Sung Dong Il entered the entertainment industry in 1985. He joined SBS's first entertainment training class in 1991 and started his TV career. In 1998, he starred in the drama "Eun Shil." On December 14, 2006, his movie "200 Pounds Beauty" was released and garnered positive reviews. He had a role in the movie "Take Off," which premiered on July 30, 2009. He won Best Supporting Actor with this movie at the 7th Max Movie Awards. In January 2010, he led the KBS drama "The Slave Hunters," which earned him Best Supporting Actor at the KBS Drama Awards. From 2012 to 2015, he acted in the "Reply" series on tvN. On January 6th, 2013, he joined the first season of the MBC variety show "Dad! Where Are We Going?" with his son Sung Joon as a part of the main cast. He won the MBC Excellence in Variety Award with his run on the show. On July 18, he starred in "Mr. Go," a film co-produced by South Korea and China. The box office surpassed 100 million in ticket sales. He and his son Sung Joon also played a role in the movie "Emperor's Holiday" in August 2014, which was directed by Wang Yuelun. In 2016, he acted in the historical drama "Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo," the KBS drama "Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth," and the SBS Wednesday-Thursday drama "Legend of the Blue Sea."