Biography of Lee Jong-suk

Lee Jong-suk is a South Korean actor and model who is widely regarded as one of the most prominent Hallyu stars in the Korean industry. He became a household star and one of the most wanted performers in South Korea because of his leading performance in ‘I Hear Your Voice.’ He later appeared as the lead in the critically acclaimed dramas ‘Doctor Stranger’ (2014), ‘Pinocchio’ (2014–2015), ‘W'(2016), and ‘While You Were Sleeping’ (2017).

Early Life and Education

Lee Jong-suk was born on 14 September 1989, in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. At the age of 15, Lee Jong-suk broke the record for the youngest Korean fashion model. He soon made the transition to acting, making his screen debut in the 2010 drama ‘Prosecutor Princess. After playing the lead in the drama ‘School 2013’ in 2012, for which he won his first acting award for ‘Best New Actor, his fame surged. He graduated from Konkuk University in 2016 with a degree in Professional Motion Pictures and Arts.

Career & Achievements

Lee Jong-suk made his modelling debut on the Seoul Collection Walkway in 2005 at the age of 15, making him the youngest male model. He has participated in numerous fashion shows since then. Later, he trained as an idol group member for three months and joined an agency to make his debut. He eventually resigned, claiming the agency had broken their promise to make his acting debut.

Jong-suk made his official acting debut in the South Korean television series ‘Prosecutor Princess’ in 2010. He also made his big-screen debut in the horror film ‘Ghost’. Following his supporting role in the popular drama ‘Secret Garden’, in which he played a gifted young composer with a sour attitude and a forbidden crush, he began to earn popularity. He also had an appearance in Season 3 of the sitcom ‘High Kick’ on MBC in 2011, where he enhanced his reputation.

In 2012, he starred in ‘R2B: Return to Base’, a rough replica of the highly regarded 1986 movie ‘Top Gun’. At the 2012 ‘KBS Drama Awards’, he won the ‘Best New Actor’, giving him his first acting honour. He was also ranked fifth in ‘Gallup Korea’s, ‘Actors Who Lit Up 2013’ survey.

Following the success of ‘School 2013’, he was featured in the highly regarded drama series ‘I Can Hear Your Voice’. He portrayed Park Soo-ha, a young guy with intelligence and mind-reading abilities. For his performance, he was given the Excellence Award in the male category at the Korea Drama Awards. After that, Lee had a leading role in the sports movie ‘No Breathing’ and a supporting role in the commercial success ‘The Face Reader’.

Jong-suk played a cheesy womaniser in the teen romantic comedy ‘Hot Young Bloods’ in 2014. He later played a North Korean defector who works as a doctor in South Korea in the popular medical drama ‘Doctor Stranger’. The show received 400 million views in China.

He then starred in ‘Pinocchio’ as Choi Dal-po, a first-year reporter at a television firm who fights with the concepts of justice and truth in a world where everyone wants to keep the truths hidden.

‘Pinocchio’ was a success, earning 6.2 billion won for airing rights in just one year. He received acting accolades for his roles in the dramas ‘Doctor Stranger’ and ‘Pinocchio’, including the Male Top Excellence Award at the 8th Korea Drama Awards. He also made history by becoming the youngest actor to get the ‘Best Actor’ honour at the 27th Grimae Awards, which were decided by television cinematographers.

Jong-suk debuted in a Chinese drama titled ‘Jade Lovers,’ in which he co-starred with actress Zheng Shuang. The drama, which was shot in Shanghai, is categorised as a 1930s fantasy romance drama. Due to his popularity in China, a wax replica of him was displayed in Hong Kong’s Madame Tussauds, which the actor himself unveiled in a ceremony. He signed a contract with YG Entertainment on May 10, 2016, after parting ways with his previous agency, Wellmade Yedang, in December 2015.

He made a comeback to Korean television in July 2016 with MBC’s fantasy thriller ‘W’. At the year-end MBC Drama Awards, Lee received the Daesang (Grand Prize) for the drama, which topped popularity polls in South Korea. He co-starred in the drama ‘First Seven Kisses for Lotte Duty Free’ that same year.

Jong-suk played the villain for the first time in the 2017 crime movie ‘VIP’. In September, he co-starred with Bae Suzy in the supernatural crime drama ‘While You Were Sleeping’. Also, he was chosen by the Korean Tourism Organization to serve as its goodwill ambassador promoting Korean travel. ‘8 Episodes of Korea’, a series of promotional videos featuring the actor and highlighting tourist attractions in 10 distinct locations, including Seoul, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Jeju Island, and Gyeongju, was also released by the organisation.

In 2018 Jong-suk was cast in the drama ‘The Hymn of Death’, a remake of the 1991 film ‘Death Song’. In 2019, he co-starred with Lee Na-young in his debut romantic comedy-drama ‘Romance is a Bonus Book‘.

After completing his military service in 2021, he returned to the industry with a cameo role in ‘The Witch: Part 2’. His recent project of 2022 is the MBC drama ‘Big Mouth’ in which he co-starred with actress Im Yoon-ah.

Military Life

Jong-suk began his military duty on March 8, 2019. He was declared unsuitable to enrol as an active duty soldier due to his injured anterior cruciate ligament because of a car accident at the age of 16.  He was therefore given the duty of a public service officer, and his expected release date was set for December 31, 2020.  However, he was released on January 2, 2021.

Personal Life

According to reports, Lee Jong-suk and singer IU are dating. The news was confirmed by their agencies to the Korean media. Jong-suk posted a letter to fans after the information went viral in which he admitted his affection for IU and provided additional facts about their relationship.

Awards

• A-Awards 2022
  A-Awards – Charisma – ‘Big Mouth’ (2022)
  
• MBC Drama Awards 2022
  Grand Prize (Daesang) – ‘Big Mouth’ (2022)
  
• MBC Drama Awards 2022
  Best Couple Award – Jong-suk with Im-Yoon-ah – ‘Big Mouth’ (2022)
• SBS Drama Awards 2017
  Top Excellence Award, Actor in Wednesday-Thursday Drama – ‘While You Were Sleeping’ (2017)
  
• SBS Drama Awards 2017
  Best Couple Award – Jong-suk with Bae Suzy – ‘While You Were Sleeping’ (2017)
• Baeksang Arts Awards 2015
  Most Popular Actor – Television – ‘Pinocchio’ (2015)
  
• Korea Brand Stars 2015
  Grand Prize (Daesang)- Lee Jong-suk (2015)
  
• Korea Drama Awards 2015
  Top Excellence Award, Actor – ‘Pinocchio’ (2015)
• Asia Model Awards 2014
  Model Star Award – Jong-suk (2014)
  
• Grimae Awards 2014
  Best Actor – ‘Pinocchio'(2014)
  
• SBS Drama Awards 2014
  SBS Special Award – ‘Pinocchio’, ‘Doctor Stranger'(2014)
  
• SBS Drama Awards 2014
  Best Couple Award – Jong-suk with Park Shin-hye – ‘Pinocchio’ (2014)
• SBS Drama Awards 2014
  Top 10 Stars – ‘Pinocchio’, ‘Doctor Stranger’ (2014)
• Grimae Awards 2014
  Best Actor – ‘Pinocchio’ (2014)
  
• SBS Drama Awards 2014
  SBS Special Award – ‘Pinocchio’, ‘Doctor Stranger’ (2014)
  
• SBS Drama Awards 2014
  Best Couple Award – Lee Jong-suk with Park Shin-hye- ‘Pinocchio’ (2014)

Interesting Facts About Lee Jong-suk