2000–2012: Acting beginnings

Lee made his debut as the lead actor in the 2000 short film Psycho Drama.^[7] In 2001, he made his stage acting debut as Brad Majors in the stage musical The Rocky Horror Show,^[8] and his television debut in the sitcom Lovers.^[5]

Lee eventually achieved his breakthrough in 2007 with the critically lauded medical drama White Tower and the highly popular romantic series Coffee Prince.^[9] He was nominated for Best New Actor in Television during the 43rd Baeksang Arts Awards.^[7] Besides Coffee Prince, he worked with director Lee Yoon-jung two other times—in the sports-themed Taereung National Village in 2005, and in the slice-of-life drama Triple in 2009.^[10]

Despite his burgeoning fame, Lee then turned to low-budget arthouse films to polish his acting caliber. He appeared in films directed by Hong Sang-soo, such Night and Day, Lost in the Mountains, Oki's Movie, Nobody's Daughter Haewon and Our Sunhi. Hong had been renowned for his realistic portrayal of ordinary lives in his films.^[8] Lee also headlined Paju,^[11] for which he won the Best Actor award at the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival held in Spain. Film distributor Myung Film quoted the judging committee as handing Lee high points for portraying the anguish his character felt for loving his wife's younger sister.^[12]

Lee successfully shook off his "gentle" TV drama image in Pasta, where he played a brilliant-but-abrasive chef.^[13] The series' popularity made him a bankable romantic leading man.^[14][15][16] Petty Romance reunited him with his My Sweet Seoul co-star Choi Kang-hee,^[17][18][19] and one-upmanship action comedy Officer of the Year (also known as Arrest King) soon followed.^[20][21]

Lee showed his support for the revival of Drama Special (formerly Drama City) by starring in Our Slightly Risque Relationship (his acting was later recognized at the KBS Drama Awards). He continually defended the importance of the short drama format as a training ground for young talent, acknowledging its contribution to his own career.^[22]

2012–2017: Rising success

In 2012, he starred in two consecutive well-reviewed big-screen hits—mystery thriller Helpless^[23] and romantic comedy All About My Wife.^[24][25] Reuniting with Pasta director Kwon Seok-jang, Lee played a trauma doctor in Golden Time.^[26] His third collaboration with Kwon was Miss Korea, a drama set amidst the IMF crisis in the 1990s.^[27][28]

Lee returned to the theater opposite wife Jeon Hye-jin in Mike Bartlett's stage play Love, Love, Love in 2013.^[29] The following year, he headlined the film A Hard Day, which screened at the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, and became a critically acclaimed sleeper hit at the box office.^[30][31][32]

In 2015, Lee starred in the courtroom drama film The Advocate: A Missing Body.^[33][34]

2018–2023: Return to television and resurgence

In 2018, Lee starred in the critically acclaimed television series My Mister.^[35][36] The same year he starred in the action thriller film Take Point.^[37] In 2019, Lee starred in the legal television series Prosecutor Civil War.^[38]

In 2019, Lee had a starring role in the critically acclaimed film Parasite as Park Dong-ik (Nathan; 박동익; Bak Dongik), the Park family father. Parasite was directed by Bong Joon-ho and became the first South Korean film to win the Palme d'Or as well as the Academy Award for Best Picture.^[5][39] The cast of Parasite, including Lee, also received an SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.^[40]

In 2021, Lee played a neuroscientist trying to solve the mysterious death of his family by hacking into the brains of the deceased. Dr. Brain is the first Korean-language show produced for Apple TV+. As the drama series debut of renowned filmmaker Kim Jee-woon, the sci-fi thriller is based on the Korean webtoon of the same name.^[5][41][42] For his performance he was nominated for a Best Actor award for the 50th International Emmy Awards.^[3] The same year, Lee appeared in the political drama film Kingmaker as political strategist.^[43][44] He received a nomination for Best Actor for his role in the film at the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards; however, the award went to his costar Sol Kyung-gu.^[45]

In 2023, Lee starred alongside Lee Ha-nee (Honey Lee) in Lee Won-suk's comedy Killing Romance. While the film received a tepid reaction upon release, it has since become a cult favorite in Korea, and made its North American debut at the 22nd New York Asian Film Festival on July 14, 2023.^[46][47] In that same year, Lee also starred alongside Jung Yu-mi in the critically acclaimed horror film Sleep.^[48]

Marriage

Lee married his partner of seven years, actress Jeon Hye-jin, on May 23, 2009.^[49][50][51] Their agency announced that their first son was born on November 25, 2009.^[52] The couple's second son was born on August 9, 2011.^[53]

Drug use allegations and death

In October 2023, it was revealed that Lee was booked for internal investigation over suspected drug use.^[54] As a result, he voluntarily dropped out of No Way Out, an upcoming thriller drama serial which just started its production days before the revelation of his alleged drug use.^[55][56] On October 24, he was charged on suspicion of using cannabis and psychoactive drugs, according to Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency, and was summoned for questioning on October 28.^[57][58] Lee was also given a travel ban to prevent him from leaving the country during the course of investigations.^[59] Initial test results of Lee's hair samples revealed that Lee tested negative for drugs, and further investigations were expected as of November 2023.^[60] Lee first requested the police to conduct an additional lie detector test through his lawyer. The complaint is that it is unfair to be accused of drug use in a situation where there is only a statement and no physical evidence.^[61] Lee had admitted that the drugs were given to him by a hostess who he had been at a bar with, but said he was unaware that what he was given were illegal drugs, and that he had been deceived into doing so as part of a blackmail attempt.^[62] Due to Lee's public persona as a "family man", and South Korean society's high moral expectations of public figures and strong social disapproval of both infidelity and drug use, Lee and the investigation was heavily covered by South Korean media.^[63]

On December 27, 2023, at 10:30 a.m., Lee was found dead at the age of 48 inside his car at the road parking lot nearby Waryong Park in central Seoul.^[64][5] In the passenger seat was a charcoal briquette commonly used in suicide via carbon monoxide poisoning in South Korea.^[65][66][67] The police earlier received a report from his wife that Lee had left home after "writing a memo akin to a suicide note".^[68][69][70] Lee's funeral was held at the funeral hall of Seoul National University Hospital, and he was buried on the 29th in Yeonhwajang, Suwon.^[71] Lee's death came amidst multiple suspected suicides among South Korean celebrities, and an analysis article by CNN said it cast a spotlight on the high-pressure environment in South Korea's entertainment industry.^[72] Following Lee's death, a woman was arrested following allegations she had blackmailed him,^[73][74] and has been sent to prosecution.^[75] Director Bong Joon-ho and other prominent figures demanded an inquiry into the role of South Korean media and police in Lee's death.^[76][77][78]

Film

Television series

Web series

Television shows

Music video appearances

Theater

Musical

State honors

Listicles