Lee Jung-jae

Not to be confused with Lee Jeong-jae.
In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.

Lee Jung-jae
Lee smiling dressed in black shirt
Lee in March 2024
Born (1972-12-15) December 15, 1972 (age 51)
Seoul, South Korea
EducationDongguk University (MA)
OccupationActor
Years active1993–present
Agents
PartnerIm Se-ryung [ko] (2015–present)
Awards Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit (2022)
Korean name
Hangul
이정재
Hanja
李政宰
Revised RomanizationI Jeongjae
McCune–ReischauerI Chŏngjae

Lee Jung-jae (Korean: 이정재; born December 15, 1972)[1] is a South Korean actor. Considered one of South Korea's most successful actors,[2][3] he has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, six Baeksang Arts Awards, in addition to nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Gotham Award.[4] Aside from his acting career, Lee is also a businessman, having launched a chain of restaurants in Seoul, as well as founding several businesses including the development company Seorim C&D. He owns several of his businesses with fellow actor and close friend Jung Woo-sung.[5][6]

Born in Seoul, Lee debuted as a fashion model, then began his acting career on television, notably in the drama Sandglass (1995). After his acting breakthrough in An Affair (1998), Lee's film career took off. He has starred in a variety of film genres, among them dramas such as City of the Rising Sun (1999), romantic films Il Mare (2000) and Last Present (2001), well-known comedies such as Oh! Brothers (2003), action films Typhoon (2005) and Deliver Us from Evil (2020), thrillers The Housemaid (2010) and New World (2013), heist film The Thieves (2012), and espionage films Assassination (2015), Operation Chromite (2016) and Hunt (2022). He won Best Supporting Actor at the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards for his role in The Face Reader (2013).

In 2021, Lee gained widespread international stardom and fame for his role as Seong Gi-hun, the main protagonist of Netflix's survival drama Squid Game. For his performance in the show's first season, he was nominated for numerous accolades, including the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama, the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series, making him the first male actor from Asia and Korea to receive individual nominations in those categories across all four awards shows, with his win for the latter two also making history. In December 2021, he was selected as Gallup Korea's Film Actor of the Year.[7] In 2024, he is listed among the most impactful Asians A100 list by Gold House.[8] Lee is set to reprise his role as Gi-hun in Squid Game's second season, which began filming in July 2023.

  1. ^ "Lee Jung-jae official portfolio". Artist Company (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  2. ^ "10 times Squid Game star Lee Jung Jae delivered powerful performances". Bollywood Hungama. December 15, 2021. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  3. ^ Langmann, Brady (December 9, 2021). "Lee Jung-jae is King of the World". Esquire. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  4. ^ "Lee Jung-jae Says 'This Is Truly Huge' as He Wins Best Male Actor in Drama Series at SAG Awards". Peoplemag. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  5. ^ Tamondong, Hanna (October 14, 2021). "8 Facts You Need To Know About 'Squid Game' Actor Lee Jung Jae". COSMO.PH. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "5 things you need to know about Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae". South China Morning Post. October 4, 2021. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  7. ^ 한국갤럽조사연구소. www.gallup.co.kr. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  8. ^ Thompson, Jack Dunn,Selena Kuznikov,Jazz Tangcay,Jaden; Dunn, Jack; Kuznikov, Selena; Tangcay, Jazz; Thompson, Jaden (May 1, 2024). "Keanu Reeves, Jung Kook, Hayao Miyazaki Among Gold House's A100 Honorees". Variety. Retrieved May 22, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)