Inside Gong Yoo's world of fame without the fairytale love story

Inside Gong Yoo's world of fame without the fairytale love story

Gong Yoo, a South Korean actor, is best known for his roles in Coffee Prince, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, Squid Game, and Silenced. Beyond his acclaimed performances, his off-screen life is far from a fairytale, reflecting the delicate balance between fame, privacy, and personal choices.

Gong Yoo at an endorsement event for the Zenfone 4 smartphone and at the photocall for 'iloom
Gong Yoo during the Zenfone 4 smartphone endorsement event (L) and the actor attends the photocall for 'iloom' (R). Photo: Visual China Group, Han Myung-Gu (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Key takeaways

  • Gong Yoo was born Gong Ji-cheol in 1979 in Busan, South Korea.
  • While Gong Yoo prefers to keep his personal and love life private, he seems to be single.
  • Gong's parents are Gong Won and Yoo Myung-joo.
  • His acting career spans several notable films and TV series, such as The Trunk, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Hello My Teacher, and Spy Girl.

Profile summary

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Full name

Gong Ji-cheol

Nickname

Yoo

Gender

Male

Date of birth

10 July 1979

Age

46 years old (as of 2025)

Zodiac sign

Cancer

Place of birth

Busan, South Korea

Current residence

Seoul, South Korea

Nationality

South Korean

Ethnicity

Asian

Religion

Christianity

Sexuality

Straight

Height in feet

6'

Height in centimetres

183

Weight in pounds

163

Weight in kilograms

74

Hair colour

Black

Eye colour

Dark brown

Father

Gong Won

Mother

Yoo Myung-Joo

Siblings

1

Relationship status

Single

High School

Dongin High School

University

Kyung Hee University

Profession

Actor

Instagram

@gongyoo_official

Gong Yoo's biography

The South Korean actor, born Gong Ji-cheol on 10 July 1979 in Busan, South Korea. He is the son of Gong Won and Yoo Myung-joo. Gong was raised alongside his older sister, Gong Eun-Jung, and spent his early years in Busan. He is a South Korean citizen of Asian descent.

Gong attended Naesung Middle School and later Dongin High School. After completing high school, he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts from Kyung Hee University.

Gong Yoo's career highlights

Facts about Gong Yoo
Top 5 facts about Gong Yoo. Photo: Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images (modified by author)
Source: Original

Gong’s career began around 2000 when he worked as a video jockey (VJ) on Mnet before landing his first acting role as Hwang Tae-young in School in 2001. His breakthrough came in 2007 when he starred as Choi Han-kyul in the romantic comedy The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince.

In 2008, he enlisted for mandatory military service, and after completing his duty, he returned to acting in 2010 with the film Finding Mr. Destiny. Since then, he has appeared in numerous films and television series.

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Gong Yoo's movies and TV shows

According to his IMDb profile, here are some of his key TV and film roles.

Year

Movie/TV show

Role

2025

Love Untangled

Cafe Owner

2021–2024

Squid Game

Ddakji Man

2024

The Trunk

Han Jeong-won

2024

Wonderland

Sung-Joon

2021

The Silent Sea

Han Yoon-jae

2021

Seobok

Ki Heon

2016–2017

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God

Kim Shin

2016

The Age of Shadows

Kim Woo-Jin

2016

A Man and a Woman

Ki-hong

2013

Dating Agency: Cyrano

Soo-ah's Crush

2012

Big

Seo Yoon Jae

2011

Silenced

Kang In-ho

2007

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Park

2006

One Fine Day

Seo Gun

2005

Hello My Teacher

Park Tae-in

2004

Mr. Gam's Victory

Park Cheol-soo

2004

Spy Girl

Choi Ko-bong

2003

Seu-Keu-Rin

-

2003

My Tutor Friend

Jong-soo

Who is Gong Yoo's wife?

The actor is unmarried as of November 2025. Over the years, his romantic life has sparked ongoing speculation, with several famous actresses linked to him, including Kim Go-eun, Jung Yu-mi, Im Soo-jung, Yoon Eun-hye, Lee Min-jung, and Ahn So-hee. However, the actor has never confirmed any of these rumours.

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Gong shared his views on marriage in 2024 in a café interview for Trunk, saying that marriage isn’t a given for him. He explained

I don’t think marriage is a given. I’m in my mid-40s, but I don’t see a definitive answer. It’s a personal choice for everyone.

The actor also expressed similar thoughts about parenthood, noting:

It’s the same. In my early 20s and 30s, I wanted to have a child quickly. I had this vague fantasy about being a young father with a child close in age to me. But things didn’t work out. I failed thoroughly. Like marriage, having children is a choice. On a deeper level, I often question what kind of world I could show my child. That uncertainty makes it harder.
Gong Yoo at the Body Shop in Seoul, South Korea
South Korean actor Gong Yoo attends the photocall. Photo: Han Myung-Gu
Source: Getty Images

FAQs

  1. Who is Gong Yoo? He is a South Korean actor.
  2. How old is Gong Yoo? Gong is 46 years old as of 2025, having been born on 10 July 1979.
  3. Where is Gong Yoo from? He hails from Busan, South Korea.
  4. What is Gong Yoo's ethnicity? Yoo is of Asian heritage.
  5. Who are Gong Yoo's parents? His parents are Yoo Myung-Joo and Gon Won.
  6. Which university did Gong Yoo go to? The actor graduated from Kyung Hee University.
  7. Did Gong Yoo get married? He is yet to get married.
  8. Is Gong Yoo in a relationship? He is presumably single as of November 2025.
  9. What is Gong Yoo's height? The South Korean actor is 6 feet or 183 centimetres tall.

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Gong Yoo is a South Korean actor who captivates audiences through his craft and his measured approach to fame, rather than public displays of romance. His life off-screen shows that success doesn’t necessarily come with a highly visible love life, and he remains unmarried as of now.

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Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Isaac Wangethi avatar

Isaac Wangethi (Lifestyle writer) Isaac Wangethi has been a content writer at Legit since September 2021. He has gained valuable experience working on various projects, such as celebrity biographies, lifestyle, news and many more. Isaac won the Writer of the Year Award on Legit in 2023. He earned a Bsc. of Science in Information Technology in 2017 from the University of Nairobi and a Higher Diploma in Computer Software Engineering from Gretsa University in 2021. In 2023, Isaac finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. In March 2024, he completed the Google News Initiative course. Email: Wangethin@gmail.com

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