Yoon Shi-yoon is a South Korean actor and television personality. He is best known for his leading roles in King of Baking, Kim Takgu, My Cute Guys, Hit the Top, Grand Prince and Your Honor. The Nokdu Flower, Psychopath Diary. In 2016, he became a member of the variety show2 Days & 1 Night.
Early life
Yoon was born Yoon Dong-gu, a name he used until an official change of name upon his entry into college, in a small town in Suncheon. He is the only child of his family, and was raised by his grandparents. At the time, while peers of his age went to kindergarten and learned English, Yoon went to seodang, a traditional school that taught Confucianism, and learned to read Hanja. Yoon's unique childhood was then unveiled through his song "Grandpa's Bicycle" for Barefooted Friends.
Career
2009–2010: Rising popularity and breakthrough
Yoon debuted in the daily sitcom High Kick Through the Roof and rose to fame for his role as a semi-rebellious teenager. He was nominated for Best New Actor in TV at the Baeksang Arts Awards, and won MBC's Best Couple award with his co-star Shin Se-kyung. The following year, Yoon was cast as the main character in the slice-of-life television series King of Baking, Kim Takgu. The drama's writer, Kang Eun-kyung, saw Yoon in High Kick Through the Roof and picked him for the role. The series was one of the most watched shows in South Korea in 2010 with a final episode viewership rating of 50.8%; and Yoon became a household name in Korea. Due to the drama's popularity, Yoon and co-star Lee Young-ah were named promotional ambassadors for North Chungcheong Province. The same year, Yoon had his first big screen debut with a leading role in the horror movie . Yoon appeared in a commercial for the cellphone Bubi Bubi with the famous girl group T-ara. He also sung 4 singles for the soundtrack of the commercial.
2011–2014: Leading roles
In 2011, Yoon was cast to replace Kim Jaewon, who withdrew after suffering from multiple injuries on the first day of filming, in the romantic-comedy Me Too, Flower!. He played a millionaire masquerading as a parking attendant and entering into relationship with an abrasive female police officer. However, the drama scored low viewership ratings and had to be pre-empted. In 2012, Yoon starred in the Japanese web drama Brand Guardians, based on a story about a Korean youth who travels to Japan to make it as a fashion stylist. The project was orchestrated by the JAFIC to increase awareness of Japanese fashion. He then filmed his first Chinese drama Happy Noodles. On December 8, Yoon won the Popular Star Prize in China at the 2012 Asia Top 10 Popular Star Awards by CETV. In 2013, he starred in the cable series My Cute Guys, the third installment of tvN 's "flower boy" series. Yoon plays a genius game developer, who accidentally enters the life of a modern Rapunzel. The series was the highest sold cable drama ever to Japan. Yoon then became a cast member of Barefooted Friends, which was his first variety show. In October, Yoon was cast in KBS's romantic comedy seriesPrime Minister & I alongside Lee Beom-soo and Girls' Generation's Yoona. He lended his voice for the animated movie Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum. In 2014, Yoon starred opposite Yeo Jin-goo in the film Mr. Perfect, where he plays a professional golfer who loses everything but later becomes a golf coach.
2016–present: Comeback from military service
After completing military service, Yoon starred in JTBC's historical fantasy drama Mirror of the Witch, playing Joseon's famous doctor Heo Jun. The drama is a fiction story about Heo Jun in his young age and his journey to lift a curse for a princess, whom he later fell in love with. Since May 2016, he became a regular cast member of the third season of popular variety show 2 Days & 1 Night. In October 2016, Yoon was cast in a three-episode miniseries, Romance Full of Life, which is part of MBC's 9-episode miniseries, Three Color Fantasy. The drama premiered in March 2017. The same year, Yoon starred in KBS2's youth drama Hit the Top. In 2018, Yoon starred in the historical romance melodrama Grand Prince. The series was a ratings success becoming the highest rated TV Chosun drama since the network's establishment in 2011. He next starred in the legal drama Your Honor, playing double roles as a judge and convict. In the same year Yoon was cast in the film Private Woman alongside Kim Yoon-hye. Yoon will play the role of a man who has a big scar on his heart and sentimental memories from his relationship with his first love. In 2019, Yoon starred in historical drama Nokdu Flower. In the same year, Yoon starred in tvN's comedy thriller drama, Psychopath Diary. Yoon plays as a naive and pushover stockbroker, who due to his circumstances begins to believe he is a psychopathic murderer. He did voice acting for the animated movie Paboos as Doctor Flag and also in another animated movie Bakugan:Battle Force as Enemy 1.
Personal life
Yoon is addicted to books. He has over 3500 books at home. On April 28, 2014, Yoon secretly enlisted into the Republic of Korea Marine Corps. Yoon had previously expressed his desire to enlist secretly, in order to avoid harming other soldiers. On January 27, 2016, Yoon completed his military service.
