[1][2][3][4] Shin began his career on stage in 1962, in the play "Cow", and has appeared in numerous works of Korean theatre, film and television.

Shin Goo's parents were both illiterate, with his father selling vegetables in Wangshimi Central Market and his mother working as a housekeeper.

One day, he happened to come across a small advertisement in the corner of a newspaper seeking first-term students for the Namsan Drama Center Actor Academy.

In a 2013 interview with Kyunghyang Shinmun, Shin Gu explained, "I saw the advertisement and thought, 'This is it,' which is why I decided to pursue acting.

"[7][10][9] In the autumn of 1962, Shin enrolled in the newly established Namsan Drama Center Actor Academy, which was founded by Dongrang Yoo Chi-jin [ko] (1905-1974)[note 1] and is now known as the Department of Theater and Film of Seoul Institute of the Arts.

His stage name was given to him by playwright Yoo Chi-jin [ko] when he was a first-year student at the Namsan Drama Center's Theater Academy.

In 1966, he won the 3rd Dong-A Theater Award for Best Male Actor for his roles as the chairman of the People's Committee in "I Will Become a Human" and as crown in Porgy and Bess.

[7] Actor Park In-hwan recommended Shin to apply for the 6th Seoul Central Broadcasting System (currently KBS) Talent Recruitment in 1969.

Following this, playwright Yoo Chi-jin [ko] suggested that Shin study dance in the East-West Cultural Center in Hawaii for a year.

During his stay, he learned the Hwanghae-do mask dance from Kim Jin-ok and Professor Lee Doo-hyun of Seoul National University, and performed it.

In 1971, while he was getting ready to join the company, he happened to meet Lim Hak-song, a KBS drama producer, at a bar the day before.

"[7][16] Among his most memorable and notable works as member of National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK) were Lee Hae-rang's play "Active Volcano" in 1974, and "Jingbirok" in 1975.

As a result, Shin was offered many work opportunities, which provided him with the strength and motivation to continue pursuing his career, particularly during times when awards and recognition were scarce.

Following this event, the troupe toured various cities in the US, including Dallas, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Hawaii, as well as Lane in France, Paris, and the Netherlands, to showcase their level of theater to audiences worldwide.

Before their departure, the troupe presented one of their tour works, Tae, written by Tae-seok Oh and directed by Min-soo Ahn, from February 22 to 24 at the annex of the Seoul Civic Center, sponsored by JoongAng Ilbo and Dongyang Broadcasting.

The film, originally written by Lee Moon-yeol and directed by Park Jong-won, was a turning point for Shin's career.

He also appeared in director Hur Jin-ho's debut film, "Christmas in August", which is considered a monumental work of Korean melodrama.

In this film, Shin played a father with hearing loss whose son, Jung Won (acted by Han Seok-kyu), was dying of an incurable disease.

From 1999 to 2009, Shin played Chief Judge in KBS show The Clinic for Married Couples: Love and War.

Shin-gu played a grandfather who lives a difficult life with his six-year-old granddaughter (Kim Hyang-gi) while gathering waste paper.

The granddaughter lives with her grandfather because of her mother who left home and her missing father, but her young age is incredibly precocious and clever.

Shin starred in Season 1 alongside Youn Yuh-jung, Lee Seo-jin, Park Seo-joon and Jung Yu-mi.