Ryu Jun-yeol

2012–2014: Beginnings

In 2012, Ryu started acting in short and independent films, before being cast in a bit part in the 2013 feature film INGtoogi: The Battle of Internet Trolls.^[11]

2015–2017: Reply 1988 and breakthrough

Ryu first drew attention for his performance in his debut feature film, Socialphobia in 2015, which earned him a Rising Star Award at KAFA Film Festival and nominations from Chunsa Film Art Awards.^[12][13] Later that year, Ryu gained widespread public recognition through starring in the family drama Reply 1988, alongside Lee Hye-ri, Park Bo-gum, Go Kyung-pyo, and Lee Dong-hwi.^[14][15][16] His performance won him many accolades, including the Best New Actor in TV Award at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards in 2016.^[17]

In 2016, Ryu starred in the coming-of-age film One Way Trip and crime thriller No Tomorrow.^[18][19] The same year, he played his first leading role in romantic-comedy Lucky Romance alongside Hwang Jung-eum.^[20][21] In 2017, Ryu featured in political crime drama film The King alongside Zo In-sung and Jung Woo-sung, 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.^[22][23] The same year, he featured in biopic film A Taxi Driver with actors Song Kang-ho and Yoo Hae-jin,^[24] which became the highest grossing Korean film of the year and the twelfth highest-grossing South Korean film in history.^[25] Ryu also appeared in legal thriller film Heart Blackened alongside Choi Min-sik and Park Shin-hye.^[26]

2018–present: Work in film and streaming media

In 2018, Ryu starred in the acclaimed drama film Little Forest with Kim Tae-ri,^[27] and headlined the crime action film Believer with Cho Jin-woong .^[28][29] Believer was a box-office hit, becoming the first Korean film to surpass five million admissions in 2018.^[30] 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 with Gong Hyo-jin directed by Han Jun-hee,^[31][32] led the crime film Money alongside Yoo Ji-tae^[33] and historical action film The Battle: Roar to Victory directed by Won Shin-yun.^[34] 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 film work earned him a spot in Forbes Korea Power Celebrity for two consecutive years, 36th in 2018 and 11th in 2019.^[35][36]

In 2021, Ryu starred in JTBC's "Tenth Anniversary Special Project", a Hur Jin-ho melodrama television series Lost with Jeon Do-yeon, marking his small screen comeback after five years.^[37] In 2022, Ryu headlined Choi Dong-hoon's sci-fi action fantasy film, Alienoid, reuniting with Kim Tae-ri.^[38] The film premiered in July 2022.^[39] Despite the film not being a commercial success, Ryu's performance was praised by critics.^[40] In November, Ryu starred in the historical-thriller film The Night Owl, reuniting with Yoo Hae-jin.^[41] In 2024, Ryu starred in psychological thriller Netflix series The 8 Show along with actress Chun Woo-hee and actor Park Jeong-min, reuniting second work with the director Han Jae-rim.^[42] Ryu starred in the mystery thriller film Revelations with actress Shin Hyun-been and directed by Yeon Sang-ho.^[43] In May 2025, Netflix announced that Ryu will be one of the main characters of the new drama The Rat, co-starring Sul Kyung-gu.^[44] In June, Ryu signed an exclusive contract with United Artists Agency (UAA).^[45]

Philanthropy

While filming Youth Over Flowers: Africa in 2016, Ryu developed an interest in environmentalism and began to campaign for environmental protection.^{[46][unreliable source?]} In December 2018, Ryu was reported to have donated ₩10 million to Greenpeace.^{[citation needed]} He has been making regular donations since 2016 for various campaigns, such as Save the Arctic.^[47] In 2020, Ryu madeanother donation to Greenpeace in response to Australian wildfires, and campaigned for animal protection and urgent action to tackle climate change on his Instagram account.^[48] In 2021, Ryu participated in a video conference with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, speaking about environmental protection and bringing attention to the Greenpeace campaign to reduce plastic packaging.^[49] The two had previously visited the DMZ Peace Trail in 2019 to mark the first anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration.^[50]

Photography

Ryu took a brief hiatus from acting and moved to the United States,^[51] living in Los Angeles for several months from mid-2019 to early 2020, going by his English name Anthony. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles for a study abroad programme.^[52][53] Additionally, he did photography work and learned vlogging in his spare time.^{[citation needed]} He established a mini vlog-series on YouTube, titled Ryu Jun-yeol's: Reportage (Korean: '류준열의 르포르타쥬'), which covered his life in Los Angeles.^[54] In November 2020, Ryu held his first photo exhibition in Seoul, titled "Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood", which showcased the photos he took while living abroad.^[55]

Film

Television series

Television shows

Hosting

Music videos

Music video appearances

Singles

Awards and nominations

State honors

Listicles