Gang Dong-won (; born January 18, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He debuted as a model and rose to stardom through the film ''

Temptation of Wolves ''Temptation of Wolves'' (; also known as ''Romance of Their Own'' or ''True Romance'') is a 2004 in film, 2004 South Korean romantic drama film directed by Kim Tae-kyun (director), Kim Tae-kyun, and based on a Web novels in South Korea, web novel ...

'' (2004). He is subsequently known for starring in the films ''

Maundy Thursday Maundy Thursday, also referred to as Holy Thursday, or Thursday of the Lord's Supper, among other names,The day is also known as Great and Holy Thursday, Holy and Great Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries. is ...

'' (2006), '' Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard'' (2009), ''

Secret Reunion ''Secret Reunion'' () is a 2010 South Korean action film directed by Jang Hoon, and one of the highest grossing Korean films of 2010. It follows Song Kang-ho as a former National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent and a North Korean sleeper opera ...

'' (2010), '' Kundo: Age of the Rampant'' (2014), '' The Priests'' (2015), '' A Violent Prosecutor'' (2016), ''

Master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

'' (2016), and ''

Peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

'' (2020).

Early life and education

Gang Dong-won was born January 18, 1981, in

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

, and grew up in

Changwon Changwon (; ) is the capital and largest city of South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea (with a population of 1,025,702 ), and the 11th largest city of the South Korea, country. A port city, Changwon is bordered by Masan Bay to the south, and the ...

South Gyeongsang Province South Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Haeinsa, a Buddhist temple tha ...

. His father, Gang Cheol-woo, was an engineer and later the vice president of SPP Heavy Industries. Gang's family suffered economic hardship at times and Gang had to work part-time in college to pay for his tuition. Academically gifted with an IQ of 137, Gang graduated from

Hanyang University Hanyang University (HYU, ) is a Private university, private research university in Seoul and Ansan (ERICA campus), South Korea. ''Hanyang'' () derives from the Names of Seoul, former name of the capital Seoul used during the Joseon period. The u ...

at Ansan with a degree in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

Career

2000–2004: Beginnings

In 2000, when Gang was a first year university student, he was spotted on the street by a modeling agent. Thus began his modeling career, and he appeared on the catwalk for

prêt-à-porter Ready-to-wear (RTW)also called ''prêt-à-porter'', or off-the-rack or off-the-peg in casual useis the term for garments sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a parti ...

collections in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

such as

DKNY DKNY is a New York City–based American fashion house for men and women, founded in 1984 by Donna Karan. The company specializes in a wide range of fashion products, including clothing, footwear, accessories and fragrances. A major misconcepti ...

Gucci Guccio Gucci S.p.A., doing business as Gucci ( , ), is an Italian Luxury goods, luxury fashion house based in Florence. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and ...

and

Hugo Boss Hugo Boss AG (stylized in all caps) is a designer fashion company headquartered in Metzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company sells clothing, Fashion accessory, accessories, footwear, and Leather, leather goods. Hugo Boss is one of the ...

, as well as for the local Seoul Fashion Artists Association (SFAA). After being cast in the

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for

Jo Sung-mo Jo Sung-mo (; born March 11, 1977) is a South Korean pop ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, ...

's "I Swear," Gang began taking acting classes, leading to a change in career. He made his acting debut on television in 2003, playing a doctor with a regional dialect in ''Country Princess'' (also known as ''Funny Wild Girl''), and a

chaebol A chaebol ( , ; , ) is a large industrial South Korean conglomerate run and controlled by an individual or family. A chaebol often consists of multiple diversified affiliates, controlled by a person or group. Several dozen large South Kore ...

's son in '' Something About 1%''. In 2004, he shot his first movie, the romantic comedy ''

Too Beautiful to Lie ''Too Beautiful to Lie'' (; lit. "Don't Believe Her") is a 2004 South Korean romantic comedy film about a beautiful ex-con and a naive village pharmacist. Plot Yeong-ju is a girl with cute looks, an innocent smile, and a brilliant talker. She ...

'', which was moderately successful.

2005–2010: Career breakthrough and mainstream success

Gang's first real breakthrough was in ''

'', the film adaptation of

Guiyeoni Guiyeoni (, born 1985) is the pen name of internet novelist Lee Yoon-sae (이윤세). Career She first reached fame with her novel '' He Was Cool'', which she serialized for 2 months since August 2001 in Daum's humor threads when she was a 2n ...

's teen internet novel. Gang's popularity subsequently rose, extending to other Asian countries, especially Japan. He then briefly returned to television as an

antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero or two words anti hero) or anti-heroine is a character in a narrative (in literature, film, TV, etc.) who may lack some conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism and morality. Al ...

in ''Magic'', though it received low ratings. Gang's next roles were an inmate on

death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting executio ...

on ''

'', and the antagonist in '' Voice of a Murderer''. His two collaborations with

auteur An (; , ) is an artist with a distinctive approach, usually a film director whose filmmaking control is so unbounded and personal that the director is likened to the "author" of the film, thus manifesting the director's unique style or thematic ...

Lee Myung-se Lee Myung-se (; born August 20, 1957) is a South Korean filmmaker. Lee began his career as an assistant producer under Bae Chang-ho for the films ''Hwang Jin-I'' (1986), ''Our Sweet Days of Youth'' (1988), and ''Dream'' (1990). At the 1991 Asia ...

in '' Duelist'' and '' M'' further cemented Gang's status as one of the top young actors in Korean cinema, earning him critical recognition for his stylish flair and diverse choice of roles. Gang said that he decided to play the mischievous titular character in the action fantasy '' Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard'' because "he wanted to work on a fun movie, as he was emotionally drained while formerly having worked on several serious films. The

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 first five of his films becoming commercial ...

film turned into a holiday blockbuster, selling over 6 million tickets over the winter season despite opening in theaters only a week after the release of ''

Avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...

'' in Korea. In 2010, he was cast opposite veteran actor

Song Kang-ho Song Kang-ho (; born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Regarded as one of the most influential actors in Korean cinema, he has appeared in critically acclaimed films across various genres. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, i ...

Jang Hoon Jang Hoon (; born May 4, 1975) is a South Korean film director. He directed the films ''Rough Cut'' (2008), '' Secret Reunion'' (2010), '' The Front Line'' (2011), and '' A Taxi Driver '' (2017). Career Jang Hoon (along with Jang Cheol-so ...

's spy film ''

''. It became one of the biggest Korean box office hits of 2010, with over 5 million tickets sold. He then joined the

-centered omnibus ''Camellia'', starring in

Jang Joon-hwan Jang Joon-hwan (born January 18, 1970) is a South Korean film director. Life and career A graduate of Sungkyunkwan University, Jang's first directing job was on the 1994 short film ''2001 Imagine''. His feature-length debut was the science ficti ...

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

''Love For Sale''. Gang's last project before enlistment was the psychic thriller ''

Haunters ''Haunters'' () is a 2010 South Korean science fiction action film written and directed by Kim Min-seok. It depicts the struggle between a psychic named Cho-in ( Gang Dong-won) who can control people with his mind and a man named Kyu-nam ( Go So ...

''.

2010–2012: Military service

Gang enlisted for his

mandatory military service Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

on November 18, 2010, for four weeks of basic training at the Nonsan military camp in

South Chungcheong Province South Chungcheong Province (), informally called Chungnam, is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, province of South Korea in the Hoseo region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. South Chungcheong borders the provinces of Gyeonggi to ...

. This was followed by non-active duty as a public service worker at Seoul City Research Institute of Public Health and Environment. He was discharged on November 12, 2012. On the day of his release, his agency uploaded a three minutes

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

clip of him in various locations throughout the city, titled "Gang Dong-won in a Day."

2013–present: Return to acting

In 2013, Gang appeared in ''The X'', a 30-minute spy thriller directed by

Kim Jee-woon Kim Jee-woon (; born July 6, 1964) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a theater actor and director before debuting with his self-written and directed film, '' The Quiet Family'' in 1998. Kim has worked with incr ...

. In 2014, Gang returned to the big screen in

Yoon Jong-bin Yoon Jong-bin (; born December 20, 1979) is a South Korean film director. Career Yoon Jong-bin's Chung-Ang University graduation thesis film was '' The Unforgiven'', which portrayed masculine codes in the Korean military with honesty and sensit ...

's period action film '' Kundo: Age of the Rampant'', playing an illegitimate nobleman's son who attempts to destroy a group of ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

''-like outlaws in 19th century

Joseon Dynasty Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

. He next starred in ''

My Brilliant Life ''My Brilliant Life'' () is a 2014 South Korean drama film starring Gang Dong-won and Song Hye-kyo. It was co-written and directed by E J-yong film adaptation, based on the 2011 novel ''My Palpitating Life'' by Kim Ae-ran. The film was released und ...

'',

E J-yong E J-yong (; born September 5, 1966) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. His feature films include ''An Affair'' (1998), ''Untold Scandal'' (2003), ''Dasepo Naughty Girls'' (2006), and ''Actresses (film), Actresses'' (2009). Early ...

's film adaptation of Kim Aeran's bestselling novel ''My Palpitating Life'' about a couple who must watch their son suffering from

progeria Progeria is a specific type of progeroid syndrome, also known as Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome or Hutchinson–Gilford progeroid syndrome (HGPS). A single gene mutation is responsible for causing progeria. The affected gene, known as lamin A ( ...

grow prematurely old. In 2015, Gang reunited with ''Jeon Woo-chi'' co-star

Kim Yoon-seok Kim Yoon-seok (; born January 21, 1968) is a South Korean actor, film director and screenwriter. Kim began his career in theater and it subsequently led him to be cast in minor roles in films and television dramas. His breakout role came as the v ...

Jang Jae-hyun Jang Jae-hyun (; born 1981) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He gained recognition through the blockbuster films ''The Priests (film), The Priests'' (2015), ''Svaha: The Sixth Finger'' (2019), and ''Exhuma'' (2024). Education A ...

's mystery thriller '' The Priests''. In 2016, Gang played a young con artist in the crime film '' A Violent Prosecutor'' directed by Lee Il-hyung, which became the second highest grossing Korean film of 2016. He also starred in

Um Tae-hwa Um Tae-hwa (born 1980) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Um's directorial feature debut ''Ingtoogi: The Battle of Internet Trolls'' (2013)—a graduation project for the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA)—was nominated for Best ...

's fantasy film '' Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned'' and

Cho Ui-seok Cho Ui-seok (; born January 1, 1976) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Career Cho made his debut with the action comedy ''Make It Big'' (2002). His third feature is the thriller '' Cold Eyes'' (2013). His fourth film was the ...

's financial thriller film ''

'' together with

Lee Byung-hun Lee Byung-hun (; born July 12, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He has received acclaim for his work in a wide range of genres, most notably '' Joint Security Area'' (2000); '' A Bittersweet Life'' (2005); '' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008) ...

and Kim Woo-bin. After ending the contract with United Artist Agency, Gang signed with a new agency,

YG Entertainment YG Entertainment () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and conce ...

in January 2016. In 2017, Gang made a special appearance as

Lee Han-yeol The June Democratic Struggle (), also known as the June Democracy Movement and the June Uprising, was a nationwide pro-democracy movement in South Korea that generated mass protests from June 10 to 29, 1987. The demonstrations forced the ru ...

's historical film '' 1987: When the Day Comes''. In 2018, Gang played a deliveryman framed for the assassination of a politician in Noh Dong-seok's thriller ''

Golden Slumber ''Golden Slumber'' is a 2018 South Korean action thriller film directed by Noh Dong-seok, starring Gang Dong-won, Kim Eui-sung, Kim Sung-kyun, Kim Dae-myung, Han Hyo-joo and Yoon Kye-sang. It is based on the 2007 Japanese novel of the same name wr ...

'', based on Isaka Kotaro's novel of the same name. His next project was

's science fiction action thriller '' Illang: The Wolf Brigade'', which is a film adaptation based on '' Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade'', a Japanese

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

thriller. In 2020, Gang starred in

Yeon Sang-ho Yeon Sang-ho (born December 25, 1978) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He gained international popularity for working his adult animated films '' The King of Pigs'' (2011) and '' The Fake'' (2013), and the live-action film ''Tr ...

's horror-action-thriller ''

'', a standalone sequel to the 2016 hit ''

Train to Busan ''Train to Busan'' () is a 2016 South Korean action horror film directed by Yeon Sang-ho, written by Park Joo-suk, and starring Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an, Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee, and Kim Eui-sung. The film mostly t ...

''. He then starred in

Hirokazu Kore-eda is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He began his career in television and has since directed more than a dozen feature films, including '' Nobody Knows'' (2004), '' Still Walking'' (2008), and '' After the Storm'' ( ...

's film ''

Broker A broker is a person or entity that arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller. This may be done for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither ...

'' where he played the role of Dong-soo–a man who was abandoned by his parents, and now sells abandoned babies with his friend played by

. The film competed for the

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

at the

2022 Cannes Film Festival The 75th annual Cannes Film Festival is a film festival that took place from 17 to 28 May 2022. French actor Vincent Lindon served as jury president for the main competition. French actress Virginie Efira hosted the opening and closing ceremon ...

2022– present: Studio AA

In December 2022, Gang ended his contract with

after about 7 years. and afterward established his one-man agency called Studio AA Group. In March 2024, Ryu Hyung-jin, the vice president of Imaginus, provided exclusive insights into ten labels operating under Imaginus and their respective leaders in an interview with Cine21. Among these labels was Studio AA (스튜디오 AA), which is co-led by Gang Dong-won. Imaginus is a content production company established by Choi Jin-hee, the former CEO of

Studio Dragon Studio Dragon Corporation () is a South Korean Korean drama, drama production, marketing and distribution company under CJ ENM CJ ENM Entertainment Division, Entertainment Division. It was established on May 3, 2016, as a Corporate spin-off, sp ...

, in 2021. Imaginus has several upcoming projects in the pipeline. One of them is ''Polaris'', a drama written by Jeong Seo-kyeong starring Gang and

Jun Ji-hyun Wang Ji-hyun (; born 30 October 1981), known professionally as Jun Ji-hyun (), is a South Korean actress and model. She rose to fame with her role in the romantic comedy film ''My Sassy Girl'' (2001), which became a tremendous sensation across ...

, which to be directed by

Kim Hee-won Kim Hee-won (; born January 10, 1971) is a South Korean actor and director. Since 2007, he has played supporting roles in films and television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to a ...

co-produced by Showrunner and Studio AA. In June 2024, Gang was invited to become a member of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

. In October 2024, Netflix released ''

Uprising Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

'', the platform’s first original film featuring Gang, produced by Park Chan-wook and directed by Kim Sang-man. On November 12th, Gang officially launched his fashion brand, ''NONYMOUSAA''.

Controversy

In March 2017, a user of the movie website Max Movie uploaded a list of currently active movie actors who are descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators, and listed Gang. His maternal great-grandfather Lee Jong-man (1885–1977) is listed in the pro-Japanese biographical dictionary, having been involved in the mining business during the Japanese colonial rule and donating to the Japanese army. Because of the revelation, Gang issued a public apology and cancelled his scheduled recording for '' Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned'' commentary.

Endorsements

In May 2022, Gang was selected as the house ambassador for French luxury brand

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...

Early life and education

Career

2000–2004: Beginnings

2005–2010: Career breakthrough and mainstream success

2010–2012: Military service

2013–present: Return to acting

2022– present: Studio AA

Controversy

Endorsements

Filmography

Film

Television series

Music video appearances

Discography

Singles

Soundtrack appearances

Awards and nominations

Listicles

Notes

References

External links