Lee Jung-eun (; born January 23, 1970) is a South Korean actress. She is best known internationally for her role as the housekeeper Moon-gwang in film ''

Parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

'', which won four

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

and became the first non-English language film to win the award for

Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

Career

Lee Jeung-eun started out as theater play

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

. After graduating from the Department of Theater and Film at

Hanyang University Hanyang University (Korean: 한양대학교) is a private research university in South Korea. The main campus is located in Seoul and its satellite campus, the Education Research Industry Cluster (ERICA campus), is in Ansan. ''Hanyang'' (한양, ...

she debuted in the play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' in 1991. In 2000, she made her big screen debut with minor role in the movie ''A Masterpiece In My Life''. It was followed by another minor role, in a movie ''

Wanee & Junah ''Wanee & Junah'' (; lit. "Wa-ni and Jun-ha") is a 2001 South Korean film directed by Kim Yong-gyun. Plot Wa-ni is a successful animator in her mid-20s who is rapidly losing any ambition and passion for life. She's just surviving because of her ...

'' (2001). Her breakthrough as an actress was in 2008 musical ''Laundry''. In one of her most representative creative musicals in Korea, Lee Jung-eun played multiple roles as a master, a grandmother and a female employee. She received her first award, ''Young Drama Awards'' (2008) for this work. She joined the creative musical ''Laundry'' again in 2009 and 2012. In addition to ''Laundry'', she worked with director Choo Min-joo on the reading performances ''House with Fig Trees'' and ''Scars'', as well as the musical ''Good Morning School''. Lee Jung-eun, who had gained a reputation in the musical field, decided to try movie project again. In 2009, she auditioned for costume director Choi Se-yeon, who was also the producer of the musical ''Laundry'', and appeared in a minor role in

Bong Joon-ho Bong Joon-ho (, ; Hanja: 奉俊昊; born September 14, 1969) is a South Korean film director, producer and screenwriter. The recipient of four Academy Awards, his filmography is characterised by emphasis on social themes, genre-mixing, black h ...

's film ''

Mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...

'' (2009). In 2014, Lee debuted in television drama ''

The Queen's Classroom is a live-action Japanese television drama about Maya Akutsu (Yūki Amami), a new teacher at Hanzaki Elementary School who strives for perfection and punishes her students in unorthodox manners. A 12-year-old student, Kazumi Kanda (Mirai Shida), h ...

''. Lee Jung-eun drew attention from the public for her role as Shaman of Seobinggo-dong in the

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drama series ''Oh My Ghost'' (2015). In 2017,

who knew her from her acting in his movie ''

'' (2009) and Musical ''Laundry'', asked her to act as voice actor of genetically modified pig 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 ...

movie ''

Okja ''Okja'' (; ) is a 2017 science-fantasy action-adventure film directed by Bong Joon-ho with a screenplay by Bong and Jon Ronson from a story by Bong. The film is about a young girl who raised a genetically modified "super pig" (the titular Okja) ...

'' (2017). She spent days researching for this role. In 2019, Lee was cast in

’s movie

'' (2019).'' Her acting skills are recognized for her role as a housekeeper, and she has won numerous Best Supporting Actress Awards including Busan Film Critics Association Award, Buil Film Award, Chunsa Film Award and Blue Dragon Film Award.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Web series

Stage

Musical

Theater

Awards and nominations

State honors

Notes

References

External links

* * *
Lee_Jung-eun
at Play DB {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Jung-eun 1970 births Living people People from Seoul Actresses from Seoul South Korean television actresses South Korean film actresses South Korean stage actresses South Korean musical theatre actresses Hanyang University alumni Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners 20th-century South Korean actresses 21st-century South Korean actresses