Lee Jong-suk
Lee Jong-suk | |
|---|---|
_%EC%9B%B9%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88_Long_Distance_Love_%EA%B3%A0%ED%99%94%EC%A7%88_%ED%98%84%EC%9E%A5%EC%82%AC%EC%A7%84_(1).jpg) Lee Jong-suk for MVIO's mini film "Long Distance Love" | |
| Born | September 14, 1989 |
| Nationality | South Korea |
| Education | Konkuk University |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, Model |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Agents | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 이종석 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | I Jong-seok |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yi Chongsŏk |
| Website | ygstage |
Lee Jong-suk (Hangul: 이종석, 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]
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]
2010–2012: 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 Nam-soon, 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, surrounded by his impactful past and his special first love. We intend to explore how he uses his special abilities among the complicated web of character relationships.[18]
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 well-known 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 Kang-ho)'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 | Title | Role | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Prosecutor Princess | Lee Woo-hyun | SBS |
| Secret Garden | Han Tae-sun | ||
| 2011 | High Kick: Revenge of the Short Legged | Ahn Jong-suk | MBC |
| 2012 | When I Was The Prettiest | Yoon Jung-hyuk | KBS |
| School 2013 | Go Nam-soon | ||
| 2013 | I Hear Your Voice | Park Soo-ha | SBS |
| Potato Star 2013QR3 | Jong-Suk | tvN | |
| 2014 | Doctor Stranger | Park Hoon | SBS |
| 2014-2015 | Pinocchio | Choi Dal-po / Ki Ha-myung | |
| 2016 | Gogh, The Starry Night | Song Dae-gi | Sohu |
| W - Two Worlds | Kang Chul | MBC | |
| Jade Lover | Bai Louhan | Anhui TV |
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Film Production |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Sympathy | Lee Han-sol | CJ Capital Investment |
| 2010 | Ghost | Baek Hyun-wook | CJ Entertainment |
| 2012 | As One | Choi Kyung-sub | |
| R2B: Return to Base | First Lieutenant Ji Seok-hyun | ||
| 2013 | The Face Reader | Jin-hyeong, Nae-gyeong's son | Showbox |
| No Breathing | Woo-sang | 9ers Entertainment | |
| 2014 | Hot Young Bloods | Joong-gil | Lotte Entertainment |
| 2017 | VIP | Gwang-il |
Music videos
| Year | Title | With | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "I Don't Care" | 2NE1 | Dara's lover |
| 2011 | "Don't Play Around" | CHI CHI | |
| 2012 | "Lost"[47] | Nicole Jung | Korean Version |
| Japanese Version | |||
| 2015 | "My Valentine"[48] | Jung Yup |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | South Korean Superstar Selection Competition | Star of New Advertising Models | — | Won |
| 2006 | SMART Model Contest | Most Photogenic Award | — | Won |
| 2011 | 4th Style Icon Awards | SIA's Choice Award | — | Won |
| 2012 | 48th Paeksang Arts Awards | Best Variety Performer - Male | High Kick: Revenge of the Short Legged | Nominated |
| Most Popular Actor (TV) | Nominated | |||
| KBS Drama Awards | Best New Actor | School 2013 | Won | |
| 2013 | 49th Paeksang Arts Awards | Most Popular Actor (film) | As One | Nominated |
| 7th Mnet 20's Choice Awards | 20's Drama Star – Male | — | Nominated | |
| 6th Korea Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actor | I Can Hear Your Voice | Won | |
| Best Couple Award with Lee Bo-young | Won | |||
| 6th Style Icon Awards | The 21st Century Gentleman | Won | ||
| 21st Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Won | ||
| Hallyu Grand Award | Won | |||
| 2nd APAN Star Awards | Excellence Award, Actor | Won | ||
| Best Couple Award with Lee Bo-young | Won | |||
| SBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Won | ||
| Top 10 Stars | Won | |||
| Best Couple Award with Lee Bo-young | Nominated | |||
| 2014 | 9th Asia Model Festival Awards | Model Star Award | — | Won |
| 50th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (TV) | I Can Hear Your Voice | Nominated | |
| Most Popular Actor (TV) | Nominated | |||
| Most Popular Actor (film) | Hot Young Bloods | Nominated | ||
| 51st Grand Bell Awards | Popularity Award | Nominated | ||
| 9th Seoul International Drama Awards | People's Choice Actor | I Can Hear Your Voice | Nominated | |
| 7th Korea Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Doctor Stranger | Nominated | |
| 7th Style Icon Awards | Top 10 Style Icons | — | Nominated | |
| 27th Grimae Awards | Top Excellence Award | Doctor Stranger · Pinocchio | Won | |
| SBS Drama Awards | SBS Special Award | Won | ||
| Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Drama Special | Pinocchio | Nominated | ||
| Top 10 Stars | Won | |||
| Netizen Popularity Award | Nominated | |||
| Best Couple Award with Park Shin-hye | Won | |||
| 2015 | 51st Baeksang Arts Awards | Most Popular Actor (TV) | Won | |
| Hahn Awards | Most Outstanding Representative - Actor [49] | — | Won | |
| Brand of the Year 2015 Korea | Special Award | — | Won | |
| 8th Korea Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Pinocchio | Won | |
| 6th Korean Popular Culture & Arts Award | Prime Minister Award | — | Won |
References
- ^ "Lee Jong-suk emerging as new Asian star". koreatimes.co.kr. 2014-05-28. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
- ^ "이종석 런웨이 선다 '4년만에 모델 복귀'" (in Korean). newsen.com. 2013-04-18. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
- ^ a b Park, Jin-hai (March 31, 2012). "Models rushing to small screen". Korea Times. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ "Newlyweds Lee Bo Young and Ji Sung rank #1 and #2 in survey for 'Actors Who Lit Up 2013'". star.mt.co.kr. 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
- ^ "이보영·지성 부부, 2013년을 빛낸 탤런트 1·2위 Newlyweds Lee Bo Young and Ji Sung rank #1 and #2 in survey for 'Actors Who Lit Up 2013'" (in Korean). star.mt.co.kr. 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
- ^ a b "Lee Jong Suk to be the youngest male actor to win Grime's "The Best Male Actor Awards"". Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). December 9, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
- ^ "Models rushing to small screen". Korea Times. 2014-03-21. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
- ^ "Lee Jong Seok Says He Can't Call Himself an Actor Yet". mwave.interest.me. 2012-09-02. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
- ^ "이종석-손동운 건국대 정시모집 합격...네티즌 "얼굴만 잘 생긴게 아니었네"". news.nate.com. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2013-12-06.
- ^ "이보영 이종석 윤상현,SBS 수목극 '너의 목소리가 들려' 출연" (in Korean). news.naver.com. 2013-04-29. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
- ^ "HighKick3 – 韩国电视剧 – 韩剧网". Hanjuw.com. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
- ^ "MBC 일일시트콤 하이킥! 짧은 다리의 역습 메인 페이지". Imbc.com. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
- ^ "Director Kim Dong-Won's Soar Into the Sun Launches a New Teaser Poster". BeyondHollywood.com. 2012-06-16. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
- ^ "Brand New Image from Director Kim Dong-Won's Soar into the Sun". BeyondHollywood.com. 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
- ^ Ho, Stewart (29 October 2012). "Lee Jong Seok, Kim Woo Bin, Park Se Young, 5dolls' Hyoyoung Cast as Main Students for School 5". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
- ^ "Big Winners of 2012 Announced at Drama Awards Ceremonies of Major Broadcasters". 10Asia. 1 January 2013. Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
- ^ "Lee Bo-Young and Lee Jong-Suk take adorable photos in school uniforms". Asia Today. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
- ^ a b ""I Can Hear Your Voice" Supernatural Boy Lee Jong Suk, first stills released". news.donga.com. 2013-05-16. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
- ^ Lee, Eun-ah (17 July 2013). "Lee Jong-suk's I Can Hear Your Voice Extended by 2 Episodes". TenAsia. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved 2013-07-17.
- ^ "이종석·김동완·서현진 '코리아드라마어워즈' 남녀우수상 수상 Lee Jong-suk, Kim Dong-wan and Seo Hyeon-jin receive awards". tvdaily.mk.co.kr (in Korean). 2013-10-02. Archived from the original on 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2013-11-17.
- ^ "이보영·이종석, 코리아드라마어워즈 베스트커플상". news.sportsseoul.com (in Korean). 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2016-09-01.
- ^ "New Romcom BLOOD BOILING YOUTH Kicks Off Production". Koreanfilm.or.kr. 2013-08-13. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
- ^ An, So-hyoun (18 April 2013). "Seo In Guk and Lee Jong Seok Cast for Film No Breathing". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
- ^ "'피끓는 청춘' 박보영·이종석·이세영·김영광까지…'대세' 캐스팅 화제 Lee Bo-Young and Lee Jong-Suk take adorable photos in school uniforms". news.naver.com (in Korean). 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2013-12-06.
- ^ "'Hot Young Bloods' coming soon". koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com. 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ^ "Lee Jong-suk to start in "Doctor Stranger"". koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com. 2014-02-05. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
- ^ "'Doctor Stranger' gets nearly 400 million views in China". english.yonhapnews.co.kr. 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
- ^ ""Doctor Stranger" Goes From A Drama To A Film With Political Implications". kdramastars.com. 2014-07-28. Retrieved 2014-07-28.
- ^ "New Korean drama series sells for $120,000 per episode in China". koreaherald.com. 2014-07-04. Retrieved 2014-07-28.
- ^ http://www.starnnews.com/global/en/news/index.html?no=305968
- ^ "Lee Jong-suk Finds Acting Harder as He Gets More Famous". The Chosun Ilbo. February 21, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ "Cultural Exports to Surpass 1 Trillion Won This Year". Business Korea. 2014-12-26. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
- ^ "'Pinocchio' sells distribution rights to China for record price". Kpop Herald. 2014-11-24. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
- ^ "Actor Lee Jong-suk's photo book to go on sale overseas". Yonhap News. 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
- ^ "이종석, YG와 전속계약 체결..강동원 차승원 한솥밥". Newsen (in Korean). 2016-05-10. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
- ^ "Actor Lee Jong-suk's wax figure to be unveiled in Hong Kong". Yonhap News. 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
- ^ "Actor Lee Jong-suk cast for S. Korean-Chinese drama". Yonhap News. 2015-12-23. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
- ^ Kim, Soo-hyang. "Lee Jong-suk and Han Hyo-joo in new drama 'W'". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ Ahn, Woorim. "Han Hyo Joo Confirms Her Comeback to the Small Screens in July". BNT News. BNT News International. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ Jang, Jin-ri. "'더블유' 이종석-한효주, 7월 안방 특급 커플이 뜬다". TenAsia (in Korean). Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ Jin Min-ji (2016-08-20). "Actor Lee Jong-suk confirmed for 'VIP'". Korea Joongang Daily. Retrieved 2013-08-21.
- ^ Kim, Ji-young (February 21, 2016). "Lee Jong-suk graduates Konkuk Univ". Kpop Herald. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ Choi, EunHwa (22 October 2013). "Lee Jong Suk says Kim Woo Bin is the Only Friend He Can Lean On". Mwave via CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (15 December 2013). "[Star of the Week] Kim Woo Bin's Past, Present and Future Best Friends". enewsWorld. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ^ Kim, Soo-hyang (23 June 2016). "Strong friendships among male celebrities". Kpop Herald. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- ^ Kwon, Soo Bin (21 December 2013). "Kim Woo Bin Says Lee Jong Suk is Not a Rival, But a Beloved Friend". Mwave via Newsen. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
- ^ "[Video] Kara's Nicole is 'Lost' in Love with Lee Jong Seok in MV". Enewsworld.interest.me. 2012-11-28. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
- ^ "정엽, 뮤비 출연 이종석에 고마움 "정말 멋있었다"" (in Korean). 10 Asia. 2015-05-19. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
- ^ 한류선정조직위원회 제1회 '2015 한빛상 시상식' 개최 국제뉴스 2015-06-18
External links
