Ryu Seung-ryong
Ryu Seung-ryong is a South Korean actor. Ryu began his acting career in theater, subsequently becoming one of the most versatile supporting actors in Korean film and television. He gained recognition by starring in the films War of the Arrows, All About My Wife, Masquerade, Miracle in Cell No. 7, and The Admiral: Roaring Currents, with the latter being the highest-grossing film in South Korea. For his performance in Miracle in Cell No. 7, Ryu won the Grand Prize at the 49th Baeksang Arts Awards. In 2019, he headlined the comedy film Extreme Job, which is currently the second highest-grossing film of all time in South Korea. Ryu is the first Korean to star in four movies that have drawn over 10 million viewers each.
In television, his notable works include Painter of the Wind, Personal Taste, Kingdom, and Moving. He is currently an adjunct professor in the department of acting arts at Seoul Arts College.
Early life and education
Ryu Seung-ryong was born on November 29, 1970 in Seoul. He spent part of his childhood in his father's hometown at Seocheon County, South Chungcheong Province. He became interested in acting after watching the play Faust, starring Kim Jin-tae, during his third year of middle school. His parents, despite financial difficulties, made an effort to show him a few good performances each year. He then enrolled at. Initially, he faced some bullying due to his rebellious nature, but found solace in the school's drama club. His experience in drama training reinforced his ambition to become an actor. In 1986, he made his acting debut in a musical. Despite his active involvement in theater, he also excelled academically, serving as the class president, ranking third in his class, and consistently placing in the top 50 students in the school.He later enrolled in the Theatre Department at the Seoul Institute of the Arts in 1990. During his time there, he studied alongside classmates such as Ahn Jae-wook, Jung Jae-young, Lee Hae-young, Hwang Jung-min, and Im Won-hee. Ryu's graduation project work called Road where He played the main character. Ryu's graduation project, titled "Road," featured him as the main character. His classmates Hwang Jung-min, Jung Jae-young, Im Won-hee, and Jang Jin, who was one year his senior in college, also took part in the project. The play was created by Professor Kang Man-hong, known for the avant-garde production "Kka." Ryu successfully completed his studies and obtained a bachelor's degree in Theatre.
Career
1998–2003: Beginning in theater and ''Nanta''
After graduating, Ryu joined the Dongrang Theater Company and performed in several large-scale musicals in a small roles. To support himself and gain life experience, Ryu took on various part-time jobs, including interior decorating, delivering food, carrying cabbage at Garak Market, and washing cars. Notably, he developed a unique venture on Jeju Island where he charged 30,000 won to take Polaroid photos of newlyweds flying paper kites with their wishes, a method that sometimes earned him approximately three million won per day. He also worked part-time at a bidet assembly factory in Jocheon alongside fellow actor Yoo Hae-jin.A turning point in Ryu's career occurred in 1997 in New York, where he and Yoo Hae-jin performed the avant-garde play Duta at the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York. While there, he observed groundbreaking happening shows like Stomp, Blue Man Group, and Tube. These performances inspired him to question the prevailing didactic nature of Korean plays and the lack of similar non-verbal shows.
Ryu found his answer in October 1997, when he attended the premiere of the non-verbal performance Nanta at Hoam Art Hall, produced by PMC Production. Impressed by the show, he auditioned and became a substitute member, eventually joining as a core cast member in 1998. He worked closely with founding members Kim Moon-soo and Kim Won-hae, and later Jang Hyuk-jin, forming the ensemble that practiced and performed Nanta worldwide. The show quickly gained immense popularity, setting the record for the longest-running open run performance in Korea.
Following its participation in the 1999 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Nanta embarked on a global tour across over 20 countries, including Japan, Europe, Australia, and North America, maintaining an audience occupancy rate of over 90%. It became a major cultural draw, attracting 70% of foreign tourists to Korea. Nanta was also the first Korean performance to utilize the concept of a dedicated theater, opening locations in Jeong-dong and Cheongdam-dong. By 2003, PMC was operating seven theaters. The production made its New York debut in 2002, with a performance on Broadway and an appearance on NBC's Today Show, predating other major Korean acts like Psy. Ryu's dedication to Nanta lasted five years. He later reflected on this period, stating: "I had dreams of performing on Broadway. Nanta is a top-tier show... I eventually left because I felt like a mute without any lines."
After leaving in 2002, Ryu focused on roles requiring dialogue and reunited with director Jang Jin, having previously declined a script for Jang's play Heotang due to his Nanta commitments. They successfully collaborated on the play Welcome to Dongmakgol, performed at the LG Arts Center in December 2002. Although Ryu felt he had only regained about 70% of his original linguistic sensitivity after the performance, his acting skills were clearly evident.
2004–2018: Screen debut and rise as Jang Jin's muses
Ryu made his film debut in a small role in Jang Jin's film Someone Special as a bank robber. He quickly followed this by acting in Jang Jin's environmental short film, Has the Rain Stopped?. In this short, he appeared as a slow-speaking, sagging-bellied farmer from Jeolla province. He delivered a reliable performance as a father who, though disdainful of his son's first love, still embraced him. In 2005, he appeared as a rival prosecutor, Seong-jun, a colleague of Choi Yoon-gi in Jang Jin's feature film, '. Although he did not have an entirely independent scene, his low voice and smooth manner of speaking left a distinct impression.His potential as a mature actor was further showcased in another Jang Jin short film, ', which screened at the 2005 Jeonju Film Festival. He played a contractual torture technician, effectively portraying a middle-aged worker permeated with fatigue who was unable to receive proper overtime pay despite working overnight shifts. His acting potential was noted in this, his third film collaboration with director Jang Jin. In September 2005, his work with the director extended to the stage as he rehearsed for Jang Jin's play, Death of a Salesman.His run of collaborations continued in 2006 when he appeared in Jang Jin's Righteous Ties. He then appeared in a series of the director's films, including Good Morning President and Quiz Show, making a solid impression on Chungmuro. He subsequently became a major star in Chungmuro with the box-office success of War of the Arrows, All About My Wife, and Masquerade.
He has since become one of the most versatile and dependable character actors in Korea. A sampling of the various roles he has played over the years: a mentally handicapped father in Miracle in Cell No. 7, the royal adviser Heo Gyun in Masquerade, an officer of the North Korean People's Army in The Front Line, a hard-nosed general of the Qing Dynasty
2019–Present: Second career heyday
In 2017, Ryu was cast in Kim Eun-hee's Netflix period zombie thriller Kingdom. The series premiered on January 25, 2019, and featured Ryu in the role of Lord Cho Hak-ju. Lord Cho is the Chief State Councilor of Joseon and the ruthless head of the Haewon Cho clan, positioning him as Lee Chang's primary political rival. As the father of the Queen Consort Cho, he desperately seeks to secure his power by making her unborn child the heir to the throne, replacing Lee Chang. In 2019, Ryu starred in director Lee Byeong-heon's comedy film Extreme Job, which went on to become the second highest-grossing film of all time in South Korea. Ryu played Chief Detective Go, known as "The Zombie" for surviving 12 stab wounds. To catch a drug gang, he and his team set up an undercover surveillance post in a chicken restaurant. They end up buying the restaurant and accidentally create a popular rib marinade recipe, turning their operation into a successful fried chicken business.Ryu reunited with director Park In-je, with whom he had previously collaborated on Season 2 of Kingdom, to join the Disney+ original series, Moving. This action-packed fantasy sci-fi series was written by Kang Full based on Kang's webtoon of the same name. The show features an ensemble cast including Ryu, Han Hyo-joo, Zo In-sung, Cha Tae-hyun, and others. In Moving, Ryu plays Jang Ju-won, a former gangster and ex-ANSP agent who runs a fried chicken shop and is the father of Hui-soo. His character possesses healing abilities and superhuman strength, though he remains susceptible to pain. The series was released from August 9 to September 20, 2023. Just seven days after its debut, Moving became the most-watched Korean original series on on Disney+ globally and Hulu in the United States, measured by hours streamed.
Continuing his work in streaming, Ryu reunited with director Lee Byeong-heon to lead the Netflix comedy series Chicken Nugget alongside Ahn Jae-hong. In the series, Ryu portrayed Choi Seon-man, the president of More Than Machines. The series follows Choi's desperate search for a method to return his daughter, Min-ah, to human form after her transformation into a chicken nugget by a mysterious machine.
Other ventures
Endorsements
Following the box-office success of All About My Wife, Ryu Seung-ryong became a sought-after endorser for major brands, including Samsung Life Insurance, Kumon Learning Center, and SK Telecom. His endorsement deals were strategically finalized just before the release of Miracle in Cell No. 7. The timing of these commercials airing alongside the film's theatrical screening proved highly beneficial for the advertisers. Samsung Life Insurance, for example, noted an increase in advertising interest after the movie surpassed 10 million views. Similarly, SK Telecom experienced a surge in sales after airing its commercial, making it the top-selling new product in March, and the 90-second YouTube version of the ad neared 1 million views.Following the success of 2014 historical film The Admiral: Roaring Currents, Ryu starred in The Baedal Minjok advertisement with the memorable slogan, "What kind of nation are we?" His campaigns ranged from cinematic broadcast ads to clever outdoor campaigns strategically placed in relevant locations. He won multiple advertising awards that year. The popularity of his CF for the BBQ chicken franchise, particularly the Paris Chicken line, led to a 500% increase in sales. His influence was formally recognized when he was named the Advertising Model of the Year at the 2014 Korea Advertising Awards.
In April 2024, Home Chicken SASE announced the selection of Ryu as its new brand model and launched a related campaign.
Philanthropy
In 2015, Ryu Seung-ryong donated 10 million won to support the independent film The Claws of the Five Generals, an adaptation of an award-winning play. The film's production costs were notably raised through citizen participation. Known for his interest in independent cinema and stage performances, Ryu contributed to the project after learning about the production.On September 3, 2020, Ryu and actress Park Jin-hee lent their talents to a Greenpeace climate crisis campaign, both providing narration for the organization's television commercial.
Personal life
Ryu Seung-ryong is a devout Christian and reportedly reads the Bible with his family every evening.In addition to his acting career, Ryu is noted for his proficiency in a variety of skills, including bloodletting, wooden swordsmanship, swimming, and singing. He is also skilled in woodworking and can construct simple furniture.