Gu Kyo-hwan first gained acclaim for his performance in the 2016 films Jane and Beaten Black and Blue. He picked up several Best New Actor trophies for his work in Jane, including one from the 54th Baeksang Arts Awards. For Beaten Black and Blue, he took home the Actor of the Year award at the 2016 Busan International Film Festival and the Best New Actor trophy at the 22nd Chunsa Film Art Awards. In 2020, he appeared in the action horror film Peninsula, which is a standalone sequel to the hit 2016 movie Train to Busan. His performance in the film earned him several Best Supporting Actor nominations. He was then cast in Netflix’s Kingdom: Ashin of the North and D.P.


Aside from being an actor, Gu Kyo-hwan is also a film director. He graduated from the Seoul Institute of the Arts.