Best known under his initials YDG, Yang Donggeun is a popular South Korean actor and one of the best known hip-hop artists. Born in 1979, Yang is a veteran of the entertainment industry, having first appeared on television in 1987 in the KBS drama special <Tap-ri>, at the tender age of eight. He debuted on the big screen in 1991 in the fifth Super Hong Gildong film, <The Folding Fan of Hong Gildong>. The same year, he won his first accolade, Best Child Actor from ...More

Best known under his initials YDG, Yang Donggeun is a popular South Korean actor and one of the best known hip-hop artists. Born in 1979, Yang is a veteran of the entertainment industry, having first appeared on television in 1987 in the KBS drama special <Tap-ri>, at the tender age of eight. He debuted on the big screen in 1991 in the fifth Super Hong Gildong film, <The Folding Fan of Hong Gildong>. The same year, he won his first accolade, Best Child Actor from the Baeksang Art Awards, for his performance in the drama series <Seoul Earthen Pot> (1990-1991). A music passionate who had created his own dance music group in middle school to earn pocket money, he was scouted by a member of breakdance band Will to join it after it was relaunched as a duo, debuting in 1997 with the song <Don’t Ask About My Past>. His acting career really kicked off after appearing in the films <The Best> (1998) – for which he also participated in the OST – and <White Valentine> (1999), followed by the hit sitcom <New Nonstop> (2000). He broadened his scope in 2001 when he took on the lead role in Kim Kiduk’s <Address Unknown>, for which he received Best New Actor from the Korean Film Critics Association, but also with his move to hip-hop, which was documented as part of the TV show <Show! Infinite Escape> as he took up the many challenges from his initial plan to the production of his first album. By the end of the show, he had taken first prize at a hip-hop contest, and he had formed his own crew, Yucka Squad. His first solo album, which came out that summer under the name YDG aka Madman, quickly became one of the hottest releases despite it being rated for mature audience. After co-starring Lee Nayoung in the drama series <Ruler of Your Own World> (2002), for the comedy <Bet On My Disco> (2002), not only was he part of the main cast, but he also contributed a hip-hop cover of the 1987’s popular song <Alleyway>, which became a hit. All the while juggling his acting and music careers, Yang received several lead roles in the following years, headlining the buddy cop film <Wild Card> (2003), the comedy <The Wolf Returns> (2004), the martial arts action film <Fighter in the Wind> (2004) and the thriller <Monopoly>. A mainstay of reality TV shows, he released in 2006 his third solo album to critical acclaim. After completing his military service, he diversified his roles with the horse racing drama <Grand Prix> (2010) and the sports film The <Perfect Game> (2011). 2013 was a busy year for him as he starred in the revenge thriller <Days of Wrath>, the indie drama <Rough Play>, which was produced and penned by Kim Kiduk, and the music documentary <Black Gospel> (2013) and its follow-up one year later. While his film roles became rare and far between, he remained a mainstay of reality television, especially music talent shows. In 2020, he could be seen in the horror spoof movie <Night of the Undead>, starring as the mysterious Doctor Jang, and in 2022 he could be seen in the action thriller <Yaksha: Ruthless Operations> (2022).Less