Apart from acting, Dong-wook is also a host, model, and performer and he is also famous for his philanthropy and charitable works.

Early Life and Education

Lee Dong-wook was born into a middle-class family in Seoul, South Korea, on November 6, 1981. Throughout his academic career, Dong-wook consistently ranked among the top five students in his Korean language class and received a CSAT language score of 115 out of 120. For this reason, ever since he was in middle school, he had the desire to teach Korean. For a while, he also had aspirations of opening hotels, so he made plans to study Hotel Business Administration in Switzerland.

In his second year of high school, he began to think about a future in acting. In high school, he belonged to the school’s radio club. Dong-wook’s parents sent him to an acting school after he informed them of his desire to pursue a career in acting. He attended Joongbu University the following year and completed his major in Media and Broadcasting Arts.

Dong-wook started acting and supporting his family financially while he was still in high school. He was accepted into Sejong University’s Department of Film Art. However, he left the University. Later, he enrolled in the Department of Media and Broadcast Art at Joongbu University, but he made the decision to drop out a second time.

Dong-wook admitted that he has always been taller than his peers his age since childhood. He remembers that he was already 172cm tall in sixth-grade elementary school and 178cm tall in third-grade middle school, and he was even taller than his elementary school teacher.

According to his classmates, Lee Dong-wook was a well-liked student. He was well-known for his attractive looks, which gained him a lot of female fans during his school & college days.

Career and Achievements 

In 1999, Lee Dong-wook made his acting debut as Sung-joon in the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation television programme MBC ‘Best Theatre’ after winning the Grand Prize in the V-NESS model contest the same year. Later, as he was finishing high school, he got the character Lee Kang-san in the show ‘School’, a Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) series. He was the ideal choice for the part because the series focused on the concept of puberty. His performance in that show helped him gain attention.

Dong-wook appeared in several television family drama serials throughout the period of the next five years, including ‘A Dreaming Family’, ‘Drama City’, and ‘Precious Family’. He became well-known in South Korea due to the love that his innocent face gained through his followers.

With his part in the romantic comedy series ‘My Girl’, which became popular not just in South Korea but also throughout Asia, he made it big. Dong-wook was identified as a star with potential in the South Korean entertainment industry as a result of his performance.He continued to develop as a versatile actor and made appearances in popular television series like ‘La Dolce Vita’, ‘Scent of a Woman’, ‘Wild Romance’, and ‘Blade Man’. His tvN drama, ‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’, has been broadcasting since 2016 and is continuously gaining popularity.

Dong-wook initially entered the South Korean film industry in 2006 after being well-known on South Korean television. He made his acting debut in the well-received horror film ‘Arang’, which featured him in a supporting role. He then received the lead part in the detective love story ‘The Perfect Couple’.

In the 2008 film ‘Heartbreak Library’ and the 2015 film ‘The Beauty Inside’, which were both romantic comedies, he became more popular. He quickly became a young icon in South Korea as a result of his amazing performance.

From 2006 onward, Lee Dong-wook rose to fame and began making guest appearances on numerous variety shows. ‘Wowowee’ from 2006, ‘Happy Together’ from 2008, and ‘The Return of Superman’ from 2016 are a few examples. He also appeared on the popular reality show ‘Roommates’ in which he shared a home and all of the utilities with eleven other celebrities. On the show, he was one of the most well-liked housemates.

In 2012–2013, Dong-wook co-hosted the talk show ‘Strong Heart’ with comedian Shin Dong-yup. He also hosted the SBS Drama Awards and the television show, ‘My Bodyguard’.

In 2018, he was chosen as an ambassador for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, and his personal purchase of 1,000 tickets for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympics became a hot topic.

In 2019, Dong-wook started hosting the Produce X 101 audition programme, where he felt close to some of the trainees, including Kim Yohan and Cho Seungyoun.

He was also the director of Zozo’s Dandelion music video. Along with that, he has also appeared in music videos for other Korean musicians. His younger sister also entered the entertainment industry, following in his footsteps. The actor has a significant fan base on social media.

His other notable works include, ‘Touch Your Heart’, ‘Search; WWW’, ‘Bad and Crazy’. In 2023, it was announced that season 2 of his most popular drama ‘Tale of the Nine Tailed’ named ‘Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938’ was released in May 2023.

Military Life

In August 2009, Lee Dong-wook joined the military and began working for the National Defense Public Relations Service. The actor, who had been a celebrity officer at Yongsan’s Public Relations of Defense office for two years since 2009, was discharged on June 20, 2011. His admirers had been awaiting his release since the morning.When he noticed the reporters and fans, he acted surprised and giggled, adding, “This is my first discharge, so I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Personal Life

Despite the fact that Lee Dong-wook is single at the moment, he is rumoured to have dated a number of his fellow stars, including singer-turned-actress Lee Da-hae and Kim Hyun-joo, who appeared in Girls Generation Jessica. His name has also been linked to a few other actresses, but he has denied any long-term relationships.

However, he is very loyal to his family. He has taken on the duty of settling his siblings because he is the oldest of four children.

Awards

• I-Magazine Fashion Face Award 2021
  Asian Male- Lee Dong-wook (2021)
• Korea First Brand Awards 2021
  Best Actor – Lee Dong-wook (2021)
• OCN Awards 2019
  “Dangerously Attractive Character” Award – Hell Is Other People (2019)
• 13th Annual Soompi Awards 2018
  Best Supporting Actor – Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2018)
• Korea Fashion Photographers Association 2018
  Photogenic Award of the year (2018)
• 5th Annual DramaFever Awards 2017
  Best Supporting Actor – Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2017)
• 9th Asia Model Awards 2014
  Fashionista Award (2014)
• PC LADY & Tudou Fashion Awards 2013
  Asia Fashion Star Award (2013)
• SBS Entertainment Awards 2012
  Best Couple Award with Shin Dong-yup – Strong Heart (2012)
  Best Newcomer, MC category  – Strong Heart (2012)
• SBS Drama Awards 2011 
  Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Weekend Drama – Scent of a Woman (2011)
  Top 10 Stars – Scent of a Woman (2011)
• 8th Cosmopolitan Beauty Awards in China 2011
  Most Attractive Actor in Asia – Lee Dong-wook (2011)
• SBS Drama Awards 2003
  New Star Award – Land of Wine (2003)
• 10th Korean Most Popular Entertainment Awards 2002
  Best New Actor (TV) – Loving You (2002)
• 9th Korean Most Popular Entertainment Awards 2001
  New Generation Actor – Lee Dong-wook (2001)
• V-NESS Model Awards 1999
  Grand Prize – Lee Dong-wook (1999)

Interesting Facts about Lee Dong-wook

1. Lee Dong Wook is renowned for being a family guy. Ever since making his entertainment industry debut, he has supported his family financially by purchasing his parents an apartment and covering his sister’s tuition.
2. Dong-wook used to rank among the top five students in his Korean language class and received a CSAT language score of 115 out of 120. For this reason, he had the desire to teach Korean.
3. Dong-wook also had aspirations of opening hotels, so he made plans to study Hotel Business Administration in Switzerland.
4. Dong-wook has always been taller than his peers his age since childhood. He remembers that he was already 172cm tall in sixth-grade elementary school and 178cm tall in third-grade middle school, and he was even taller than his elementary school teacher.
5. Dong-wook is well known for his pale skin and deep eye holes and his fans say that he looks like a vampire because of his looks.
6. Dong-wook is a pet lover. He is raising a dog called ‘Hogu’.

FAQs

1. How old is Lee Dong-wook?
   He is 41 years old. He was born on November 6, 1981.
2. How tall is Lee Dong-wook?
   Lee Dong-wook is approximately 1.84 m tall.
3. Is Lee Dong-wook single?
   According to sources, Dong-wook is currently single.
4. What is Lee Dong-wook’s zodiac sign?
   Scorpio
5. How much is Lee Dong-wook’s net worth?
   According to reports, Dong-wook’s estimated net worth is 10 million US Dollars
6. What is Lee Dong-wook’s Instagram ID?
   Lee Dong-wook is his Instagram ID