Lee Jung-Jae, an actor and director from South Korea, was born on December 15, 1972. Awards and nominations include the Golden Globe and the Gotham. He is widely regarded as one of South Korea’s most successful actors, having won a Primetime Emmy, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critics’ Choice Television Award, and six Baeksang Arts Awards.
Lee, born in Seoul, first gained attention as a fashion model before making his acting debut on television in shows like Feelings (1994) and Sandglass (1995). Lee’s film career began after his debut in An Affair (1998). Romantic comedies like Oh! What a Lovely War (2002) and Il Mare (2000), dramatic works like Last Present (2001), and popular comedies like Oh! Movies like “Brothers” (2003), “The Last Witness” (2001) and “Typhoon” (2005); “The Thieves” (2012); “New World” (2013); and “The Face Reader” (2003; period) (2013).
Lee Jung-Jae Early Life
On December 15, 1972, Lee Jung-Jae entered the world in Seoul, South Korea. He attended Dongguk University, where he received his MFA in August 2008 from the Graduate School of Cultural Arts’ Department of Theater & Film Art. In December of the same year, he made his theatrical debut in the title role of Hamlet in Water. His piece had a four-day run at the Lee Hae-rang Theater on campus.
Designer Ha Yong-soo spotted Lee while working at a café in Apgujeong-dong (in the Gangnam District), and from there, he went on to have a successful career as a fashion model. Almost immediately after making his acting debut in the 1993 drama Dinosaur Teacher, Lee was cast in leading parts.
His breakthrough part in Bae Chang-The ho’s Young Man happened a year later, and it was well appreciated, but it wasn’t until the smash campus drama Feelings in 1994 that he became a household name. As the heroine’s silent, dedicated bodyguard turned him into a national heartthrob, what started as a tiny supporting part for Lee in 1995’s rating, rating monster Sandglass turned him into a national heartthrob, leading to increasing screen time for him throughout the series’ length.
Lee Jung-Jae Personal Life
In 1999, while driving a BMW, Jung-Jae collided with a vehicle in the adjacent lane and was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) due to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.222%. In 2002, he was arrested for drunk driving once more. After graduating from Dongguk University’s Graduate School of Cultural Arts with a master’s degree in theatre and film in 2008, Lee made his stage debut in the play “Hamlet in Water” at the Lee Hae-rang Theater a few months later.
As of 2015, Jung-Jae was in a committed relationship with Im Se-ryung, the Daesang Group’s executive director. “As an entertainer, I think that getting attention from the public is a part of my job, and I have to endure it to some extent,” Lee has said of their relationship since they met in 2005. “But Im Se-ryung is just a normal person, especially a mother of two children, so I want to prevent Im Se-ryung and her family from being hurt or violating their privacy.”
Lee Jung-Jae’s Net Worth
South Korean actor and one-time model Lee Jung-Jae has a $12 million fortune. Lee, who made his name as Seong Gi-hun on the Netflix series “Squid Game,” was born on December 15, 1972, in Seoul, South Korea (2021-present). More than 40 films and TV shows have included Jung-Jae in playing roles, including Il Mare (2000), The Housemaid (2010), New World (2013), and Deliver Us from Evil (2020).
He also designed the décor for a string of Italian restaurants he built in Seoul under Il Mare. Lee started Seorim C&D, a real estate development company, in 2008, and he and his “City of the Rising Sun” co-star and close friend, Jung Woo-sung, have owned other enterprises together. They established the Artist Company record label in 2016. One of the highest civilian honors in South Korea, the Prime Minister’s Commendation, was awarded to Jung-Jae in 2001.
Lee Jung-Jae’s Career
Designer Ha Yong-soo found Lee while working at a café in Apgujeong. After a stint in the modeling industry, he made his acting debut on the 1993 episode of “Dinosaur Teacher” and quickly became a household name. In 1994, he portrayed Han Joon in “Feelings” and made his film debut with “The Young Man.” From there, he went on to star in the likes of “Albatross” (1996), “Fire Bird” (1997), “Father vs. Son” (1997), “An Affair” (1998), “City of the Rising Sun” (1999), and “The Uprising” (1999), as well as the TV shows “Sn (1998).
Lee appeared in the time-travel romance film Il Mare in 2000, which was remade as The Lake House with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in 2006. After starring in 2002’s “Over the Rainbow,” Jung-Jae co-starred with Lee Beom-soo in one of his most commercially successful films, 2003’s “Oh! Brothers,” which earned the equivalent of $26 million at the box office. In 2005, Lee starred as Kang Se-jong in the action film “Typhoon,” which also did well at the box office.
In 2007, Jung-Jae played Kim Ji-sung in the MBC series “Air City.” In 2008, he starred in the film “The Accidental Gangster and the Mistaken Courtesan,” and in 2009, he starred in the MBC series “Triple.” In 2010, he starred in the erotic thriller “The Housemaid,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2013, Lee narrated the TV documentary “Contemporary Art, Bury the Boundary” and appeared in the films “New World” and “The Face Reader.”
He starred in “Big Match” (2014), “Assassination” (2015), “Tik Tok” (2016), “Operation Chromite” (2016), and “Warriors of the Dawn” (2017). He portrayed the God of Death (King Yeomra) in “Along With the God (2018). Chief of Staff” on JTBC in 2019, and he will reprise the position in a cameo appearance on “Delayed Justice” in 2021. Having previously acted in “Svaha: The Sixth Finger” in 2019 and “Deliver Us from Evil” in 2020, Lee was chosen as a worldwide spokesperson for Gucci in November 2021.
Who Won Emmy For Best Actor In Drama?
The international success of “Squid Game” has been propelled forward by its lead actor, Lee Jung-Jae, becoming the first Asian actor to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. The South Korean actor who stars in Netflix’s highest-rated series picked up the trophy on the night of the ceremony.
Lee’s leading performance in the global hit action drama was up against that of Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Adam Scott (Severance), Jason Bateman (Ozark), and Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong (Succession) (the latter of which was the 2020 winner for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series).
The captivating actor portrayed the bumbling Seong Gi-hun on “Squid Game,” who was kidnapped and persuaded into playing in a tournament with real-life or death stakes after he could not pay off all of his debts. The winner of the competition will receive a life-changing sum of money if they are the last remaining.
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