Yoo Ji-tae (born April 13, 1976) is a South Korean actor, film director and screenwriter. After a stint as a fashion model, Yoo launched his acting career in 1998 then rose to fame through the films Attack the Gas Station (1999) and Ditto (2000). In the succeeding years, he gained acting recognition by working with acclaimed directors such as Hur Jin-ho in One Fine Spring Day (2001), Park Chan-wook in Oldboy (2003), and Hong Sang-soo in Woman is the Future of Man (2004). Yoo began directing short films in 2003, which were well received in the film festival circuit. His feature directorial debut Mai Ratima was released in 2012.

Career 
Yoo Ji-tae began his career as a fashion model, and he walked the runway for the Seoul Fashion Artist Association collections in 1995. Then in 2000, with a series of hit films and widely seen TV appearances, Yoo was more constantly in the limelight than any other actor, and in a very short time, rose to become a major actor in Korean film.

His first brush with fame came in the role of "Paint" in his second feature, the 1999 hit Attack the Gas Station. His sensitive and artistic image in this film and the warm character he displayed as a guest on TV talk shows helped to propel him to stardom. With the surprise success of his third film Ditto in spring 2000, Yoo's star status was secured. He also appeared in the successful firefighting film Libera Me. In this early part of his career, he was known particularly for the wild colors that he would dye his hair (white in Attack the Gas Station, blue in Ditto, blonde in Libera Me).

In 2001, however, he dyed his hair black and took on a more subdued, serious role in Hur Jin-ho's One Fine Spring Day. Although it wasn't a big hit with audiences, his performance in this film opened many critics' eyes and drew widespread praise, while officially launching the second stage of his career.

For the next two years, Yoo didn't appear in any new films, because Natural City took an unusually long time to progress from shooting to a commercial release. He then appeared in three works in 2003: Natural City (which bombed, despite its big budget and special effects), the horror/suspense film Into the Mirror, and Park Chan-wook's acclaimed Oldboy. Yoo's memorable role in the latter film as a wealthy eccentric fixated on revenge would make his face well known to international audiences.

Yoo has stated that he believes Oldboy to be an original Korean story.

As Yoo's career established itself he began to appear in many high-profile projects, such as in well-known arthouse director Hong Sang-soo's Woman is the Future of Man (which, like Oldboy, screened at Cannes in 2004); Yim Pil-sung's big-budget Antarctic Journal, shot in New Zealand; and the action/noir Running Wild with Kwon Sang-woo. He also established his own production company Yoo Movie in 2005.

As soon as he finished shooting the 2007 period film Hwang Jin-yi about a Joseon-era gisaeng, Yoo chose to act in the play Come to the Ghost House. A graduate of Dankook University with a major in Theater and Film, he also established a theater to put on one play a year. Almost all the money for the theatrical productions comes from his own wallet. "I work on stage because it's there that I find the challenge and the stimulus an actor needs through continuous creative work," he said.

Yoo returned to the screen with 2008 romantic drama film, Hello, Schoolgirl, based on the manhwa Soonjeong Manhwa.

In 2009, he lent his voice as narrator for the track "I’m Sorry" (미안해) in singer Jinju's album Pearlfect.

Yoo then returned to the melodrama genre, starring in his first TV drama Star's Lover opposite Choi Ji-woo, as well as a couple of romance-themed films, notably Secret Love which reunited him with Oldboy costar Yoon Jin-seo. Afterwards he played another villain in the real-time suspense thriller Midnight FM.

After getting his master's degree in 2008 from Chung-Ang University's Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science, Multimedia & Film, in recent years Yoo has focused more on his passion for directing. To him, "Making films is like taking drugs. Actors feel a pleasure when they deliver well but directors feel they have poured out everything they have in the sole fact that they have completed a movie. It's impossible to compare the pleasure you get from it." He has helmed a number of award-winning short films that have screened in festivals around the world. In addition to directing his fourth short film Invitation, Yoo wrote the script and plays the main character alongside leading lady Uhm Ji-won.

In 2012, Yoo directed his first feature film Mai Ratima, based on a synopsis he wrote 15 years ago in college. It portrays the unlikely love affair of a Korean man in his 30s living on the bottom rung of society and a mail-order bride from Thailand in her 20s. Shooting began in Gyeonggi Province on January 26, 2012, and it premiered at the Busan International Film Festival on October 5, 2012. Yoo said he plans to continue producing or directing movies based on strong social issues as he is interested in the plight of the less privileged. Mai Ratima won the Jury Prize at the 2013 Deauville Asian Film Festival.

He then co-starred with Kōichi Satō and Vincent Gallo in Junji Sakamoto's 2013 suspense thriller Human Trust.

For the biopic The Tenor - Lirico Spinto, Yoo practiced singing for four hours every day for more than a year, and took private English and Japanese lessons to portray Bae Jae-chul, an internationally acclaimed tenor who loses his voice to thyroid cancer. Afterwards, he starred in another TV series Healer, written by Song Ji-na.

In 2016, Yoo starred in the bowling-themed film, Split. He returned to television in the South Korean remake of The Good Wife.

In 2017, Yoo starred in The Swindlers along with Hyun Bin. The movie is about a prosecutor who plans to catch a con man who has swindled a large sum of money. The same year, he was cast in the Danish film The House That Jack Built by Lars Von Trier. He also had a starring role in the crime drama, Mad Dog.

In January 2018, Yoo signed with new management agency BH Entertainment.

In 2019, Yoo is set to star in the espionage melodrama Different Dreams.

In 2020, Yoo starred in the melodrama When My Love Blooms.

Personal life

Early life 
Yoo was raised by a single parent. "My mother, who worked as a nurse for a long time, wants to run a hospital for the elderly someday. I want to financially help her realize her dream, and then establish an orphanage," said Yoo. He is friends with comedian Kim Joon-ho, having lived together as roommates during college and briefly acting together onstage.

Currently a student at the Catholic University of Korea Graduate School of Social Work, Yoo is very active in philanthropic efforts. He joins charity photo shoots and auctions, has helped set up a kindergarten in Nepal, has donated to Haiti earthquake relief, has donated funds for building schools in Myanmar, has joined a charity photo shoot to benefit victims of facial burns, has volunteered in a campaign to deliver free lunches to underprivileged people, has promoted the adoption of abandoned dogs, and has campaigned against domestic violence towards migrant wives. His advocacies are World Vision, Compassion Korea, DAIL Community, Social Welfare Society Inc., YWCA of Korea, Nanum House of Sharing and Korean Association of Cinematheques.

Relationships and marriage 
Yoo first met actress Kim Hyo-jin in 2003 when they were models for a clothing brand, and the two became friends after continuously meeting in photo shoots. Their romantic relationship began in 2006, and they were among the very few Korean star couples who openly admitted their dating status. They announced their engagement in August 2011, and subsequently released pre-wedding photos. Their minimalist invitation was made from environmentally friendly paper and had the number 1,825 written on it, the exact number of days the two had spent together as a couple. They were married at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on December 2, 2011. The wedding date marked the couple's fifth anniversary together and was booked by Yoo one year in advance despite landing on a Friday – an unusual day for a wedding. The ceremony was officiated by the president of World Vision Korea; Yoo and Kim are the organization's honorary ambassadors, and they donated a portion of their monetary wedding gifts to World Vision to help build a primary and middle school in Myanmar. Their first child, a son, was born on July 5, 2014. They welcomed their second son on April 15, 2019.

Philanthropy 
On March 8, 2022, Yoo donated 10 million won to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help the victims of the massive wildfire that started in Uljin, Gyeongbuk and has spread to Samcheok, Gangwon.

On May 16, 2022, Yoo donated 10 million won to the 9th Wildflower Film Awards.

Filmography

As actor

Film

Television series

Web series

As filmmaker

Theater 
 Ha-il  (2004)
 Six Out of Six  (2005)
 Come to the Ghost House...  (2007)

Other activities 
2006 28th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival - Jury 
2007 9th Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia - Jury 
2008 4th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival - Jury 
2009 14th Busan International Film Festival - Jury 
2009 22nd Tokyo International Film Festival - Jury 
2011 3rd DMZ International Documentary Film Festival - Co-festival director

Awards and nominations

References

External links 
 
 
 

 
 

1976 births
Living people
20th-century South Korean male actors
21st-century South Korean male actors
South Korean male television actors
South Korean male film actors
South Korean film directors
South Korean screenwriters
South Korean male stage actors
South Korean male models
Catholic University of Korea alumni
Chung-Ang University alumni
Dankook University alumni
Gangneung Yoo clan
유지태(劉智泰, 1976년 4월 13일 ~ )는 대한민국의 배우, 영화 감독·각본가, 연극 감독·연출·제작자이다. 본관은 강릉이며 5선 국회의원 유옥우(劉沃祐, 1914. 12. 4 ~ 1984. 3. 15)의 손자다.

생애 
서울 출생인 그는 1998년 영화 《바이 준》으로 데뷔하였으며 1995년 7월 MBC 24기 공채 탤런트 시험에 응시했으나 서류전형에서 탈락했다. 1999년작 《주유소 습격사건》, 2000년작 《동감》을 통해서 주목 받기 시작했고, 허진호 감독의 2001년작 《봄날은 간다》를 통해 연기력을 인정받았다. 박찬욱 감독의 2003년작 《올드보이》에서 악역을 맡아 열연하였다.

2003년 단편 영화 《자전거 소년》를 통해 영화 감독으로서 첫발을 내디뎠고 그해 부산아시아 단편영화제에서 관객상을 받음으로써 영화 감독으로 재능을 발휘했다. 2005년 《장님은 무슨 꿈을 꿀까요?》, 2008년 《나도 모르게》, 2009년 《초대》의 단편 영화를 발표했고, 네 번째 단편 영화 《초대》는 2009년 7월, 제5회 인디판다 국제 단편 영화제와 제8회 제주 영화제에 초청을 받았다.

2013년 장편 《마이 라띠마》를 연출·제작했으며 15회 도빌 아시아 영화제에서 심사위원 대상을 수상하고 더불어 《마이 라띠마》에서 여주인공을 맡은 박지수는 그해 청룡영화제 신인 여우상을 수상하기도 했다.

학력 
 휘문고등학교(졸업)
 단국대학교 천안캠퍼스 연극영화과(졸업)
 중앙대학교 첨단영상대학원 영상예술학과(졸업)
 가톨릭대학교 일반대학원 사회복지학과(졸업)
 중앙대학교 대학원 영상학과(입학예정)

작품

영화 
 2019년 《이타미 준의 바다》 - 내레이션
 2019년 《사바하》- (특별출연)
 2019년 《돈》 - 번호표 역
 2019년 《살인마 잭의 집》 - (특별출연)
 2017년 《꾼》 - 박희수 검사 역
 2016년 《스플릿》 - 윤철종 역
 2016년 《대배우》
 2014년 《더 테너 리리코 스핀토》 - 배재철 역
 2013년 《인류자금》
 2010년 《심야의 FM》 - 한동수 역
 2010년 《비밀애》 - 진우 / 진호 역
 2009년 《초대》 - 남자 역
 2008년 《순정만화》 - 김연우 역
 2007년 《황진이》 - 놈이 역
 2006년 《가을로》 - 최현우 역
 2006년 《뚝방전설》 - 이치수 역
 2006년 《야수》 - 오진우 역
 2005년 《친절한 금자씨》 - 성장한 원모 역
 2005년 《남극일기》 - 김민재 역
 2003년 《여자는 남자의 미래다》 - 이문호 역
 2003년 《올드보이》 - 이우진 역
 2003년 《내츄럴 시티》 - 요원 R 역
 2003년 《거울 속으로》 - 우영민 역
 2001년 《봄날은 간다》 - 이상우 역
 2000년 《리베라 메》 - 김현태 역
 2000년 《가위》 - 현준 역
 2000년 《동감》 - 지인 역
 2000년 《01412 파사신검》
 1999년 《주유소 습격사건》 - 뻬인트 역
 1998년 《바이 준》 - 도기 역

감독
 2013년 《마이 라띠마》
 2009년 《초대》
 2008년 《나도 모르게》
 2005년 《장님은 무슨 꿈을 꿀까요》
 2003년 《자전거 소년》

드라마

연극 
 《귀신의 집으로 오세요》(2007)
 《육분의 륙》(2005)
 《해일》(2004)

뮤직비디오 
 주영훈 - 노을의 연가(2000년)
 김동률 & 이소은 - 기적(1998년)
 리아 - 개성(1996년)

내레이션 
 2013년 MBC 스페셜 598회: 최초공개 북한의 백두대간
 2013년 MBC 스페셜 605~605회: 달의 정원, 순천만 1부~2부

CF 
 밀리오레 (1998년)
 잠뱅이 (1998년)
 하이트진로 (1999년)
 모토로라 (1999년)
 천리안 (1999년)
 애경산업 리앙뜨 (2000년, 김태연·박지윤과 함께 출연)
 매일유업 카페라떼 (2000년)
 매일유업 슬림워터 씬 (2000년)
 보루네오가구 (2000년, 김하늘과 함께 출연)
 LG전자 싸이언 (2000년 ~ 2002년)
 KB국민카드 (2001년)
 LG화재 (2002년)
 SK주식회사 OK캐쉬백 (2003년)
 롯데칠성음료 델몬트 (2006년)
 KB증권 (2008년)
 SK-2 (2011년)
 경동나비엔 (2016년)
 폭스바겐 파사트 GT (2018년)
 넥슨 카이저 (2018년)
 한국인삼공사 정관장 (2018년)
 신세계 SSG.COM (2021년)

경력 
 2011년 4월 제 3회 국제 DMZ다큐멘터리 영화제 부집행위원장
 2009년 9월 제22회 도쿄 국제 영화제 경쟁 부문 심사위원
 2009년 8월 제14회 부산 국제 영화제 심사위원
 2007년 6월 쇼트쇼츠 국제 단편 영화제 심사위원
 2006년 1월 제28회 클레르몽 페랑 영화제 경쟁 부문 심사위원
 2005년 유무비 설립
 2000년 6월 우리민족서로돕기운동 민족화해홍보대사
 1995년 SFAA 컬렉션 패션 모델

수상 및 후보

각주

외부 링크 

 
 
 
 
 
 

1976년 출생
살아있는 사람
강릉 유씨
서울특별시 출신
서울특별시 출신 배우
휘문고등학교 동문
단국대학교 동문
가톨릭대학교 대학원 동문
중앙대학교 첨단영상대학원 동문
중앙대학교 대학원 동문
대한민국의 남자 모델
대한민국의 남자 텔레비전 배우
대한민국의 남자 연극 배우
대한민국의 남자 영화 배우
대한민국의 영화 감독
대한민국의 연출가
대한민국의 영화 각본가
대한민국의 남자 뮤지컬 배우
대한민국의 개신교도
20세기 대한민국 사람
21세기 대한민국 사람