovers the school’s ugly secret: physical and sexual abuse is common there. Horrified, he decides to fight for their rights.

8 Kim Ji-young, Born 1982

     Lotte Entertainment

When the novel Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 was released in South Korea, it became a phenomenon. Cho Nam-joo’s novel was a feminist one, and its demographic could easily relate to the struggles and perspective of the protagonist Kim Ji-young. In 2019, a film adaptation starring Jung Yu-mi and Gong Yoo was released to positive reviews. Kim Ji-young is becoming possessed by women she knows, including her mother and grandmother, and she begins to live out her life like she is them. The story explains how a patriarchal society led her to act this way, with many people and opportunities favoring men.

7 Seo Bok

2021’s Seo Bok, directed by Lee Yong-ju, is a science fiction movie that was made in 2019, but was heavily delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It stars Gong Yoo as Gi-heon, a former agent at a South Korean intelligence agency. When he meets one of the first human clones (Park Bo-gum), he begins to realize that the clone is holding the secret to extending human life. However, not everyone wants to use this information for good purposes, forcing Gi-heon to try and protect him so nothing catastrophic happens shortly.

6 The Age of Shadows

     Warner Bros.

Kim Jee-woon’s The Age of Shadows is set in the colonial period of Korean history when Japan reigned over the entire peninsula. It stars Song Kang-ho as the primary protagonist, a police captain who is working with the Japanese government to try and smother the Korean resistance movement before it impacts domestic operations. On the resistance end of things, the leader of the resistance (Lee Byung-hun) and a resistance fighter (Gong Yoo) are planning to bring explosives to Shanghai on a train to try and get the momentum in their favor. Song’s character is trying to bring it down to stay in favor of the Japanese government, but he is forced to question his morals in the process.

5 The Silent Sea

     Netflix

Netflix’s miniseries The Silent Sea may be one of its best science fiction series to date. Starring Bae Doona and Gong Yoo, it takes place on an Earth where water has become scarce. A scientist (Bae Doona) joins a mission to the moon to find out what happened to her sister, who died in a major accident with one hundred and seventeen personnel members. When the team and its captain (Gong Yoo) arrive on the moon, it quickly becomes clear what they were told is not the truth, and the circumstances are much more dangerous than expected.

4 Squid Game

Squid Game, when it came out in 2021, became a worldwide phenomenon. A group of 456 players is brought into a lethal game when in need of some cash; they are promised the equivalent of 35 million USD if they win. The story is primarily told through the perspective of a divorced father (Lee Jung-jae), who, if he wins, plans to use the money to try and take custody of his daughter before she leaves for the United States. Gong Yoo makes an iconic appearance in the show as the salesman recruits people for the games by asking them to play ddakji.

3 Guardian: The Lonely and Great God

     Hwa&Dam Pictures

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, simply known as Goblin, has been one of the top Korean dramas in the past decade. It boasts an all-star cast of Kim Go-eun, Gong Yoo, Lee Dong-wook, Yoo In-na, and Yook Sung-jae. It opens in the distant past, where a military general (Gong Yoo) watches all his loved ones slain after he is falsely deemed a traitor. He becomes a goblin in the process, cursed with immortality. Centuries later, he meets a young high school student (Kim Go-eun) and realizes she might be the key to ending his curse.

2 Coffee Prince

     Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation

Coffee Prince was the role that launched Gong Yoo’s career into what it is today, making him one of the earliest iconic male leads in a Korean drama before they became well-known. He portrays the grandson of a businesswoman, and he lacks any real ambition in his life. He meets a woman (Yoon Eun-hye) that he doesn’t realize is female, then hires her to be his fake gay lover because he doesn’t want to go on blind dates anymore. Forced to take over a coffee shop in the process, he hires her, despite not realizing she’s female after spending time together, and begins to fall in love with her despite that.

1 Train to Busan

     Next Entertainment World

Train to Busan is an iconic movie, with an American remake somewhere in the process of production — the release date has been delayed, making its future unknown for now. Gong Yoo portrays a businessman who brings his daughter on a train to Busan, as he wants to make her wish of seeing her mother there come true. However, a zombie infection begins to spread across the train’s passengers, forcing the ride to become a do-or-die situation. As the entire country succumbs to the zombies, decisions have to be made quickly.