Born in Seo-choen, a small village, in South Korea in 1970, Seung-Ryong Ryu discovered his love for acting when he saw a play at the age of 15. Then, he went on to study theater at Seoul Institute of the Arts. For over a decade after graduating from the college, he was just an obscure actor mostly performing on the small stage. During this time period, he had a chance to spend 5 years performing ‘Nanta’, a non-verbal performance, travelling all around the world and patiently built up the skills and perspectives as an actor.
He made his film debut as a minor role at a relatively late age of 34 in ‘Someone Special (2004)’. In spite of a very short appearance, his ‘driving existence as a supporting actor’ instantly caught filmmakers’ eye and soon led him to be a prolific supporting actor. Although his college mates already had risen to fame before him, his optimism and endless passion for acting made it possible for him to keep stepping forward calmly. While appearing in several films, he turned his attention to the TV dramas and won critical acclaim for his portrayal as a sensitive gay in the 2010 drama series ‘Personal Taste’ and demonstrated his wide range to inhabit various characters.
After Prain TPC, an entertainment agency, started to represent him, he is being in the 2nd highlight of his career. His recent 4 films, ‘War of the Arrows (2011)’, ‘All About My Wife (2012)’, ‘Masquerade (2012), and ‘Miracle of Cell No.7 (2013)’, have become blockbuster box office hits in South Korea.
One of his strongest points as an actor is he slips into every role he takes perfectly and gets both critical and commercial acclaim. He has transformed himself into diverse characters so far: a hard-nosed Qing dynasty commander speaking Manchu language (War of the Arrows), a royal adviser in Chosun dynasty (Masquerade), an irresistible legendary Casanova (All About My Wife), and a mentally-handicapped father (Miracle of Cell No.7).
As his latest film ‘Miracle of Cell No.7’ elicited positive response at the Cannes Film Market during the 66th Cannes Film Festival, the leading actor, Seung-Ryong Ryu, consequently became the center of attention. Now he is planning to start a new chapter of his acting career abroad.
