Lee Jong-suk

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For the politician, see Lee Jong-seok (politician).
This is a Korean name; the family name is Lee.

Lee Jong-suk
Lee Jong-suk for MVIO's mini film "Long Distance
Love"
Born
September 14, 1989 (age 27)
Nationality
South Korea
Education
Konkuk University
Occupation
Actor, Model
Years active
2005present

Wellmade Yedang

YG Entertainment

Agent

Website

ygstage.com

Korean name
Hangul

Hanja

Revised Romanization I Jong-seok

McCuneReischauer Yi Chongsk
This article contains Korean text. Without proper
rendering support, you may see question marks,
boxes, or other symbols instead of Hangul and
hanja.
Lee Jong-suk (Hangul: , born 14 September 1989) is a South Korean actor and model.[1]
He debuted in 2005 as a runway model,[2] and is well known to be the youngest male model ever
of the Seoul Collection program for Seoul Fashion Week.[3] In 2013, Lee ranked respectively in
fifth place according to a survey entitled 'Actors Who Lit Up 2013' by Gallup Korea, one of the
most recognized awards in Korea for the entertainment industry.[4]
Jong-suk debuted as an actor in the 2005 Short Film Sympathy.[5] He is best known for his
leading roles in School 2013 (2012), I Can Hear Your Voice (2013) in which he was
nominated for Most Popular Actor and Best Actor in the category of television at the 50th
Baeksang Arts Awards, Doctor Stranger (2014) and Pinocchio (2014), which garnered him
another nomination for Most Popular Actor at the 51th Baeksang Arts Awards. Also he is the

youngest actor in history to be awarded the Grimae Award for "Best Male Actor" for his
performance in Pinocchio.[6]

Contents

1 Life and career

o 1.1 Early life
o 1.2 20102012: Acting career beginnings
o 1.3 2012-2013: Rising popularity
o 1.4 2014 present: Rising popularity in China and International fame

2 Personal life

3 Filmography
o 3.1 Television shows
o 3.2 Films
o 3.3 Music videos

4 Awards and nominations

5 References

6 External links

Life and career

Early life
At the young age of 15, Lee Jong-suk began his modelling career at the Seoul Collection
walkway in 2005, making him the youngest and most talked-about male model to debut at Seoul
Collection program for Seoul Fashion Week.[3] Since then he has walked in a number of fashion
shows hosted by many of the top brands in Korea, boasting an extensive modeling portfolio.
Having participated in some of the biggest fashion runaway shows, Lee was praised by many as
"a model who had the image of a boy and a grown man coexisting inside him".[7]

Lee then trained as an idol group member for three months, and had signed on with the agency
for debut. However, he quit after the agency broke their promise of debuting Lee as an actor.[8]
He then took part in a selection for actors at SBS TV station when he was in middle school.[9]

20102012: Acting career beginnings

In 2010, Lee made his official acting debut in the South Korean TV series titled Prosecutor
Princess. The same year he had a supporting role in the popular drama Secret Garden where he
played a talented young composer with a surly attitude and a forbidden crush on the second male
lead, Oska played by Yoon Sang-hyun.[10] Lee also made his big-screen debut in the horror movie
Ghost.
In 2011, Lee appeared in MBC's sitcom High Kick Season 3 in which he portrayed the character
An Jong Seok, who is involved in a complicated love square with the characters portrayed by
Baek Jin-hee, Yoon Kye-sang and Kim Ji-won.[11][12]
In 2012, Lee starred in the film R2B: Return to Base, a loose remake of the critically acclaimed
1986 film Top Gun. This was Lee's first flight movie, and he plays an important role as part of a
team of F-15K pilots.[13][14]

2012-2013: Rising popularity

2013 became Lee's breakout year thanks to his first lead role as a high school student Go Namsoon, in the teen drama School 2013.[15] He received his first acting award for the role at the 2012
KBS Drama Awards under the category Best New Actor.[16]
Following the success of School 2013, Lee starred in the popular and acclaimed drama I Can
Hear Your Voice with Lee Bo-young,[17] where he played Park Soo Ha, an intelligent young man
who could read minds.[18] According to the related personnel from the drama:

Sooha lives in a world that is a little more chaotic/noisy than ours, su

Originally slated for 16 episodes, the drama was extended by 2 episodes due to its successful
ratings.[19] I Can Hear Your Voice gave Lee outstanding recognition, and became his most wellknown work to date. He received the Excellence Award[20] in the male category at the Korea
Drama Awards for his acting performance in the drama as well as the Best Couple Award
together with his co-star Lee Bo-young.[21]
Lee also became the lead actor in the movie No Breathing with Seo In-guk and Kwon Yuri from
Girls' Generation.[22] He portrayed the character Woo Sang, an ambitious young swimmer who

always strives to be #1.[23] He also had a supporting role as Nae-gyeong (played by Song Kangho)'s son in box office hit The Face Reader.

2014 present: Rising popularity in China and International fame

In 2014, he starred in the movie Hot Young Bloods with Park Bo-young which garnered him a
nomination for Most Popular Actor in the category of film at the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards.
The movie is set in an agricultural town in Chungcheong back in the 1980s and focuses on the
lives and loves of several high school students.[24] It's Lee's second film as the lead actor as well
as his role as a high school student.[25]
Lee also took on the lead role in popular medical drama, Doctor Stranger in the same year. He
plays Park Hoon, an intelligent doctor who came from North Korea, but who gets shunned
because of his background.[26] Thanks to Lee's popularity, the online streaming rights for drama
were sold for $80,000 per episode in China. Furthermore, the drama was made available for
online streaming on both Youku and Tudou where it received 330 million and 50 million views,
respectively.[27] Due to the drama's success in China it was planned to edit the drama into a film
and release it theatrically exclusively in China with an alternate ending.[28][29] Lee's previous
drama, I Can Hear Your Voice, has also surpassed 350 million views on YouKu as of July 2014
in China.[30]
On September 11, Lee was confirmed to star in Pinocchio opposite actress Park Shin-hye. The
drama portrayed the passionate pursuit of justice by young news reporters on the social affairs
desk. Lee plays the protagonist Choi Dal-po, a first year reporter at a broadcasting company who
struggles with the idea of justice and truth in a world where everyone wants to hide the facts.[31]
Pinocchio proved to be Lee's biggest project in his career, garnering 6.2 billion won (US$5.62
million) in just one year, with the export price paid for one episode being $280,000.[32] Because
of its record-breaking price, "Pinocchio" became the most widely searched word on Chinese
search portals.[33]
Lee's performance and hard work throughout the year in the dramas Doctor Stranger and
Pinocchio earned him several acting accolades, including the Top Excellence Award in the male
category at the 8th Korea Drama Awards, and the SBS Special Award at the 2014 SBS Drama
Awards. His acting performance in Pinocchio was also recognized at the 27th Grimae Awards, a
honorable award chosen by directors in every broadcasting station in Korea. Lee became the
youngest actor to be named the Best Actor at the Grimae Awards.[6] Lee also won the Most
Popular Actor award at the 51st Baeksang Arts Awards due to his rising popularity.
Lee later released a photobook titled 2014-2015 Asia Tour Story ~With~. It was put on sale at
online shopping malls of 29 countries around the world. The book comprises photos taken of
Lee's meetings with fans in seven Asian cities, including Seoul, Beijing and Bangkok, during a
nine-month tour.[34]
In December 2015, Lee left his previous agency Wellmade Yedang and signed an exclusive
contract with YG Entertainment on May 10, 2016.[35]

Due to Lee's success in China, a wax figure of the him went on display in Hong Kong's Madame
Tussauds, which the actor unveiled himself in a ceremony. He is the fourth Korean whose wax
figure was installed at the museum after actors Bae Yong-joon, Lee Min-ho and Kim Soo-hyun.
[36]
Lee was also cast in a Korean-Chinese TV drama titled Jade Lovers along with actress Zheng
Shuang. The drama is filmed in Shanghai and described as a fantasy romance series which is set
in the 1930s.[37]
On July 2016, Lee returned to the Korean small screen with MBC's fantasy thriller drama series
W - Two Worlds alongside Han Hyo-joo as Kang Cheol, a fictional character and the lead
character of the popular comic series. It can be described as a suspense love story which happens
between the reality and the virtual universe. The drama is directed by Jung Dae-yoon who is
known for She Was Pretty and writer Song Jae-jung whose previous works include Nine: Nine
Time Travels and Queen In-hyun's Man.[38][39][40]
In August 2016, Lee Jong-suk was confirmed for the movie VIP, which will be released in 2017.
Lee is playing the son of a high-ranking North Korean official, Gwang-Il, who is suspected of
committing serial murders around the globe it marks Lee's first role as a villain.[41]

Personal life
Lee Jong-suk majored in Professional Motion Pictures Art at South Korean Konkuk University
and graduated from the university in 2016.[42]
Jong-suk's best known friend in the media is Kim Woo-bin, whom he has known since their
modeling days. According to him, both of them have known each other for years but through the
work for the teen drama School 2013, their relationship deepened. He also stated that Woo-bin is
the only friend that he can depend on when he has something he's worried about.[43][44] Due to the
increased popularity of both actors since School 2013, which was the breakout work for both of
them,[45] the media displays the two friends as rivals but Kim Woo-bin denies these statements
and clarifies that he sees Jong-suk as his "loving friend" who he can learn from as Lee started
modeling and acting before him.[46]

Filmography
Television shows
Year
2010
2011
2012
2013

Title
Prosecutor Princess
Secret Garden
High Kick: Revenge of the Short Legged
When I Was The Prettiest
School 2013
I Hear Your Voice
Potato Star 2013QR3

Role
Lee Woo-hyun
Han Tae-sun
Ahn Jong-suk
Yoon Jung-hyuk
Go Nam-soon
Park Soo-ha
Jong-Suk

Network
SBS
MBC
KBS
SBS
tvN

2014
Doctor Stranger
2014-2015 Pinocchio
Gogh, The Starry Night
2016
W - Two Worlds
Jade Lover

Park Hoon
Choi Dal-po / Ki Ha-myung
Song Dae-gi
Kang Chul
Bai Louhan

SBS
Sohu
MBC
Anhui TV

Films
Year
Title
2005 Sympathy
2010 Ghost
As One
2012

Role
Lee Han-sol
Baek Hyun-wook
Choi Kyung-sub
First Lieutenant Ji Seok-hyun

Film Production
CJ Capital Investment

Jin-hyeong, Nae-gyeong's son

Woo-sang
Joong-gil
Gwang-il

Showbox
9ers Entertainment
Lotte Entertainment

CJ Entertainment

R2B: Return to Base

The Face Reader

No Breathing
2014 Hot Young Bloods
2017 VIP
2013

Music videos
Year
2009
2011

Title

With

"I Don't Care"

"Don't Play Around"

2NE1
CHI CHI

2012

"Lost"[47]

Nicole Jung

2015

"My Valentine"[48]

Jung Yup

Notes
Dara's lover
Korean Version
Japanese Version

Awards and nominations

Year

Award
South Korean Superstar
2005
Selection Competition
2006 SMART Model Contest
2011 4th Style Icon Awards
48th Paeksang Arts
2012 Awards
KBS Drama Awards
2013 49th Paeksang Arts
Awards

Category
Star of New Advertising
Models
Most Photogenic Award
SIA's Choice Award
Best Variety Performer Male
Most Popular Actor (TV)
Best New Actor
Most Popular Actor (film)

Nominated work

Result

N/A

Won

N/A

Won
Won

N/A

High Kick: Revenge of Nominated

the Short Legged
Nominated
School 2013
Won
As One
Nominated

7th Mnet 20's Choice

Awards

20's Drama Star Male

N/A

Excellence Award, Actor

6th Korea Drama Awards Best Couple Award with
Lee Bo-young
The 21st Century
6th Style Icon Awards
Gentleman
Top Excellence Award,
21st Korean Culture and
Actor
Entertainment Awards
Hallyu Grand Award
I Can Hear Your Voice
Excellence Award, Actor
2nd APAN Star Awards
Best Couple Award with
Lee Bo-young
Excellence Award, Actor in
a Miniseries
SBS Drama Awards
Top 10 Stars
Best Couple Award with
Lee Bo-young
9th Asia Model Festival
N/A
Model Star Award
Awards
Best Actor (TV)
I Can Hear Your Voice
50th Baeksang Arts
Most Popular Actor (TV)
Awards
Most Popular Actor (film)
Hot Young Bloods
51st Grand Bell Awards Popularity Award
9th Seoul International
People's Choice Actor
I Can Hear Your Voice
Drama Awards
Top Excellence Award,
7th Korea Drama Awards
Doctor Stranger
Actor
2014
N/A
7th Style Icon Awards
Top 10 Style Icons
27th Grimae Awards
Top Excellence Award
Doctor Stranger
Pinocchio
SBS Special Award
Top Excellence Award,
Actor in a Drama Special
SBS Drama Awards
Top 10 Stars
Netizen Popularity Award
Pinocchio
Best Couple Award with
Park Shin-hye
2015 51st Baeksang Arts
Most Popular Actor (TV)
Awards
Most Outstanding
N/A
Hahn Awards
Representative - Actor [49]
N/A
Brand of the Year 2015
Special Award
Korea

Nominated
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Nominated
Won
Nominated
Nominated
Nominated
Nominated
Nominated
Nominated
Nominated
Won
Won
Nominated
Won
Nominated
Won
Won
Won
Won

8th Korea Drama Awards

Top Excellence Award,

Actor

Pinocchio

Won

6th Korean Popular

Culture & Arts Award

Prime Minister Award

N/A

Won

Best Actor in a miniseries

(top excellence award)
Best Couple Award with
Han Hyo-joo

2016 5th APAN Star Awards

Pending
Pending