Gong Hyo Jin

Gong Hyo-jin is a South Korean actress born on April 4, 1980. She is widely recognized for her lead performance in the film Crush and Blush, as well as her starring roles in popular television series including Sang Doo! Let's Go to School, Thank You, Pasta, The Greatest Love, Master's Sun, It's Okay, That's Love, The Producers, Don't Dare to Dream, and When the Camellia Blooms. Known as a prominent figure in romantic comedies, she was named Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year in 2019.

Born in Sinwol-dong, Gangseo District, Seoul, Gong moved to Australia with her mother and younger brother during high school, attending John Paul College in Brisbane. Her family returned to South Korea in 1997 following the Asian financial crisis. In 2011, she was appointed a goodwill ambassador for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and South Korea.

After returning to Korea, Gong worked as a commercial model before making her feature film acting debut in the 1999 horror-comedy Memento Mori. She followed with appearances in the sitcom My Funky Family and television dramas such as Wonderful Months and Ruler of Your Own World. In 2002, she landed notable feature roles in Conduct Zero, Emergency Act 19, and A Bizarre Love Triangle. Her early work also included the television series Snowman and Sang Doo! Let's Go to School in 2003, followed by Hello My Teacher and the film Heaven's Soldiers.

Gong achieved renewed critical recognition for her performance in the 2006 ensemble drama Family Ties, sharing Best Actress honors at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. She returned to television in 2007 with Thank You, and appeared in films such as Happiness, M, and Dachimawa Lee. Her starring role in the 2008 dark comedy Crush and Blush earned her critical acclaim and several Best Actress awards in South Korea, including honors from the Korean Film Awards and the Director's Cut Awards.

Throughout the 2010s, Gong maintained a high-profile television and film career. She starred in the hit romantic comedy Pasta in 2010, earning the media nickname Gongvely, and subsequently appeared in the indie film Rolling Home with a Bull. In 2011, she starred in The Greatest Love, winning a Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actress in Television. Her subsequent projects included the romantic comedy Love Fiction, the documentary 577 Project, the ensemble comedy Boomerang Family, and the hit series Master's Sun and It's Okay, That's Love.

In late 2014, Gong made her theatrical stage debut in Educating Rita. She continued her screen work with the television series The Producers in 2015 and Don't Dare to Dream in 2016, along with films such as Missing, Single Rider, Door Lock, Hit-and-Run Squad, and Crazy Romance. Her lead role in the 2019 drama When the Camellia Blooms was a major commercial success and earned her the Grand Prize at the KBS Drama Awards. Outside of acting, she published an essay collection on environmental lifestyle habits, Gong Hyo-jin's Notebook, in 2010.