Kingdom Cast Ryu Seung-ryong Marriage, Career, & Movies In 7 Seven Facts

Ryu Seung-ryong is no stranger to the South Korean movie fanatics. He has become a global star with his work in successful movies and television series.    

From learning a various language to taking a class for activities that would perfect his on-screen presence, Ryu has definitely earned the title of a multitalented actor. Here we will learn seven exciting facts of the actor.

7. Ryu Seung-ryong: Age And Birth Place 

Ryu Seung-ryong, born on November 29, 1970, is currently 49 years old. Ryu, who also goes by the name Ryoo Seung-ryong, was born on Seocheon County of South Chungcheong Province in South Korea. 

Growing up in the small village of Seocheon County, he discovered his penchant for acting after watching a play at the age of 15 and eventually making his acting debut in a stage musical. Later as a fresh graduate and an unknown actor, Ryu spent five years performing a South Korean non-verbal comedy called Nanta.

6. Learned Finger Ballet for All About My Wife

There is not anything the 49-years old has done to adapt to his character. For the comedy movie All About My Wife, Ryu played as the casanova Jang Sung-ki. In order to prepare for his role, he read the book The Art of Seduction penned by American author Robert Greene.

Moreover, Seung-ryong took private lessons of finger ballet, sand art, cooking, and cow-milking. Phew, all of that trouble to just seduce a woman on-screen. However, it doesn't end here; he also took a class to learn three languages: Spanish, French, African. 

No wonder Ryu became nominated for five different prestigious awards in the category of Best Supporting Actor and ultimately winning 4th KOFRA Film Awards among the five nominations. 

5. Had Dreamt of Becoming a Military Officer

Long before Ryu entered the entertainment industry, he had a desire to pursue a career as a military officer. However, the 49-years later decided to join the Seoul Institute of the Arts and majored in Theatre. 

While he might have left behind his dreams of becoming a military officer, it comes as no doubt that he has grown himself as a versatile actor transmuting like a chameleon in every second of his screen appearance and winning hearts of millions around the globe.

4. He is Fluent in Five Languages 

This too just in the period of two years! Ryu Seung-ryong played as Jyuushinta in the action film War of the Arrows back in 2011. Since the movie was set after the Second Manchu invasion of Korea, he learned Manchu language native to China considered a critically endangered language. 

In 2012, he learned three languages: Spanish, French, and African, to customize the casanova persona for the movie All About My Wife. Later, for The Admiral: Roaring Currents, Ryu learned the Japanese language while acting as a Japanese pirate. 

To sum up, the 49-years old actor is proficient in Manchu, Spanish, French, African, and Japanese.

3. First Actor to Hold 10 Million Viewership Record

Ryu Seung-ryong, in his 15 years old career, has been able to balance commercial and critical aspects of the movie successfully. After garnering critics praise for portraying a sensitive gay in series Personal Taste, Ryu has gone on to attain notability with a diverse choice of characters.  

Surely, with such determination, there is no doubt that he has had his fair share of hardship. Nevertheless, Ryu is the first Korean actor who has succeeded in selling over 10 million tickets for four movies in a row. 

His movie Miracle in Cell No. 7 and Masquerade sold over 10 million tickets reaching the milestone in the subsequent years. In 2014, the movie Roaring Currents where he worked alongside well-known actors Choi Min-Sik and Cho Jin-woong, also garnered more than 10 million viewers.

In 2019, Ryu starred in the comedy film Extreme Job, which has also surpassed 10 million viewership and currently holds the title of 2nd highest-grossing film of all time in South Korea.

It should also be noted that currently, Ryu is the first and only actor to be featured in four movies that were able to sell ten millions ticket. 

2. Ryu Got Married on 2015

The 49 years old actor married his non-celebrity girlfriend on April 19, 2015 in the beautiful island of Bali. Though his wife name is unknown, she is 11 years old younger than Ryu Seung-ryong. The news of the actor tied the knot with his girlfriend was given by his agency Entertainment TONG, stating, 

"Ryu Seung Soo is getting married in Bali with a private ceremony with only family and close friends present. The couple will also enjoy their honeymoon on the island.”

Ryu also confirmed the news on his fan café site adding, 

“I will be saying goodbye to my life of living alone and will start a new life with the person I love in April.”

According to Soompi, Ryu's wife works as a florist and an online clothing store model. The couple knew each other for years and tied the knot after dating for six months. The couple has two sons: Gang Ryoo and Geon Ryoo. 

1. Was Puzzled by Ending of  First Season of Kingdom 

In Netflix’s Kingdom, Ryu plays as Cho Hak-Ju, a conniving power-hungry Minister. The series successfully completed the first season on January 25, 2019.  

 In an interview with the hype, the 49-years old revealed about being dumbfounded by the abrupt ending of season one. After seeing the snippet of the script, Ryu finally understood the reason behind the end story of the first season. He added,

 "I wondered, ‘Why is it ending here?’ But season one was a process of introducing the world and the story."

Nevertheless, Ryu will be reprising his role in the second season of Kingdom scheduled to release on on March 13, 2020. He will be seen alongside other talented actors like Ju Ji-hoon, Bae Doona, Kim Sung-kyu, Kim Sang-ho, Heo Joon-ho, Jeon Seok-ho, Jung Suk-won, and many more.