Yoo Seung-ho is a well-known South Korean actor who rose to prominence as a child actor in the 2002 film ‘The Way Home,’ playing Sang-woo. His foray into the world of beauty and entertainment began in the late 1990s, when his mother sent his photos to an ad agency for a cell phone campaign. Following a few TV series, he won his breakout part of Sang-woo in the low-budget film ‘The Way Home,’ which is still considered one of his best efforts to date. The film was a box office smash, catapulting him to popularity and garnering him the moniker “Nation’s Little Brother.” He went on to appear in films such as ‘Heart Is…’ and ‘Unforgettable,’ finally transforming from a child artist to a teen actor with films such as ‘Master of Study’ and ‘Flames of Desire.’ In shows like ‘The King and I’ and ‘The Legend,’ he played younger versions of masculine leads. In the TV series ‘Operation Proposal,’ he obtained his first leading role. Following his mandatory military service, he returned to acting in TV shows such as “Remember: War of the Son” and “The Emperor: Owner of the Mask,” as well as films such as “Joseon Magician” and “Seondal: The Man Who Sells the River.”
Childhood and Adolescence
Yoo Seung-ho was born on August 17, 1993, to a poor household in Incheon, South Korea, as the youngest of two children.He was a student at ‘Baekshin High School,’ where he graduated in February 2012. Following that, he dropped out of school to concentrate on his acting career.
Career of Yoo
In 1999, when he was around six years old, he made his debut in the entertainment industry by appearing in a cell phone campaign thanks to his mother, who sent a photograph of him to an advertising firm.
In the year 2000, he made his acting debut as a kid actor in the television series ‘Daddy Fish.’ In 2001, two additional television productions followed.He made his cinematic debut in Lee Jeong-low-budget hyang’s family film ‘The Way Home,’ which he wrote and directed.When he visits his 78-year-old mute, but not deaf, grandmother (played by Kim Eul-boon) to spend the summer with her, his character Sang-woo, a city-born seven-year-old kid, gradually learns to enjoy country life.
The simple and heart-warming story of ‘The Way Home,’ which was released on April 5, 2002, received over four million admissions, making it a huge hit with a box office gross of US$24,952,738. Apart from winning the year’s Best Film prize from ‘The Grand Bell Awards,’ the Korean equivalent of the American ‘Academy Awards,’ it also gained critical acclaim.The success of ‘The Way Home’ catapulted him to fame at such a young age, earning him the moniker “Nation’s Little Brother.”
Following that, he appeared in a few films, including ‘Happy Ero Christmas’ (2003) and ‘Don’t Tell Papa’ (2004), before winning his next starring part as Chan-yi in the South Korean drama film ‘Heart Is….’, which was released on October 26, 2006. The film earned $4,678,547 at the box office.Meanwhile, he starred in a number of TV shows, many of which portrayed him as a younger version of male characters. ‘Love Letter’ (2003), ‘Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin’ (2004), ‘The King and I’ (2007), and ‘The Legend’ (2008) were among them (2007).
‘Unforgettable’ (2008) was his next film, in which he played Gil-su. The next year, he starred as Kim Jong-chul in the action film ‘City of Fathers,’ which was released on October 15, 2009.His next leading part was in the thriller film ‘4th Period Mystery,’ in which he co-starred with Kang So-ra. The film received 67,602 admissions and grossed US$360,944 at the box office when it was released on August 12, 2009. It was dubbed ‘The Clue’ in other countries. Kim Chunchu in the MBC historical drama ‘Queen Seondeok’ was his most famous TV performance that year.
From January 4 to February 23, 2010, he portrayed one of the key roles of Hwang Baek-hyun in the South Korean TV series ‘Master of Study,’ which aired on KBS2 for 16 episodes. In the same year, he starred in the TV series ‘Flames of Desire’ as Kim Min-jae, the second-generation son of an affluent chaebol family.He delivered a duet named “I Believe in Love” for the Love Request charity event in late 2010 with South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor IU. The song’s lyrics are based on a diary he kept while seeing war orphans in Sri Lankan slums.
From July 4 to October 10, 2011, Seung-ho starred as an assassin Yeo Woon in the South Korean fusion historical-action TV series ‘Warrior Baek Dong-soo,’ which aired on SBS for 29 episodes. To fit in with the persona, he received martial arts and swordplay training.He then acted alongside Kim Ha-neul in the South Korean murder thriller ‘Blind,’ which premiered at the ‘Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival,’ or PiFan, on July 22, 2011 and was eventually released in South Korean theaters on August 11, 2011. The film grossed a total of US$16,123,104 at the box office.
Seung-ho played Leafie’s adopted kid Greenie in the critically acclaimed and commercially successful South Korean animated drama film ‘Leafie, A Hen into the Wild.’ It made history when it was released on July 28, 2011, gathering over 2.2 million people and becoming South Korea’s most successful animated film.Kang Baek-ho was his first leading part in the South Korean TV series ‘Operation Proposal,’ an adaptation of the Japanese drama ‘Operation Love.’ From February 8, 2012 to March 29, 2012, it broadcast on TV Chosun for 16 episodes. He also appeared in the TV programs ‘Arang and the Magistrate’ and ‘Missing You’ that year.
He completed his mandatory military service as a regular soldier from March 5, 2013 to December 4, 2014, and was assigned the responsibility of teaching new recruits.In 2015, he made his first public appearance after serving in the military in Naul’s music video “You From the Same Time.” From November 24, 2015, to January 12, 2016, he starred as Hyun Jong-hyun, an obstinate webcomic writer in the South Korean TV series ‘Imaginary Cat,’ which aired on ‘MBC Every 1’.
Following that, he starred in another television series, ‘Remember: War of the Son,’ in which he played Seo Jin-woo, a lawyer with hyperthymesia. From December 9, 2015 to February 18, 2016, the series aired on SBS for 20 episodes.Meanwhile, he starred as Hwan-hee in the South Korean historical fantasy film “Joseon Magician,” which was released on December 30, 2015.Following that, he starred as Kim Seon-dal in the big-screen film ‘Seondal: The Man Who Sells the River.’ On July 6, 2016, the film was released.
In his most recent TV series, ‘The Emperor: Owner of the Mask,’ a historical melodrama, he played Crown Prince Lee Sun. From May 10, 2017 through July 13, 2017, it aired on MBC for 40 episodes.
Estimated Net Worth
Yoo Seung-ho is one of the wealthiest TV actors and one of the most popular. Yoo Seung-net ho’s worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.Yoo began his acting career as a young actor in the television drama Daddy Fish in the year 2000. In his first film, The Way Home, he starred as a spoiled city slicker who learns to appreciate the countryside after being compelled to spend the summer with his deaf-mute grandmother.
Trivia
Because of his likeness to actor So Ji-Sub, he was dubbed “Little So Ji-Sub.”