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IMDbPro

Lee Byung-hun(I)

  • Actor
  • Director
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000133
Lee Byung-hun
Romance is sweet and bitter - and life riddled with ups and downs - in multiple stories about people who live and work on bustling Jeju Island.
Play trailer0:48
Our Blues (2022– )
40 Videos
99+ Photos
Lee Byung-hun was born in 1970 in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in a wealthy family, thanks to his father, who was a successful businessman. He never dreamed of pursuing acting until a friend of his mother's suggested it. He auditioned for the KBS television network in 1991 and was accepted. His first project was a short lived TV series called "Asphalt My Hometown". Lee became popular, especially with the female crowd, in his next KBS project, "Tomorrow Love", in 1992. Though he continued to do TV series' throughout the 90s, he also tried his luck in feature films. Many of his earlier films were flops, until 2000, when he appeared in "J.S.A. Joint Security Area". The film became his first major blockbuster. Unfortunately, Lee's father passed away that same year. Over the years, Lee's popularity continued to grow, with successful TV series', like "Beautiful Days" and "All In", and features, such as "A Bittersweet Life" and "The Good, The Bad, The Weird". Lee was becoming an international celebrity. His success continued rising with the highly anticipated TV show "Iris" and his other feature films "I Saw the Devil" and "Masquerade". Having solidified his position as one of Asia's biggest stars, he is the only actor to sell out the Tokyo Dome with 45,000 screaming fans. In 2012, he was one of the first two Korean actors ever to be honored with a hand and foot print ceremony at The TLC Chinese Theater.

Lee's first foray into Hollywood films came in 2009 with a starring role in "G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra." Following the global success of that film, he signed on for "G.I. Joe 2: Retalitation," which was released in March 2013. His first period piece feature, "Masquerade" was released in late 2012, and was met with stellar reviews from both audiences and critics, and became the highest grossing period piece in Korean history. He next starred in "Red 2" starring opposite Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, and Anthony Hopkins. The film premiered in Korea on July 18, 2013. Korea became the second highest grossing market for the film behind the US. In 2015, Lee has two Korean films, "Insiders" and "Memories of the Sword", along with Hollywood blockbuster Terminator Genisys (2015), where he plays a T-1000 robot. Lee is recently filmed an Independent US film, "Beyond Deceit", opposite legendary actors Anthony Hopkins and Al Pacino, which is due for a 2016 release.
BornJuly 12, 1970
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornJuly 12, 1970
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000133
  • Unlock contact info on IMDbPro
  • Awards
    • 41 wins & 35 nominations

Photos123

Lee Byung-hun in The Man Standing Next (2020)
Lee Byung-hun in Mr. Sunshine (2018)
Lee Byung-hun in Master (2016)
Lee Byung-hun in Master (2016)
Lee Byung-hun in Master (2016)
Lee Byung-hun and Gang Dong-won in Master (2016)
Lee Byung-hun and Kim Woo-bin in Master (2016)
Lee Byung-hun in Master (2016)
Lee Byung-hun, Im Won-hee, and Kang Hye-jeong in Three... Extremes (2004)
Kim Tae-woo, Lee Byung-hun, Shin Ha-kyun, and Song Kang-ho in Joint Security Area (2000)
Kim Tae-woo, Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho, and Kim Myung-soo in Joint Security Area (2000)
Lee Byung-hun and Yeong-cheol Kim in A Bittersweet Life (2005)

Known for

Lee Byung-hun and Hwang Jung-min in A Bittersweet Life (2005)
A Bittersweet Life
7.5
  • Sun-woo
  • 2005
Lee Byung-hun, Lee Yeong-ae, and Song Kang-ho in Joint Security Area (2000)
Joint Security Area
7.7
  • Sgt. Lee Soo-hyeok
  • 2000
Choi Min-sik and Lee Byung-hun in I Saw the Devil (2010)
I Saw the Devil
7.8
  • Soo-hyeon
  • Joo-yeon's fiancé
  • 2010
Jung Woo-sung, Lee Byung-hun, and Song Kang-ho in The Good the Bad the Weird (2008)
The Good the Bad the Weird
7.2
  • Park Chang-yi
  • The Bad
  • 2008

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • The Match
    • Cho Hun-hyun
    • Post-production
    • 2023
  • Concrete Utopia
    • Yeong-tak
    • In Production
  • Do-cheong
    • Pre-production
  • Our Blues (2022)
    Our Blues
    • Lee Dong-Seok
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • Lee Jung-jae, Anupam Tripathi, Oh Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Park Hae-soo, Hoyeon, and Wi Ha-joon in Squid Game (2021)
    Squid Game
    • Front man
    • Front Man
    • TV Series
    • 2021
  • Lee Byung-hun and Song Kang-ho in Emergency Declaration (2021)
    Emergency Declaration
    • Jae-hyuk
    • 2021
  • The Man Standing Next (2020)
    The Man Standing Next
    • Kim Kyu-Pyeong
    • 2020
  • Lee Byung-hun, Ha Jung-woo, Hye-jin Jeon, Ma Dong-seok, and Bae Suzy in Ashfall (2019)
    Ashfall
    • Lee Joon-Pyeong
    • 2019
  • Lee Byung-hun and Kim Tae-ri in Mr. Sunshine (2018)
    Mr. Sunshine
    • Eugene Choi
    • (2018)
    • TV Series
    • 2018
  • Lee Byung-hun and Jeong Min Park in Keys To The Heart (2018)
    Keys To The Heart
    • Jo-Ha Kim
    • 2018
  • Lee Byung-hun, Park Hae-il, Go Soo, Hee-soon Park, Kim Yoon-seok, and Jo Woo-jin in The Fortress (2017)
    The Fortress
    • Choi Myung-gil
    • 2017
  • Lee Byung-hun in A Single Rider (2017)
    A Single Rider
    • Kang Jae-hoon
    • 2017
  • Lee Byung-hun, Gang Dong-won, and Kim Woo-bin in Master (2016)
    Master
    • President Jin
    • 2016
  • Ethan Hawke, Denzel Washington, Vincent D'Onofrio, Lee Byung-hun, Chris Pratt, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Martin Sensmeier in The Magnificent Seven (2016)
    The Magnificent Seven
    • Billy Rocks
    • 2016
  • Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho, Gong Yoo, and Han Ji-min in The Age of Shadows (2016)
    The Age of Shadows
    • Jung Chae-San
    • 2016
  • Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, and Josh Duhamel in Misconduct (2016)
    Misconduct
    • The Accountant (as Byung Hun Lee)
    • 2016
  • Inside Men (2015)
    Inside Men
    • An Sang-gu
    • 2015
  • Jeon Do-yeon, Lee Byung-hun, and Kim Go-eun in Memories of the Sword (2015)
    Memories of the Sword
    • Deok-gi
    • 2015

Director

  • Park Hee-bon in The Cravings (2013)
    The Cravings
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2013

Writer

  • Park Hee-bon in The Cravings (2013)
    The Cravings
    • screenwriter
    • TV Series
    • 2013
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos42

"Greenhouse Fight" from I Saw the Devil
Clip 1:41
"Greenhouse Fight" from I Saw the Devil
IRIS 2009 KBS Drama Awards
Interview 0:46
IRIS 2009 KBS Drama Awards
Lee Byung-hun CNN Talk Asia Interview
Interview 23:06
Lee Byung-hun CNN Talk Asia Interview
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:35
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 0:48
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:01
Trailer
Teaser Trailer
Trailer 1:26
Teaser Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:36
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:29
Official Trailer
Trailer [English SUB]
Trailer 1:24
Trailer [English SUB]
Trailer [English SUB]
Trailer 1:33
Trailer [English SUB]
UK Trailer
Trailer 2:21
UK Trailer

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Company Official Site
    • Instagram
  • Alternative name
    • Byung Hun Lee
  • Height
    • 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
  • Born
    • July 12, 1970
    • Seoul, South Korea
  • Spouse
    • Lee Min-JungAugust 10, 2013 - present (1 child)
  • Children
    • Lee Joon-hoo
  • Parents
      Park Jae-soon
  • Relatives
    • Lee Eun-Hee(Sibling)
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Article
    • 16 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    In addition to his native Korean, Lee speaks English, French and Mandarin Chinese fluently.
  • Quotes
    Whenever I open a movie, I go secretly to the theater and stand in the back and enjoy the moment. I laugh when people laugh, and when people cry, I laugh.
  • Salary
    • Ailiseu
      (2009)
      $90,000 per episode

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