Lee Na-young | |
---|---|
Born | |
Education | Shingu University (Majoring in Business) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1998–present |
Agent | Eden 9 |
Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
Spouse | |
Children | 1 |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 이나영 |
Revised Romanization | Yi Nayeong |
McCune–Reischauer | I Nayŏng |
Website | Official website |
Lee Na-young (born February 22, 1979) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading roles in television series such as Ruler of Your Own World (2002), Ireland (2004) and Romance Is a Bonus Book (2019), as well as the films Someone Special (2004) and Maundy Thursday (2006). Aside from acting, Lee is also known for appearing in numerous commercials. [1]
Lee Na-young began her modeling career in a Jambangee Jeans TV commercial in 1998, then made her acting debut that same year. [2] Following supporting roles in 1999 television dramas Did We Really Love? , KAIST, [3] and Queen, [4] Lee starred in the tepidly received 2001 Hong Kong sci-fi action film Dream of A Warrior starring Leon Lai. [5] She also appeared in the 2001 music video for "Catherine's Wheel" by Britpop band Rialto. [6] [7]
But Lee rose to fame in 2002 with the critically acclaimed series Ruler of Your Own World . [8] She played an indie rock musician who unexpectedly falls for a terminally ill grifter, and Lee and her fellow cast members were praised for their realistic, nuanced acting. [9] She later reunited with Ruler of Your Own World screenwriter In Jung-ok for Ireland , a 2004 drama about a Korean adoptee who journeys to her homeland, but its reception was less positive. [10]
During this time, Lee had become one of the top-ranked and highest-paid commercial models, endorsing diverse products such as cosmetics (notably Laneige and Lancôme), electronics, clothing lines, beverages, food, telecommunications, and construction companies. [11] [12] [13] She is considered to have one of the most beautiful and idealized faces in Korea. [14] Lee later became the first Korean to appear on the cover of fashion magazine W Korea , for its November 2009 issue. [15]
But unlike her graceful and glamorous public persona in advertisements, her image in film has been the opposite, with Lee choosing to portray women who are awkward and eccentric. [16] In 2002, she starred in the cyber romance Who R. U.? as an introverted character similar to her role in Ruler of Your Own World. [17] [18] [19] Lee then played a quirky, English-challenged civil servant in Kim Sung-su's comedy film Please Teach Me English (2003) and the harmless stalker of a struggling baseball player in Jang Jin's romantic comedy Someone Special (2004). [20] [21] She won several Best Actress prizes for Someone Special, notably from the prestigious Blue Dragon Film Awards. [22]
Lee again drew praise in 2006, this time for her dramatic chops in Maundy Thursday , Song Hae-sung's film adaptation of Gong Ji-young's novel Our Happy Time about a suicidal rape victim who develops a close bond with a death row inmate. [23] She next played an emotionally tormented sleepwalker in Kim Ki-duk's Dream (2008), and nearly died while filming a scene where her character hangs herself. [24]
In 2010, Lee headlined Lady Daddy , playing a trans woman photographer whose life is disrupted with the sudden arrival of a young boy who claims that she's his biological father. [25] [26] [27] To promote the film, she made a guest appearance in the sitcom High Kick Through the Roof . [28] [29] Lee then returned to television with the big-budget action-mystery series The Fugitive: Plan B , in which she performed her own action scenes without a stunt double. [30] [31]
When Lee's contract with talent agency KeyEast expired in 2011 (she had signed with KeyEast in 2006, and with the William Morris Agency in 2009), she joined Eden 9 Entertainment. [32] [33] [34] In 2012, she starred in Yoo Ha's suspense thriller Howling , about a veteran detective (played by Song Kang-ho) who teams up with a female rookie (Lee) to solve a series of murders involving a mysterious wolfdog. [35] [36] [37]
In 2013, Lee appeared in a minor role in the two-part Japanese film SPEC: Close . She then played an actress having a secret romance with a boom operator in Sad Scene; it was among the three short films in the omnibus Woman, Man commissioned by W Korea for its 10th anniversary in 2015. [38]
In 2018, Lee returned to the silver screen with the North Korean refugee drama Beautiful Days , [39] which premiered at the 23rd Busan International Film Festival. [40] [41] [42]
In 2019, Lee returned to the small screen after nine years by starring in the romance comedy drama Romance Is a Bonus Book alongside Lee Jong-suk. [43] [44] [45] She played a main character named Kang Dan-yi who is a new temporary worker of book publishing company.
Lee married actor Won Bin on May 30, 2015, in a small, private ceremony in a wheat field near an inn in Won's hometown, Jeongseon County, Gangwon Province, South Korea. [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] The couple belong to the same talent agency Eden 9, and reportedly began dating in August 2012 (though Eden 9 only confirmed the relationship in July 2013). [51] [52] [53] [54] A press release from Eden 9 on December 19, 2015, announced that Lee had given birth to the couple's first child, a son. [55] [56] [57] [58]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Eiji | Mae-hwa | Japanese film |
2001 | Dream of a Warrior | Shosho | |
2002 | Who R. U.? | Seo In-joo | |
2003 | Please Teach Me English | Na Young-ju | |
2004 | Someone Special | Han Yi-yeon | |
Sweet Home | short film | ||
Leaving Me, Loving You | (cameo) | Hong Kong film | |
2006 | Maundy Thursday | Moon Yu-jeong | |
2008 | Dream | Ran | |
2010 | Lady Daddy | Ji-hyeon | |
2012 | Howling | Cha Eun-young | |
2013 | SPEC: Close | Woman who speaks Korean | Japanese film |
2015 | Woman, Man | segment: "Sad Scene" | |
2018 | Beautiful Days | Mother | |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | One Day Suddenly | So-hee, a ghost | (bit part) |
Three Guys and Three Girls | (bit part) | ||
MBC Best Theater "What Was I to You?" | |||
1999 | KAIST | ||
Did We Really Love? | Kang Jae-young | ||
MBC Best Theater "Goodbye Audrey Hepburn" | one act-drama | ||
Queen | Oh Soon-jung | ||
Magic Castle | Hong Yoon-hee | [59] | |
Love Story "Message" | So-young | [60] | |
2000 | Cool Friends | Broadcasting writer Lee Na-young | [61] |
2002 | Ruler of Your Own World | Jeon Kyung | |
2004 | Ireland | Lee Joong-ah | |
2009 | High Kick Through the Roof | Lee Na-bong | Cameo (episode 85) |
2010 | The Fugitive: Plan B | Jini | |
2019 | Romance Is a Bonus Book | Kang Dan-yi |
Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | One Day Off | Park Ha-kyung | [62] |
Year | Song title | Artist |
---|---|---|
1998 | "Kiss Me" | Park Jin-young |
"The Last Lie" | Yoon Sang | |
"Miracle" | Kim Dong-ryool feat. Lee So-eun | |
2000 | "Only You Wouldn't Know" | As One |
"My Love" | Im Chang-jung | |
2001 | "Catherine's Wheel" | Rialto |
"Goodbye, My Love" | Jo Sung-mo | |
2006 | "Eternal Love" | Lee Seung-chul |
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | MBC Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Ruler of Your Own World | Won | [63] |
2003 | 39th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress (TV) | Nominated | ||
2004 | 25th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actress | Someone Special | Won | |
12th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actress | Won | [64] | ||
5th Women in Film Korea Awards | Won | [65] | |||
MBC Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Ireland | Nominated | ||
Popularity Award, Actress | Won | [66] | |||
2006 | 6th Korea Advertisers Association | Good Model Award | — | Won | [67] |
27th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actress | Maundy Thursday | Nominated | ||
2007 | 1st Korea Broadcast Advertising Festival - Model Awards | Best Partner Award | — | Won | [68] |
41st Taxpayer's Day | Prime Minister's Commendation | — | Won | [69] | |
2010 | KBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama | The Fugitive: Plan B | Nominated | |
2023 | 59th Grand Bell Awards | Best Actress in a Series | One Day Off | Nominated | [70] |
Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Forbes | 2011 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 24th | [71] |
Jeon Hae-rim, better known by her stage name Ha Ji-won (Korean: 하지원) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for the films Phone (2002), Sex Is Zero (2002), Miracle on 1st Street (2007), Tidal Wave (2009), Closer to Heaven (2009), and Pawn (2020), as well as the television series Damo (2003), Something Happened in Bali (2004), Hwang Jini (2006), Secret Garden (2010–2011), The King 2 Hearts (2012), and Empress Ki (2013–2014).
Song Hye-kyo is a South Korean actress. She gained international popularity through her leading roles in the television dramas Autumn in My Heart (2000), All In (2003), Full House (2004), That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013), Descendants of the Sun (2016), Encounter (2018) and The Glory (2022). Her film work includes Hwang Jin Yi (2007), The Grandmaster (2013), My Brilliant Life (2014), and The Queens (2015).
Jang Dong-gun is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the films Friend (2001) and Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War (2004). Jang is one of the highest-paid actors and celebrity endorsers in Korea, consistently topping surveys by industry insiders of most bankable stars.
Bae Doo-na, anglicized as Doona Bae, is a South Korean actress and photographer. She became known outside Korea for her roles as a political activist in Park Chan-wook's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), archer Park Nam-joo in Bong Joon-ho's The Host (2006), and as the doll in Hirokazu Kore-eda's Air Doll (2009). She has had English-speaking roles in the Wachowski films Cloud Atlas (2012) and Jupiter Ascending (2015), as well as the Netflix television series Sense8 (2015–2018) and film Rebel Moon (2023–2024). In Korean-speaking roles, she is well known as the leading female character in the crime thriller Stranger (2017–2020), the Netflix period zombie thriller, Kingdom (2019–2020), and the sci-fi limited series The Silent Sea (2021).
Kim Tae-pyung, better known by his stage name Hyun Bin (현빈), is a South Korean actor. He gained widespread recognition for his role in the 2005 romantic comedy television series My Name is Kim Sam-soon. Since then, he has appeared in leading roles in other successful television shows, including the romantic fantasy drama Secret Garden (2010–2011), fantasy drama Memories of the Alhambra (2018–2019), and romantic drama Crash Landing on You (2019–2020). Hyun Bin's popularity was further widened by starring in a series of box office hits: the period action The Fatal Encounter (2014), the action thriller Confidential Assignment (2017) and its 2022 sequel, as well as the crime thriller The Swindlers (2017). He was Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year in 2011. The success of Hyun Bin's works internationally established him as a top Hallyu star.
Han Hyo-joo is a South Korean actress, model, and singer. She is best known for her leading roles in television series such as Heaven & Earth (2007), Iljimae (2008), Brilliant Legacy (2009), Dong Yi (2010) for which she won the coveted Best Actress award at the 47th Baeksang Arts Awards, W (2016), Happiness (2021), and Moving (2023), as well as the films Masquerade (2012), which is one of the highest grossing Korean films of all-time, Cold Eyes (2013), for which she won Best Actress at the 34th Blue Dragon Film Awards, Love 911 (2012), The Beauty Inside (2015), and The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure (2022).
Shin Se-kyung is a South Korean actress. She started as a child actress and had her breakthrough in with the sitcom High Kick Through the Roof (2009). Since then she starred in the films Hindsight (2011), R2B: Return to Base (2012) and Tazza: The Hidden Card (2014), as well as the television series Deep Rooted Tree (2011), A Girl Who Sees Smells (2015), Six Flying Dragons (2015–2016), The Bride of Habaek (2017), Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me (2017–2018), Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (2019), Run On (2020) and Captivating the King (2024).
Park Min-young, also known as Rachel Park, is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in the historical coming-of-age drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010) and has since starred in television series City Hunter (2011), Glory Jane (2011), Healer (2014–2015), Remember (2015–2016), What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018), Her Private Life (2019), Forecasting Love and Weather (2022) and Marry My Husband (2024).
Koo Hye-sun is a South Korean actress, singer-songwriter, director and artist. She gained widespread recognition in the television dramas Hearts of Nineteen (2006), The King And I (2007), Boys Over Flowers (2009), Take Care of Us, Captain (2012), Angel Eyes (2014), Blood (2015).
Kim Ji-ah, better known by the stage name Lee Ji-ah, is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame with her role in the television drama The Legend (2007), and has since further participated in Beethoven Virus (2008), Athena: Goddess of War (2010), Me Too, Flower! (2011), Thrice Married Woman (2013), My Mister (2018), The Penthouse: War in Life (2020–2021) and Queen of Divorce (2024).
Park Si-yeon is a South Korean actress and beauty pageant titleholder. She joined the Miss Korea 2000 and used that as a springboard to an acting career, she made her acting debut in China in 2004 appeared in minor roles in several CCTV dramas. In 2005 Park was cast in her first starring role in the Korean drama My Girl, though at the time she was more known for dating actor-singer Eric Mun. As she built her filmography in the following years, Park overcame early criticism of her acting skills and eventually gained respect as an actress in TV series such as Bitter Sweet Life, Coffee House and The Innocent Man, as well as the films The Fox Family, A Love, and The Scent.
Lee Bo-young is a South Korean actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder. She is best known for starring in the television dramas My Daughter Seo-young (2012–2013), I Can Hear Your Voice (2013), Whisper (2017), Mother (2018), Mine (2021), and Agency (2023). Lee was Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year in 2013.
Gong Hyo-jin is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading role in the film Crush and Blush (2008), as well as for her popular television series Sang Doo! Let's Go to School (2003), Thank You (2007), Pasta (2010), The Greatest Love (2011), Master's Sun (2013), It's Okay, That's Love (2014), The Producers (2015), Don't Dare to Dream (2016), and When the Camellia Blooms (2019).
Lee Eun-rae, known professionally as Lee Si-young (Korean: 이시영), is a South Korean actress and former amateur boxer.
Lee Min-jung is a South Korean actress. She began her career in Jang Jin's stage plays, and for a few years appeared in supporting roles on film and television. She became known after her appearance in Boys Over Flowers (2009), and landed her first lead role in family drama Smile, You (2009). She achieved widespread recognition for her leading role in the romantic comedy Cyrano Agency (2010). She also starred in Wonderful Radio (2012), Big (2012), Cunning Single Lady (2014) and Come Back Mister (2016). In 2020, she starred and gained recognition in the KBS weekend drama, Once Again.
Kim Sung-hoon, better known as Ha Jung-woo (Korean: 하정우), is a South Korean actor, film director, screenwriter and film producer. One of the highest grossing actors in South Korea, Ha's starring films have accumulated more than 100 million tickets. Only 3 other actors have reached this milestone, with Ha being nearly a decade younger than the rest when achieving this.
Kim Hye-ja is a South Korean actress and humanitarian. Best known to South Korean audiences as the archetypal mother figure in popular television series such as Country Diaries (1980–2002), What Is Love? (1991), My Mother's Sea (1993) and Roses and Beansprouts (1999). Kim drew international critical acclaim in the noir thriller Mother (2009),The Light in Your Eyes (2019) and Our Blues (2022).
Kang So-ra is a South Korean actress.
Kim Woo-bin is a South Korean actor and model. He began his career as a runway model and made his acting debut in the television drama White Christmas. He subsequently gained attention in A Gentleman's Dignity (2012), and made his breakthrough with School 2013 (2012-2013) and The Heirs (2013). Kim later starred in box office hits Friend: The Great Legacy (2013), The Con Artists (2014) and Twenty (2015). In 2016, he took on his first leading role on television in Uncontrollably Fond.