Lee Byung-hun

Lee Byung-hun is an actor who is recognized as one of the starters of the “Korean Boom” in television and film. In 2012, Lee was one of the first Korean actors to imprint his hand and foot prints on the forecourt of TLC Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. On February 28, 2016, Lee became the first Korean actor to present an Oscar at the 88th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Lee started his acting career in 1991 with a starring role in the Korean television drama Asphalt, My Hometown. His breakout film performance came in 2000 with a starring role in Park Chan Wook's JSA, followed by A Bittersweet Life in 2005 (an official selection of the 58th Cannes Film Festival), The Good, the Bad, and the Weird and I Come with the Rain in 2008, and I Saw the Devil, which premiered in 2011 at the Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. His first period piece, Masquerade, was released in 2012 and met with stellar reviews from both audiences and critics, becoming the highest grossing period piece in Korean history. His 2015 Korean film Inside Men went on to become the highest grossing R-rated film in Korea and earned Lee 14 awards that year. 

Lee's first foray in Hollywood films came in 2010 with a starring role in G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra, followed by roles in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Red 2, and Terminator: Genisys, where he reprised the iconic role of the T-1000. Lee’s first independent U.S. film, Misconduct, opposite legendary actors Anthony Hopkins and Al Pacino, was released in 2016. In The Magnificent Seven, from acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua, Lee stars alongside Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke. 

In September 2021, Lee appeared as “The Front Man” in Netflix’s highest viewed show, Squid Game. At the 15th Asian Film Awards this year, Lee became the first Korean actor honored with the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award.

Lee recently finished filming The Match and the disaster thriller film Concrete Utopia, directed by Um Tae-Hwa. Both films are set to release in 2022. His latest project, Our Blues, from acclaimed writer Noh Hee Kyung, marks his return to the small screen and is currently shooting in Korea. Lee is also making his first foray as a producer in the Netflix film I Believe in a Thing Called Love, set to begin production in 2022.