Lee Sung-mi

이성미 • Lee Sung-mi

Lee Sung-min (Korean: 이성민; born December 4, 1968) is a South Korean actor. He first gained recognition for his supporting roles in television and film. He is best known for his performances in the series Golden Time (2012), Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014), and Reborn Rich (2022), winning Best Actor at the Baeksang Arts Awards for the latter two works. Lee has also received critical acclaim for...

Lee Sung-min (Korean: 이성민; born December 4, 1968) is a South Korean actor. He first gained recognition for his supporting roles in television and film. He is best known for his performances in the series Golden Time (2012), Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014), and Reborn Rich (2022), winning Best Actor at the Baeksang Arts Awards for the latter two works. Lee has also received critical acclaim for his role in the espionage film The Spy Gone North (2018), for which he won several Best Actor awards. His other notable films include The Sheriff in Town (2017), The Witness (2018), The Man Standing Next (2020), and Handsome Guys (2024). Early life Lee Sung-min was born on October 15, 1968, in Dochon, a small village located between Bonghwa and Yeongju in North Gyeongsang Province. During his early years, his family frequently moved across the country, including Seoul and Gangwon, due to his father's relocations. He eventually returned to his hometown of Bonghwa in the fourth grade of elementary school, where he completed his middle and high school education. Afterward, he left Bonghwa again to pursue higher education at Daegu Science University. Reflecting on his past, Lee credits his father for paving the way for his acting journey. His father, enjoyed watching movies with his son. Despite Bonghwa lacking movie theaters at the time, they frequently visited the two cinemas in nearby Yeongju. As valued customers, they would eagerly rush to see new releases. Lee recalls, "I still vividly recall the movies like King Kong and Bruce Lee that I watched with my father during my childhood." Lee further shared the significant impact of these early experiences: "When I was young, my father always ensured that I watched 'masterpiece films' on weekends. Thanks to him, I had the opportunity to experience cultural elements that were challenging for a rural child to access at such a young age. Perhaps, by absorbing movies through my father from an early stage, it enabled me to pursue an acting career and consistently engage in emotive performances." Career 1987–2002: Career beginnings in Daegu as theater actor He began his theater journey by becoming a part of the theater company Audience and Stage (객석과 무대) in Daegu. During this period, he had the opportunity to collaborate with esteemed colleagues, including directors Choi Joo-hwan and Jeong Cheol-won, both of whom had previously held positions as directors at the Daegu Municipal Theater Company. Reflecting on those days, Lee remarked, "Each troupe at the time pursued distinct directions, identities, and showcased different works." While actively engaging in theater activities in Daegu, he swiftly gained recognition for his talent. Whenever he participated in various theater festivals, he effortlessly swept away awards. At the age of 24, he received the New Actor Award at the Daegu Theater Festival, an honor that can only be bestowed once in a lifetime. Additionally, he achieved the highest honor among actors in the Daegu region by winning the Daegu Theater Festival Best Actor Awards. Lee crossed paths with his future wife in the play B Unso. She was the choreographer for the play. Their encounter marked a turning point in his life, as Lee went on to achieve remarkable milestones. In 2001, Lee joined the play produced by theater group Yeoninmudae (연인무대의) titled Pig Hunt. The play received the top prize (Presidential Award) at the 19th National Theater Festival, jointly organized by the Korea Arts and Culture Promotion Agency (Director Kim Jeong-ok) and the Korean Theater Association (Chairman Choi Jong-won). As a result, Pig Hunt received a prize of 20 million won and invited to the Seoul Performing Arts Festival held in October. The director of this work, Han Jeon-gi, and the lead actor, Lee Sung-min, received the Best Director Award and the Best Acting Award, respectively. 2002–2012: Seoul transition and expanding roles In 2002, despite being in his mid-thirties, Lee made a tough decision to leave his wife and daughter in Daegu and venture alone to Seoul. Determined to pursue a career as an actor, he yearned to test and validate his skills in Daehangno, the heart of the Korean theater industry. Encouragement from those around him further pushed him to embark on the journey to Seoul. At that time, Lee made a promise to his family, saying, "I will give it a try for three years, and if things don't work out, I will return." However, Lee faced financial hardships in Seoul. To make ends meet, he would make a weekly trip back to Daegu and rely on a modest allowance of 100,000 won provided by his wife. After deducting expenses for transportation, card charges, and cigarettes, there was barely anything left. In order to save on transportation costs, Lee would undertake a two-hour walk from Dongdaegu Station to his home in Shijidong. He carried taxi and chauffeur service phone numbers in his pocket, always prepared to quickly earn money in case of unemployment. In Daehangno, Lee joined theater group Chaimu. As a member of the theater group Chaimu, Lee appeared in plays such as B Unso, Pig Hunt!, and There?. In 2003, Pig Hunt, a satirical play, was performed from 19 to 26 October at the small theater of the Dongsoong Art Center. He also ventured into the film industry. He started with minor roles, and in 2004, he made an appearance as Loan Shark Gangster 1 in the film Father And Son: The Story Of Mencius, which led to a growing recognition of his talent in supporting roles. During his time working on the film in 2004, alongside Son Hyun-joo, he was recommended for a role in a television drama. Actor Ahn Jae-wook, who was the lead in the drama Oh Feel Young, even adjusted his schedule to accommodate Lee Sung-min's theater commitments. The promised three years with his family swiftly passed, yet Lee had not been able to shake off his unknown status. After much contemplation, he made the bold decision to remain in Seoul, determined to set a precedent and prove that actors hailing from provincial backgrounds like himself could achieve nationwide recognition for their acting prowess. With the unwavering support of his family, they too relocated to Seoul. However, despite their collective efforts, financial hardships persisted. Lee vividly recalls how, during that time, he could only afford to buy cheap pork belly priced at around 1,000 won, which left his daughter disappointed. These challenging memories from the past continue to resonate with him to this day. 2013–2016: Major breakthroughs onscreen Lee made appearances in several films, including Marathon in 2005, but a considerable portion of his scenes were edited out. Although a considerable portion of his scenes were edited out. In 2006, he portrayed Seong-cheol, a humane gangster, in the low-budget film Silk Shoes, collaboratively produced by actors from the theater group Chaimu. While the film garnered attention in the industry, it did not achieve widespread public recognition. Lee subsequently made a breakthrough as a supporting actor in various films and dramas, including portraying characters such as Choi Man-ri, a scholar in The King's Letters, a pop columnist in Go Go 70s, and a chief prosecutor in The Unjust. Lee was personally recommended by Song Kang-ho for an audition for director Park Chan-wook's film Thirst. However, during the audition, when asked if he was close to Song Kang-ho, Lee honestly replied, "We're not close." As a result, Lee didn't pass the audition. Later, when Song Kang-ho asked him, "Why didn't you say we were close?" Lee reportedly responded, "To be honest, we weren't really close." In 2010, Lee gained significant attention for his portrayal of restaurant manager Seol Joon-seok in the MBC drama Pasta. Despite the character's unlikeable traits, Lee's performance as a villain who was hard to hate. He continued to appear in dramas such as Gloria, Listen to My Heart, films A Little Pond, and play The Story of Nulgeun the Thief. In 2011, Lee played the ambitious Dr. Go Jae-hak in the KBS 2TV drama Brain. Followed by the MBC drama My Princess, where he portrayed President Lee Young-chan, who pretended to be just and righteous while focusing on his own interests. Lee, who had often portrayed unlikeable villain roles, successfully underwent an image transformation in the 2012 MBC drama The King 2 Hearts. He received praise for his portrayal of Lee Jae-kang, the older brother of the protagonist (Lee Seung-gi) and the former Crown Prince. A few months later, Lee took on the role of trauma specialist Choi In-hyuk in the MBC drama Golden Time. His role was widely considered highly significant to the drama. Lee reportedly lost 7 kilograms to differentiate his portrayal from his previous doctor role in Brain, and an anecdote notes he used worn-out sneakers during filming to capture the essence of an emergency room doctor. Following the drama, Lee was widely recognized by the public as a lead actor. 2013–present: Recognition and further acclaim In the movie The Attorney, released at the end of 2013, Lee played the role of Lee Yoon-taek, a high school classmate of the protagonist Song Woo-seok, who is a lawyer (played by Song Kang-ho) and a journalist for a social department at a newspaper in the Busan area. Although it was a supporting role, he had a considerable presence. In the MBC drama Miss Korea, which aired around the same time, he portrayed Jung Sun-saeng, a former gangster who is chased by debt from Kim Hyung-jun (played by Lee Sun-kyun), the CEO of a cosmetics company. Lee's career marked a turning point with his appearance in the 2014 tvN drama tvN drama Misaeng: Incomplete Life. Directed by Kim Won-seok and written by Jung Yoon-jung, this 20-episode series adapted Yoon Tae-ho's webtoon series of the same title. The drama's title, derived from Go terminology, signifies "an incomplete life," reflecting the essence of not yet being fully alive. Misaeng made history as the first Korean drama to be filmed on location in Jordan, with Lee and Yim Si-wan shooting the series's prologue in Amman, Petra, and Wadi Rum. The series became a cultural phenomenon, achieving remarkable viewership ratings for a cable network program in South Korea. Lee received accolades for his portrayal of working professional Oh Sang-sik, earning him Best Actor awards at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards and the 2016 tvN10 Awards. In early 2016, Lee debuted as the lead character in the film Sori: Voice from the Heart portraying Hae-kwan. The film follows Hae-kwan's desperate search for his daughter, lost in Daegu in 2003, which leads him to an AI satellite robot with global sound memory. Aided by the robot, he tracks his daughter's voice, and they form an unforgettable bond. Jeon Hye-jin, also a Chaimu member, played Hae-kwan's wife. Lee's performance drew praise from Elizabeth Kerr of The Hollywood Reporter, who stated: "Sori is at its strongest when it focuses on Hae-kwan and the surprising onion-layer style discoveries he makes about the daughter he was sure he knew (played by Chae Soo-bin in flashback). Lee balances regret and disbelief effortlessly, and makes the man's sadness real without tipping into histrionics." Two years later, Lee made his first appearance on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival with the movie The Spy Gone North (2018). His acting received critical acclaim and earned him multiple awards, including Best Actor at the Buil Film Awards, Grand Bell Awards, Korean Film Critics Association Awards, and Director's Cut Awards. His accolades continued in 2019 when he won the Best Actor award in the film category at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards. In 2020, Lee had two films released on the same day, January 22. These included the action comedy Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP, and the historical political thriller The Man Standing Next. His performance in the film The Man Standing Next again garnered praise. Portraying former President Park Chung-hee, Lee's portrayal addressed i