Lee Dong-wook

Lee made his acting debut in 1999 in an MBC single-episode drama after winning the grand prize in the V-NESS model contest of the same year.^[5][6] The PD of the drama saw Lee, and proceeded to cast him in the teen drama School 2.^[7][8] Lee started to gain recognition with his performance in School 3.^[9]

Lee hit stardom with 2005 romantic comedy My Girl.^[10] The drama series became a hit during its run both domestically and across Asia, and made Lee a Korean Wave star.^[11][12] The same year he enrolled in Joongbu University, majoring in media and broadcasting arts.^[13]

He has since starred in noir Bitter Sweet Life (2008),^[14] courtroom dramedy Partner (2009),^[15][16] melodrama Scent of a Woman (2011),^[17] baseball rom-com Wild Romance (2012),^[18][19] period thriller The Fugitive of Joseon (2013),^[20][21] and revenge drama Hotel King (2014), in which he reunited with My Girl co-star Lee Da-hae.^[22][23] He then starred in fantasy-action series Blade Man (2014) and romance drama Bubble Gum (2015).^[24][25]

Lee and comedian Shin Dong-yup took over as MCs of talk show Strong Heart from April 2012 to January 2013.^{[26][27][28][29][30][31]} Lee also joined the reality show Roommate, which aired from 2014 to 2015.^[32][33]

From 2016 to 2017, Lee starred alongside Gong Yoo in Kim Eun-sook's fantasy-romance drama Guardian: The Lonely and Great God playing a grim reaper.^[34] The drama was a hit, and along with its success, helped in the resurgence of Lee's acting career.^[35][36]

In 2018, Lee starred in the medical drama Life as a doctor who works at the ER Department.^[37][38]

In 2019, Lee starred in the romance comedy drama Touch Your Heart alongside Guardian co-star Yoo In-na, playing a workaholic lawyer.^[39][40] The same year, he was confirmed as the host for Produce X101, the fourth season of survival audition program Produce 101.^[41] He then starred as the main antagonist in the thriller drama Hell Is Other People as a dentist in the morning but a psychopath in the evening.^[42] He also started hosting his own talk show, Wook Talk, to celebrate his 20th anniversary since debut.^[43][44]

In 2020, Lee was cast in the fantasy drama Tale of the Nine Tailed as a nine-tailed fox who used to be a mountain god, and is now working as a civil servant.^[45] He also confirmed to appear in the romantic comedy film Single in Seoul alongside Im Soo-jung.

In December 2020, he was listed as Asia-Pacific's Most Influential Celebrities on Social Media.^[46]

In 2021, he appeared in A Year-End Medley, a romantic comedy film by Kwak Jae-yong^[47] and in an iQIYI original mystery drama Bad and Crazy, which aired on December 17, 2021.^[48]

In 2022, Lee joined the Universe communication platform.^[49]

In 2024, Lee is starring on the Disney+ web series A Shop For Killers.^[50]

Lee enlisted in the military in August 2009, serving under the National Defense Public Relations Service.^[51] He was discharged in June 2011.^[52]

Ancestry edit

His parents are mainly of Korean descent.^[53] In a Wook Talk episode that aired on January 22, 2020, guest and forensic professor Yoo Sung-ho revealed genealogical DNA test results for him and one of the show's producers. According to Lee's results, a significant part of his mother's genetic makeup matches that of Koryaks and Khakas people—both ethnic groups that are indigenous to Siberia (to be more specific, Kamchatka and Khakassia respectively).^[54]

Philanthropy edit

On March 11, 2022, Lee made a donation ₩50 million to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help the victims of the massive wildfire that started in Uljin, Gyeongbuk and has spread to Samcheok, Gangwon.^[55]

State and cultural honors edit

Listicles edit

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lee Dong-wook.

• Official website (in Korean)
• Lee Dong-wook at IMDb
• Lee Dong-wook at HanCinema