Lee Sung-jae (; born August 23, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Among his notable works include the films ''
Art Museum by the Zoo'', ''
Attack the Gas Station
''Attack the Gas Station!'' ( ko, 주유소 습격 사건) is a 1999 Korean crime-comedy film directed by Kim Sang-jin and written by Park Jung-woo.
The film tells the story of a quartet of thugs who rob a gas station out of sheer boredom, havi ...
'', ''
Barking Dogs Never Bite
''Barking Dogs Never Bite'' ( ko, 플란다스의 개, also known as ''A Higher Animal'' and ''Dog of Flanders'') is a 2000 South Korean independent dark comedy film directed and co-written by Bong Joon-ho in his directorial debut. The film's Kor ...
'', and ''
Kick the Moon'', as well as the television series ''Lie'' and ''
How Long I've Kissed
''How Long I've Kissed'' () is a 2012 South Korean television series starring Kim Hee-ae, Lee Sung-jae, Lee Tae-ran and Jang Hyun-sung. It aired on JTBC from February 29 to April 19, 2012.
Synopsis
The story of a struggling housewife who starts ...
''.
Career
Lee Sung-jae in a short period rose to become one of the more versatile and popular actors in Korean cinema. After working for a time on TV (his debut was the
MBC drama ''The Love of Two Women''), he launched his film career with the romantic comedy ''
Art Museum by the Zoo'' opposite superstar
Shim Eun-ha. The success of this movie gave him considerable attention and led to him being offered many more roles.
After starring in ''
Ghost in Love
''Ghost in Love'' (; aka ''Suicide Ghost Club'') is a 1999 South Korean film written by Li Hong-zhou and directed by Lee Kwang-hoon. The film stars Kim Hee-sun in the title role as the girlfriend of a man she suspects of cheating on her. She thro ...
'' opposite
Kim Hee-sun
Kim Hee-sun (born June 11, 1977) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s with leading roles in television series such as ''Men of the Bath House'' (1995), ''Propose'' (1997), ''Wedding Dress'' (1997), ''Forever Yours'' (1998), ' ...
, Lee rose to prominence as the leader of a small group of thugs in one of the biggest box-office hits of the late 1990s,
Kim Sang-jin's smash comedy ''
Attack the Gas Station
''Attack the Gas Station!'' ( ko, 주유소 습격 사건) is a 1999 Korean crime-comedy film directed by Kim Sang-jin and written by Park Jung-woo.
The film tells the story of a quartet of thugs who rob a gas station out of sheer boredom, havi ...
''. Shortly thereafter he took a role in a very different kind of film, the accomplished
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...
''
Barking Dogs Never Bite
''Barking Dogs Never Bite'' ( ko, 플란다스의 개, also known as ''A Higher Animal'' and ''Dog of Flanders'') is a 2000 South Korean independent dark comedy film directed and co-written by Bong Joon-ho in his directorial debut. The film's Kor ...
'', and his portrayal of a dog-hating lecturer who desperately wants to become a professor received good reviews.
In 2001, Lee acted opposite
Ko So-young
Ko So-young (; born October 6, 1972) is a South Korean actress and model.
Early life
Ko was born in Seoul, South Korea. She attended an all-female high school before gaining early admission to Chung-Ang University, where she studied computer sci ...
in ''A Day'', a drama about a young married couple who wish to have a baby; he then appeared alongside
Cha Seung-won and
Kim Hye-soo
Kim Hye-soo (; born September 5, 1970) is a South Korean actress. Kim was one of the most popular teen stars in the 1980s and 1990s. She is known for her headstrong independence and regularly playing strong-willed, sophisticated women.
Kim bega ...
in ''
Kick the Moon'', another wildly popular comedy by Kim Sang-jin. Lee also had a memorable turn as the villain in ''
Public Enemy
"Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...
'', a hugely successful film by hit director and
Cinema Service
Cinema Service () was a South Korean film production and distribution company.
History
The company was founded in 1993 by film director Kang Woo-suk as "Kang Woo-suk Productions", before taking the name Cinema Service in 1995. It survived dur ...
founder
Kang Woo-suk.
In 2004 Lee portrayed a mountain climber in the big-budget adventure/melodrama ''
Ice Rain'', which was shot in the
Canadian Rockies, then played a ballroom dancer in ''
Dance with the Wind'',
Park Jung-woo's directorial debut (Park wrote the screenplay for many of Kim Sang-jin's films).
Other notable roles include real-life fugitive
Ji Kang-hun in 2006's ''Holiday'', and a sculptor in 2010
3D erotic film ''
Natalie
Natalie may refer to:
People
* Natalie (given name)
* Natalie (singer) (born 1979), Mexican-American R&B singer/songwriter
* Shahan Natalie (1884–1983), Armenian writer and principal organizer of Operation Nemesis
Music Albums
* ''Nata ...
''.
Among the television series he's starred in include 2008 romantic comedy ''Lawyers of the Great Republic of Korea'', and 2012 hit cable drama ''
How Long I've Kissed
''How Long I've Kissed'' () is a 2012 South Korean television series starring Kim Hee-ae, Lee Sung-jae, Lee Tae-ran and Jang Hyun-sung. It aired on JTBC from February 29 to April 19, 2012.
Synopsis
The story of a struggling housewife who starts ...
''.
Filmography
Film
Television
Variety show
Awards
References
External links
Lee Sung-jae at Koom Entertainment
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*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Sung-jae
South Korean male film actors
South Korean male television actors
Dongguk University alumni
Male actors from Seoul
1970 births
Living people
Best New Actor Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners