Lee Kwang-soo (, born July 14, 1985) is a South Korean actor, entertainer, and model. He made his acting debut in the sitcom ''Here He Comes'' (2008) and received further recognition for his roles in medical melodrama ''
It's Okay, That's Love
''It's Okay, That's Love'' () is a 2014 South Korean Korean drama, television series starring Jo In-sung, Gong Hyo-jin, Sung Dong-il, Lee Kwang-soo, and D.O. (singer), Do Kyung-soo. It aired on Seoul Broadcasting System, SBS from July 23 to Sept ...
'' (2014), neo-noir film
''Confession'' (2014), black comedy film ''
Collective Invention'' (2015), sitcom
''The Sound of Your Heart'' (2016), and drama ''
''Live'''' (2018), and human comedy film ''
Inseparable Bros
''Inseparable Bros'' is a 2019 South Korean comedy-drama film directed by Yook Sang-hyo, starring Shin Ha-kyun, Lee Kwang-soo and Esom.
Plot
Kang Se-ha (Shin Ha-kyun) and Park Dong-gu (Lee Kwang-soo) are not blood-related brothers, but they have ...
'' (2019).
Lee was a regular cast member of the South Korean variety show ''
Running Man'' from June 2010 until May 2021. His last appearance on ''Running Man'' was aired on June 13, 2021.
Early life and education
Lee was born on July 14, 1985, in
Namyangju
Namyangju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. To the east is Gapyeong County, to the west is Guri City, and to the north is Pocheon City. Namyangju-si was originally a southern part of Yangju-gun, but was separated into Namyangju-gun ...
,
Gyeonggi
Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
.
Career
Lee began his entertainment career as a model in 2007. He made his acting debut in the 2008
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
''Here He Comes'',
which was followed by ''
High Kick Through the Roof
''High Kick Through the Roof'' () was a popular South Korean situation comedy revolving around the life of the Lee family.
Cast Soon-jae's House
;Lee Soon-jae (, Lee Soon-jae) : President of the self-named food company Lee Soon-jae F&B (Food & ...
''.
Lee's popularity increased after joining
SBS' ''
Good Sunday
''Good Sunday'' ( ko, 일요일이 좋다) is a South Korean reality-variety show shown on the SBS network, which competes directly against MBC's '' Sunday Night'' and KBS2's ''Happy Sunday'' line-up. The program has suffered from the competit ...
'' variety show ''
Running Man'', gaining the nickname "Prince of Asia" due to his large number of overseas fans. In 2010 and 2011, Lee won back-to-back awards at the
SBS Entertainment Awards
The SBS Entertainment Awards () is an awards ceremony held yearly, sponsored by Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS). The awards ceremony is approximately 140 minutes long and is shown in two parts on SBS. This event is held at the end of each year, ...
for "New Star Award" and "Best Newcomer in Variety", respectively.
In 2012, Lee played supporting roles in the romantic comedies ''
Wonderful Radio
''Wonderful Radio'' (, also known as ''Love On-Air'') is a 2012 South Korean romantic comedy film, starring Lee Min-jung and Lee Jung-jin. It is about a has-been pop star who is now a radio DJ struggling to boost listener ratings. It was rele ...
'' and ''
All About My Wife
''All About My Wife'' () is a 2012 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Min Kyu-dong, about a timid husband who hires a professional Casanova to seduce his seemingly perfect but fearsome wife, hoping this will make her divorce him.Jung, Hy ...
'',
and thriller ''
The Scent''.
Later in the year, he reunited onscreen with his former ''Running Man'' co-star and real-life best friend
Song Joong-ki
Song Joong-ki (; born September 19, 1985) is a South Korean actor. He rose to fame in the historical coming-of-age drama ''Sungkyunkwan Scandal'' (2010) and the variety show '' Running Man'' (2010–2011) as one of the original cast members. S ...
in the TV melodrama ''
The Innocent Man''.
In 2013, after another supporting role in ''A Wonderful Moment'',
Lee voiced the lead character Marco in the animated movie ''Maritime Police Marco'', opposite fellow ''Running Man'' regular
Song Ji-hyo
Cheon Soo-yeon (born Cheon Seong-im on 15 August 1981), professionally known by her stage name Song Ji-hyo, is a South Korean actress and model. Song is one of the regular cast members of the South Korean variety show '' Running Man'' since 201 ...
, who voiced for Lulu.
Lee had publicly stated that he wanted to play an antagonist in TV or film. He was then cast as Prince Imhae (villainous brother to
King Gwanghae
Gwanghae-gun or Prince Gwanghae (4 June 1575 – 7 August 1641), personal name Yi Hon (Hangul: 이혼, Hanja: 李琿), was the 15th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. As he was deposed in a coup d'état, he did not receive a temple name.
...
) in the 2013 period drama ''
Goddess of Fire
''Goddess of Fire'' (; lit. ''Goddess of Fire, Jung Yi'') is a 2013 South Korean television series starring Moon Geun-young, Lee Sang-yoon, Kim Bum, Park Gun-hyung, Seo Hyun-jin, Jun Kwang-ryul, Jeong Bo-seok, Byun Hee-bong, Han Go-eun, and Lee K ...
''.
While filming ''Goddess of Fire'', he participated in an energy conservation campaign alongside child actress Kim Yoo-bin.
On August 17, 2013, Lee held his first solo fan meeting of his career in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. Attended by 2,000 fans, it was considered a success. He held another one in Malaysia on January 4, 2014, attended by almost 3,000 fans.
In 2014, Lee played his first major role on the big screen in ''
Confession
A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information th ...
''. The
neo-noir
Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating ...
film is about three friends (played by
Ji Sung
Ji Sung (born Kwak Tae-geun on 27 February 1977) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television dramas '' All In'' (2003), '' Save the Last Dance for Me'' (2004), ''New Heart'' (2007), ''Protect the Boss'' (2011), ' ...
,
Ju Ji-hoon
Ju Ji-hoon (born May 16, 1982) is a South Korean actor and model. His first leading role was in the 2006 hit drama ''Princess Hours''. His other notable works include ''The Devil'', '' Antique'', ''Mask'', '' Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds'' ...
, and Lee) whose friendship gets destroyed after getting involved in a murder case.
He then returned to television with the medical melodrama ''
It's Okay, That's Love
''It's Okay, That's Love'' () is a 2014 South Korean Korean drama, television series starring Jo In-sung, Gong Hyo-jin, Sung Dong-il, Lee Kwang-soo, and D.O. (singer), Do Kyung-soo. It aired on Seoul Broadcasting System, SBS from July 23 to Sept ...
'', playing a patient suffering from
Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome or Tourette's syndrome (abbreviated as TS or Tourette's) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) ...
, a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics.
Lee then starred in the film ''A Dynamite Family'', about five bickering brothers living in the village of Deoksu.
In 2015, Lee played the protagonist in ''
Collective Invention'', whose condition is caused by side effects from a newly introduced drug.
''Collective Invention'' was screened in the Vanguard section of the
2015 Toronto International Film Festival
The 40th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 10 to 20 September 2015. On 28 July 2015 the first wave of films to be screened at the Festival was announced. Jean-Marc Vallée's ''Demolition'' starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naom ...
, marking Lee's first red carpet appearance at an international film festival. He also starred in the two-episode drama ''Puck!'', where he played a loan shark who joins a college
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
club. The one-act play was aired on January 1, 2016.
The same year, he was appointed ambassador of the "2015 Korea Brand & Entertainment Expo" and received commendation from the trade minister for boosting the Korean Wave industry.
In 2016, Lee starred in
tvN TVN may refer to:
* TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel
* Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster
* TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi
* TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...
's ''
Entourage
An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...
'', a South Korean remake of the
American series The American Series (Spanish: ''La Temporada Americana'') was a set of baseball games played between Cuban and American teams in Cuba. An American team would travel to Cuba and play various professional, all-star and/or amateur Cuban teams throughou ...
.
He was then cast in the KBS sitcom ''
The Sound of Your Heart'', based on the
webtoon
Webtoons (), are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones.
While webtoons were mostly unknown outside of Korea during their inception, there has been a surge in popularity internationally ...
of the same name.
The web drama was a success in both South Korea and China, gaining 100 million on Sohu TV and ranked No. 1 among Korean dramas on the site.
In September 2017, it was confirmed that Lee would be a fixed cast member in
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
's variety show ''
Busted!
''Busted!'' () is a South Korean streaming television program on Netflix starring Yoo Jae-suk, Ahn Jae-wook, Kim Jong-min, Lee Kwang-soo, Park Min-young, Oh Se-hun, Kim Se-jeong and Lee Seung-gi. It premiered on May 4, 2018, and concluded on Ja ...
''.
In 2018, Lee starred in
Noh Hee-kyung
Noh Hee-kyung (born March 21, 1966) is a South Korean television screenwriter and essayist.
Career
Noh Hee-kyung has become renowned in South Korea for her realistic, cerebral and in-depth portrayals of the lives and relationships of ordinary ...
's slice-of-life ''
Live
Live may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film
* ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film
*'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD)
Music
*Live (band), American alternative rock band
* List of albums ...
'' playing a police officer who tries to uphold values in everyday life and maintain justice.
The drama was a success and Lee received rave reviews for his performance.
He then played a Mensa genius in crime comedy ''
The Accidental Detective 2: In Action'', a sequel to the
2015 film.
In 2019, Lee starred in human comedy ''
Inseparable Bros
''Inseparable Bros'' is a 2019 South Korean comedy-drama film directed by Yook Sang-hyo, starring Shin Ha-kyun, Lee Kwang-soo and Esom.
Plot
Kang Se-ha (Shin Ha-kyun) and Park Dong-gu (Lee Kwang-soo) are not blood-related brothers, but they have ...
'' and gambling film ''
Tazza: One Eyed Jack''.
He won his first
Baeksang Arts Awards
The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...
award for Best Supporting Actor for his outstanding portrayal of Park Dong-goo who suffers from severe intellectual disabilities in ''Inseparable Bros'', with critics citing "it was like seeing
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is th ...
in ''
Rain Man
''Rain Man'' is a 1988 American road movie, road Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass. It tells the story of abrasive, selfish young wikt:wheeler-dealer, wheeler-dealer C ...
''".
The same year, he was cast in disaster comedy film ''
Sinkhole
A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...
'' alongside
Cha Seung-won
Cha Seung-won (born June 7, 1970) is a South Korean actor, who began his career as an in-demand fashion model in the 1990s. Cha achieved stardom through the hit comedy films ''Kick the Moon'' (2001), ''Jail Breakers'' (2002), '' My Teacher, Mr. ...
and
Kim Sung-kyun
Kim Sung-kyun (born May 25, 1980) is a South Korean actor. Kim began his career in theatre, then made his screen debut as a gangster boss's faithful henchman in '' Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time'', followed by supporting roles in '' The Ne ...
.
On February 15, 2020, Lee was involved in a car accident which put all of his activities on pause until his recovery from ankle injury. Later in June, it was confirmed that he would be starring in ''
The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure'', a sequel to the
2014 film.
The film was released in January 2022.
In 2021, Lee returned to the Season 3 of
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
variety show ''
Busted!
''Busted!'' () is a South Korean streaming television program on Netflix starring Yoo Jae-suk, Ahn Jae-wook, Kim Jong-min, Lee Kwang-soo, Park Min-young, Oh Se-hun, Kim Se-jeong and Lee Seung-gi. It premiered on May 4, 2018, and concluded on Ja ...
''. Later in April 2021, Lee confirmed the film ''
A Year-End Medley
''A Year-End Medley'' ( lit.: Happy New Year) is a 2021 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Kwak Jae-yong and features an ensemble cast led by Han Ji-min, Lee Dong-wook, Kang Ha-neul and Im Yoon-ah. The film depicts the story of clie ...
'', which was released in the same year.
On April 27, 2021, Lee's agency announced that he will be stepping down from ''
Running Man'' to focus on treatment and recovery from the accident. His last recording took place on May 24, 2021.
In 2022, Lee will star in the
tvN TVN may refer to:
* TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel
* Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster
* TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi
* TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...
drama ''
The Killer's Shopping List'', marking his return to the small screen after four years.
Personal life
On December 31, 2018, it was reported that Lee had been dating actress
Lee Sun-bin
Lee Jin-kyung (; born January 7, 1994), professionally known as Lee Sun-bin (), is a South Korean actress and singer. She is known for starring in '' Squad 38'' (2016), '' Missing 9'' (2017), and ''Criminal Minds'' (2017). She is a former memb ...
, with
King Kong by Starship
King Kong by Starship (), formerly known as King Kong Entertainment () before the merge in 2017, is a South Korean actors agency that was founded in 2009.
History
It was founded in 2009 by Lee Jin-sung, then an employee of IHQ Inc., and having ...
stating that the couple had been dating "for 5 months" prior to the announcement of their relationship.
Filmography
Film
Television series
Web series
Television show
Web show
Music video appearances
Discography
Ambassadorship
* Korea-Mekong Ambassador (2021)
Awards and nominations
State honors
Listicles
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Kwang-soo
1985 births
Living people
People from Namyangju
King Kong by Starship artists
South Korean male film actors
South Korean male television actors
South Korean male web series actors
Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts alumni
21st-century South Korean male actors
South Korean television personalities
The Amazing Race contestants
category:Best Supporting Actor Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners