Ryu Jun-yeol (; born September 25, 1986) is a South Korean actor, activist, and photographer. Ryu began his acting career in

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

s, and then rose to prominence through his breakthrough role in the critically acclaimed television series ''

Reply 1988 ''Reply 1988'' () is a South Korean television series starring Lee Hye-ri, Ryu Jun-yeol, Go Kyung-pyo, Park Bo-gum, and Lee Dong-hwi. Beginning in the year 1988, it revolves around five friends and their families living in the same neighborhoo ...

'' (2015–2016), the highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history at the time, which also led to him winning various Best New Actor Awards in South Korea. Known as a prolific Chungmu-ro actor, since then he has starred in the box-office hit films '' The King'' (2017), ''

A Taxi Driver ''A Taxi Driver'' () is a 2017 South Korean historical action drama film directed by Jang Hoon and written by Eom Yu-na, with Song Kang-ho starring in the title role, alongside Thomas Kretschmann, Yoo Hae-jin, and Ryu Jun-yeol. Based on a re ...

'' (2017), '' Little Forest'' (2018), ''Believer'' (2018), ''Money'' (2019), '' The Battle: Roar to Victory'' (2019), and '' The Night Owl'' (2022). Ryu has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including nominations for

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...

Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by ''Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popula ...

Buil Film Awards The Buil Film Awards () is a South Korean film awards ceremony hosted by the ''Busan Ilbo'' newspaper. It began in 1958 as one of the earliest film awards in the country. During the 1950s and 1960s, it was the biggest film awards event in the B ...

Chunsa Film Art Awards The Chunsa Film Art Awards (also known as the Icheon Chunsa Film Festival) have been presented in South Korea since the founding of the prize by the Korea Film Directors' Society in 1990. The awards take their name from the pen name of the early ...

, London East Asian Film Festival and

New York Asian Film Festival The New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is a critically acclaimed film festival held in New York City, dedicated to the display of Asian Film Culture. The New York Asian Film Festival generally features contemporary premieres and classic titles ...

. In addition to his film work, Ryu actively engages in social and environmental activism. He has been recognised by ''Forbes'' Korea as one of the most powerful celebrities in South Korea, placing on the listing for three consecutive years, fourteenth in 2017, thirty-sixth in 2018, and eleventh in 2019.

Early life and education

Ryu was born on September 25, 1986, in

Suwon Suwon (, ) is the capital and largest city of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea's most populous province which surrounds Seoul, the national capital. Suwon lies about south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety". With a populati ...

, South Korea. He is the eldest and has a sister who is two years his junior. He graduated from

University of Suwon The University of Suwon (Hangul: 수원대학교) is a university in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Foundation The university was founded by the Kowoon Foundation in 1977 and authorized in 1981 with nine departments. The sister ...

majoring in Film under a scholarship. While studying at the university, Ryu took on many part-time jobs, working as a pizza delivery person, a day labourer, an after-school tutor, and more. Ryu was

conscripted Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

before debuting as an actor. He registered as a public officer in 2007 and completed his duties in 2009.

Career

2012–2014: Beginnings

In 2012, Ryu started acting in short films and

productions, before being cast in a

bit part In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British television, ...

in the 2013 feature film ''INGtoogi: The Battle of Internet Trolls''.

2015–2017: Rising popularity and breakthrough

Ryu first drew attention for his breakout performance in his debut

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

, ''

Socialphobia ''Socialphobia'' () is a 2015 South Korean thriller/drama film starring Byun Yo-han, Lee Joo-seung, and Ryu Jun-yeol. It was co-written and directed by Hong Seok-jae in his directorial debut, based on a real-life story that explores the social i ...

'' in 2015, which earned him Rising star award at KAFA Film Festival and other nominations from

. Later that year, Ryu gained widespread public recognition through starring in the popular teen series ''

'', alongside

Lee Hye-ri Lee Hye-ri (; born June 9, 1994), better known mononymously as Hyeri, is a South Korean actress, singer, and television personality. She rose to fame as the youngest member of girl group Girl's Day, and was named as the "Nation's Little Sister ...

Park Bo-gum Park Bo-gum (; born June 16, 1993) is a South Korean actor. He gained recognition for his diverse range of roles in film and television, notably, a psychopathic lawyer in '' Hello Monster'' (2015), a genius Go player in ''Reply 1988'' (2015– ...

Go Kyung-pyo Go Kyung-pyo (; born June 11, 1990) is a South Korean actor and comedian. He gained recognition for his role in the television series ''Reply 1988'' (2015–16) and has since starred in ''Don't Dare to Dream'' (2016) and '' Chicago Typewriter'' ...

, and

Lee Dong-hwi Lee Dong-hwi (born July 22, 1985) is a South Korean actor and singer. He gained recognition through his role in the critically acclaimed television series ''Reply 1988'' (2015–2016). Lee starred in the film ''Extreme Job'' (2019), the second ...

. His portrayal of one of the leads, Kim Jung-hwan, won him many accolades, including the Best New Actor in TV award at the

52nd Baeksang Arts Awards The 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards () ceremony was held on June 3, 2016, at Grand Peace Hall, Kyung Hee University in Seoul. It was broadcast live on JTBC and was hosted by Shin Dong-yup and Bae Suzy. Organised by ''Ilgan Sports'' and JTBC Plus, it ...

in 2016. In 2016, Ryu starred in the

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...

film '' One Way Trip'' and crime thriller ''No Tomorrow''. The same year, he played his first leading role in romantic-comedy ''

Lucky Romance ''Lucky Romance'' () is a 2016 South Korean television series based on the webtoon of the same name published in 2014 on Naver, starring Hwang Jung-eum and Ryu Jun-yeol. It aired on MBC TV's Wednesdays and Thursdays at 22:00 ( KST) timeslot ...

'' alongside

Hwang Jung-eum Hwang Jung-eum is a South Korean actress and singer. She rose to stardom through the sitcom ''High Kick Through the Roof'' and received her first leading role with television series '' Listen to My Heart''. Career Hwang Jung-eum debuted with K ...

. In 2017, Ryu featured in political crime drama film '' The King'' alongside

Jo In-sung Zo In-sung (, born July 28, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the Korean television dramas ''Something Happened in Bali'' (2004), '' Spring Day'' (2005), ''That Winter, the Wind Blows'' (2013), and ''It ...

and

Jung Woo-sung Jung Woo-sung (born March 20, 1973) is a South Korean actor and the first Korean UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. Jung started his career as a fashion model, rising to stardom and teenage cult status with the gangster movie ''Beat'' (1997), for which ...

, which became the 7th highest-grossing South Korean film of the year and for which he won the Best New Actor in Film award at the

53rd Baeksang Arts Awards The 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards (Korean: 제53회 백상예술대상) ceremony was held on May 3, 2017, at Hall D, COEX in Seoul. It was broadcast live on JTBC and was hosted by Park Joong-hoon and Bae Suzy. Organised by ''Ilgan Sports'' and JTBC ...

. The same year, he featured in biopic ''

'' with veteran actors

Song Kang-ho Song Kang-ho (born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Song made his film debut in ''The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), and came to national prominence with a series of critically acclaimed performances, including ''No. 3'' (1997) ...

and

Yoo Hae-jin Yoo Hae-jin (born January 4, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Career As a child, Yoo Hae-jin would often slip in through the backdoor of a cultural center near his home to watch events that were being held there. After seeing a play in eighth gra ...

, which became the highest grossing Korean film of the year and the twelfth highest-grossing South Korean film in history. Ryu also appeared in legal thriller '' Heart Blackened'' alongside

Choi Min-sik Choi Min-sik (born April 27, 1962) is a South Korean actor. He received critical acclaim for his roles in '' Oldboy'' (2003), ''I Saw the Devil'' (2010) and '' The Admiral: Roaring Currents'' (2014). For his role in ''Oldboy'', he won the Best ...

and

Park Shin-hye Park Shin-hye (, born February 18, 1990) is a South Korean actress and singer. She gained recognition as a child on TV shows such as ''Stairway to Heaven'' (2003), and ''Tree of Heaven'' (2006). Later on, she would achieve further success when ...

2018-present: Prominence in film and high-profile roles

In 2018, Ryu starred in the critically acclaimed drama film '' Little Forest'' with

Kim Tae-ri Kim Tae-ri (born April 24, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She is known for starring in the films ''The Handmaiden'' (2016), ''Little Forest (film), Little Forest'' (2018), ''Space Sweepers'' (2020) and in the historical drama ''Mr. Sunshine ( ...

, and headlined the crime action film '' Believer'' with

Cho Jin-woong Cho Jin-woong (born Jo Won-jun; March 3, 1976) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles as Sejong's loyal bodyguard in ''Deep Rooted Tree'' (2011), a mobster in '' Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time'' (2012), and a mysterious vil ...

. ''Believer'' was a box-office hit, becoming the first Korean film to surpass five million admissions in 2018. It was the fourth highest-grossing film of the year in South Korea. In 2019, Ryu starred in the action thriller film ''

Hit-and-Run Squad ''Hit-and-Run Squad'' is a South Korean action police procedural film. It is directed by Han Jun-hee and stars Gong Hyo-jin, Ryu Jun-yeol and Jo Jung-suk. The film was released on January 30, 2019. Synopsis A hit-and-run police task force cha ...

'' with

Gong Hyo-jin Gong Hyo-jin (born April 4, 1980) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading role in the film '' Crush and Blush'' (2008), as well as for her popular television series '' Sang Doo! Let's Go to School'' (2003), ''Thank You'' (20 ...

directed by

Han Jun-hee Han Jun-hee (born 1985) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Han wrote and directed the female-driven crime thriller '' Coin Locker Girl'' (2015). Filmography *''To Bite a Cigarette'' (short film, 2005) - director *''Once in a ...

, lead the crime film ''

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

'' alongside

Yoo Ji-tae Yoo Ji-tae (born April 13, 1976) is a South Korean actor, film director and screenwriter. After a stint as a fashion model, Yoo launched his acting career in 1998 then rose to fame through the films ''Attack the Gas Station'' (1999) and ''Ditto' ...

and historical action film '' The Battle: Roar to Victory'' directed by

Won Shin-yun Won Shin-yun (born October, 1969) is a South Korean film director. Won has the unique background of having been a stuntman before making his directorial horror film debut ''The Wig'' (2005). He filmed a series of thrillers, including ''A Bloody ...

. All three films performed well at the box-office, with ''The Battle: Roar to Victory'' and ''Money'' eventually becoming the 5th and 9th highest grossing Korean films of the year respectively. Ryu's continuous big screen success earned him a spot in

Forbes Korea Power Celebrity ''Forbes'' Korea Power Celebrity 40 is an annual list published by ''Forbes Korea'' magazine since 2009. It is a catalog of the top 40 most powerful celebrities in South Korea where personalities from sports, music, arts, film and television are ...

for two consecutive years, 36th in 2018 and 11th in 2019. In 2021, Ryu starred in

JTBC JTBC (shortened from ''Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company'' (; stylized as jtbc) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on 1 December 2011. JTBC ...

's "Tenth Anniversary Special Project", a

Hur Jin-ho Heo Jin-ho (; born August 8, 1963) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Career Heo Jin-ho graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in philosophy and went on to study filmmaking at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. His first st ...

melodrama television series ''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

'' with

Jeon Do-yeon Jeon Do-yeon (; born February 11, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She won Best Actress at the 60th Cannes Film Festival, making her the second Korean actress to win an acting award at a prestigious film festival, and Best Performance by an Ac ...

, marking his small screen comeback after five years. In 2022, Ryu headlined

Choi Dong-hoon Choi Dong-hoon (; born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He ranks as one of the most consistently successful directors working in contemporary Korean cinema, with all five of his films becoming commercial hits - ...

sci-fi Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universe ...

action fantasy film, ''

Alienoid ''Alienoid'' () is a 2022 South Korean science fantasy action film directed by Choi Dong-hoon, starring Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Woo-bin, and Kim Tae-ri. The film depicts an extraordinary story that unfolds as the gates of time open between late Gory ...

,'' reuniting with

. The film premiered in July 2022. Despite the film not being a commercial success, Ryu's performance was praised by critics. In November, Ryu starred in the historical-thriller film '' The Night Owl'', reuniting with

Upcoming roles

Ryu is set to feature as a lead in

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and co ...

drama ''Money Game'' along with actress

Chun Woo-hee Chun Woo-hee (born April 20, 1987) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 2004, but first drew attention with her supporting role as a rebellious teenager in the 2011 box-office hit '' Sunny''. In 2014, Chun received critical ac ...

and actor Park Jeong-min, reuniting with director

Han Jae-rim Han Jae-rim (born July 14, 1975) is a South Korean film director. He directed ''Rules of Dating'' (2005), ''The Show Must Go On'' (2007), ''The Face Reader'' (2013), '' The King'' (2017), and '' Emergency Declaration'' (2021). Career Born in 19 ...

Other works

Philanthropy

Ryu is an

environmental activist The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists advoc ...

. While filming Youth Over Flowers: Africa in 2016, Ryu developed an interest in

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seek ...

and began to campaign for

environmental protection Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...

. In December 2018, Ryu was reported to have donated ₩10 million to

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...

, a non-governmental environmental organisation. He has been making regular donations since 2016 for various campaigns, such as

Save the Arctic Save the Arctic is a Greenpeace campaign to protect the Arctic, principally by preventing oil drilling and unsustainable industrial fishing in the area completely, surrounded by an Arctic-Environmental economics-Zone. The campaign, begun in 2012, ...

. In 2020, Ryu made yet another donation to

in response to Australian wildfires, and campaigned for animal protection and urgent action to tackle

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

on his

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account. In 2021, Ryu participated in a video conference with

South Korean President The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; ), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is ...

Moon Jae-in Moon Jae-in (; ; born 24 January 1953) is a South Korean former politician, civil servant and lawyer who served as the 12th president of South Korea between 2017 and 2022. Prior to his presidency, he served as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs an ...

, speaking about environmental protection and bringing attention to the

campaign to reduce plastic packaging. The two had previously visited the DMZ Peace Trail in 2019 to mark the first anniversary of the

Panmunjom Declaration The Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula was adopted between the Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, and the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, on 27 April 2018, during the 2018 int ...

Photography

Ryu took a brief hiatus from acting and moved to the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

, living in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

for several months from mid-2019 to early 2020, going by his English name Anthony. He attended the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

for a study abroad programme. Apart from his studies, he did photography work and learned

vlog A video blog or video log, sometimes shortened to vlog (), is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in ...

ging in his spare time. He established a mini vlog-series on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

, titled ''‘Ryu Jun Yeol’s: Reportage’'' (), which covered his life in Los Angeles. In November 2020, Ryu held his first photo

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...

in Seoul, titled "''Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood''", which showcased the photos he took while living abroad.

Personal life

Ryu has been in a relationship with singer and actress

since late 2016, whom he met while filming ''

'' where he played as the second lead who fell in love with his childhood best friend. Ryu is an avid

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

fan. He is best friends with

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

player

Son Heung-min Son Heung-min ( ko, 손흥민; ; born 8 July 1992) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and captains the South Korea national team. Considered one of the best forwards in ...

, and has participated in promotional activities for the

2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 21st edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the biennial international men's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 1977 as ...

, which was held in South Korea. Ahead of the tournament, Ryu played against Argentine football players

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the FI ...

and

Pablo Aimar Pablo César Aimar (born 3 November 1979) is an Argentine former professional footballer and current assistant coach of the Argentina national team. Aimar played as an attacking midfielder. After starting his senior career at River Plate in 1 ...

in a

five-a-side ''Five-A-Side'' is the debut album by the pop rock band Ace, released by Anchor Records in 1974. The album landed on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, reaching #11 in 1974. The single " How Long" reached #3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the ...

match held before the official

U-20 World Cup The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members’ men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 wh ...

draw in Suwon.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Web series

Television shows

Hosting

Music video appearances

Discography

Singles

Awards and nominations

State honors

Listicles

Notes

References

External links

Ryu Jun-yeol
at

C-JeS Entertainment C-JeS Entertainment is a South Korean entertainment company established in 2009, handling the management of various artists. Its roster includes popular boy band JYJ; singer Gummy; actors Sol Kyung-gu, Ryu Jun-yeol, and Lee Jae-wook; and actresses ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ryu, Jun-yeol 1986 births Living people 21st-century South Korean male actors South Korean male film actors South Korean male television actors People from Suwon University of Suwon alumni Best New Actor Paeksang Arts Award (television) winners Best New Actor Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners