Ryu Jun-yeol

Ryu Jun-yeol (Korean: 류준열; born September 25, 1986) is a South Korean actor. Ryu began his acting career in independent films like Socialphobia (2015) prior to being known through the television series Reply 1988 (2015–2016) which won him the Baeksang Arts Award for Best New Actor. He then starred in the films The King (2017), A Taxi Driver (2017), Believer (2018), The Battle: Roar to Victory (2019), and The Night Owl (2022). He also gained attention for his work in the two-part action blockbuster films Alienoid (2022) and Alienoid: Return to the Future (2024), as well as the series The 8 Show (2022). Ryu has received numerous accolades and has been included in the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list for three consecutive years: 14th in 2017, 36th in 2018, and 11th in 2019.

Ryu was born on September 25, 1986, in Suwon, South Korea. He is the eldest and has a sister who is two years his junior. He graduated from University of Suwon majoring in film on a scholarship. While studying at the university, Ryu took many part-time jobs, working as an after-school teacher for elementary students, a pizza delivery person, a day labourer, and more. Ryu was conscripted before debuting as an actor. He registered as a public officer in 2007 and completed his duties in 2009.

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.

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. 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. His performance won him many accolades, including the Best New Actor in TV Award at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards in 2016.

Ryu in 2016

In 2016, Ryu starred in the coming-of-age film One Way Trip and crime thriller No Tomorrow. The same year, he played his first leading role in romantic-comedy Lucky Romance alongside Hwang Jung-eum. 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. The same year, he featured in biopic film A Taxi Driver with actors Song Kang-ho and Yoo Hae-jin, 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 film Heart Blackened alongside Choi Min-sik and Park Shin-hye.

Ryu in 2018

In 2018, Ryu starred in the acclaimed drama film Little Forest with Kim Tae-ri, and headlined the crime action film Believer with Cho Jin-woong . 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 with Gong Hyo-jin directed by Han Jun-hee, led the crime film Money alongside Yoo Ji-tae and historical action film The Battle: Roar to Victory directed by Won Shin-yun. 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.

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. In 2022, Ryu headlined Choi Dong-hoon's sci-fi action fantasy film, Alienoid, reuniting with Kim Tae-ri. 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 Yoo Hae-jin. 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. Ryu starred in the mystery thriller film Revelations with actress Shin Hyun-been and directed by Yeon Sang-ho. 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.

While filming Youth Over Flowers: Africa in 2016, Ryu developed an interest in environmentalism and began to campaign for environmental protection. In December 2018, Ryu was reported to have donated ₩10 million to Greenpeace. He has been making regular donations since 2016 for various campaigns, such as Save the Arctic. 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. 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. The two had previously visited the DMZ Peace Trail in 2019 to mark the first anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration.

Ryu took a brief hiatus from acting and moved to the United States, 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. Additionally, he did photography work and learned vlogging in his spare time. He established a mini vlog-series on YouTube, titled Ryu Jun-yeol's: Reportage (Korean: '류준열의 르포르타쥬'), which covered his life in Los Angeles. 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.

Ryu was in a relationship with Reply 1988 co-star Lee Hye-ri from late 2016 to November 2023. He briefly dated actress Han So-hee in 2024.

An avid football fan, Ryu has participated in promotional activities for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which was held in South Korea. Ahead of the tournament, Ryu played against Argentine football players Diego Maradona and Pablo Aimar in a five-a-side match held before the official U-20 World Cup draw in Suwon.

• Ryu Jun-yeol at C-JeS Entertainment (in Korean)
• Ryu Jun-yeol at IMDb
• Ryu Jun-yeol at HanCinema