Lee Byung-hun

Lee Byung-hun Headshot

Actor

Birth Date: July 12, 1970

Age: 54 years old

Birth Place: Seongnam, South Korea

Byung-hun Lee is a Korean actor who rose to prominence in America in 2015 after he appeared as the T-1000 in "Terminator Genisys." A native of South Korea, Lee spent most of the '90s and 2000s acting in Korean TV shows and movies. Some of his more notable performances from this era include parts in "Kill the Love" (1996), "My Beautiful Girl, Mari" (2002), and "Everybody Has a Little Secret" (2004).

Lee was making a successful living in his native country but yearned to expand his acting reach into Hollywood. He had the opportunity in 2009 when he appeared alongside Channing Tatum and Dennis Quaid in the action blockbuster "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." The film was Lee's first brush with Hollywood, and was such a success that from there on out he continued to appear almost exclusively in Hollywood action films. Lee's biggest role came in 2015 when he appeared as the human/robot hybrid, the T-1000, in "Terminator Genisys," thus proving that he was well on his way to becoming one of Hollywood's newest action stars.

Born into a wealthy family in Seoul, South Korea, Byung-hun Lee never envisioned becoming an actor. In fact, he attended Hanyang University where he majored in French Literature. His intention was on becoming a college professor, but after one of his mother's friends suggested he try acting, Lee decided to take her up on it. He went to an open talent audition at a local Korean television station and quickly found out that he liked performing in front of an audience. Before long Lee was attending as many auditions as possible, and in 1991 landed his first starring TV role on "Asphalt My Hometown" (KBS, 1991). Although the show was short-lived, Lee continued to book TV roles throughout the 90s on shows like "Tomorrow Love" (KBS, 1992-94) and "Hae-pi Too-ge-deo" (KBS, 1999).

Then in 2000 Lee appeared in the war thriller "Joint Security Area." The film was a smash hit in Korea, and made Byung-hun Lee a household name overnight. After the success of "Joint Security Area," the roles started pouring in. Over the next decade Lee appeared in several films in South Korea, including "Addicted" (2002), "A Bittersweet Life" (2005), and "Hero" (2007). However, despite his superstar status in South Korea, Lee longed for recognition in the United States. In 2009 Hollywood finally came calling. Soon after, Lee landed the role of Storm Shadow in "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," thus beginning his career as an action star in America.

The film was a major success, with Lee reprising his role in the 2013 sequel, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation." 2013 was also the year Lee appeared in the action-comedy sequel, "RED 2." Although Lee did not appear in the first "RED" movie, he did have the rare opportunity to work alongside such Hollywood heavyweights as Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, and Bruce Willis in the sequel. "RED 2" was also a hit at the box office, thus further cementing Lee's already growing status as one of the hottest Korean action stars of the 2010s. With his career already on the rise, Lee nabbed the coveted role of T-1000 in 2015's "Terminator Genisys." That film, which was released in July 2015, gave Lee the chance to work with one of his all-time favorite action heroes, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Credits

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출장스페셜

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95%

홍진경의 영화로운 덕후생활

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비상선언

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Bi-Sang-Seon-Eon

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제55회 백상예술대상

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Ashfall

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2019

Wilde Western-Woche

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2018

유 퀴즈 온 더 블럭

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2017

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Misconduct

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2016

The Magnificent SevenStream

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2016
63%

Master

Actor
President Jin
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2016

Terminator GenisysStream

Actor
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26%

Memories of the Sword

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Inside Men

Actor
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2015

Hyeomnyeo: Kar-ui gi-eok

Actor
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내부자들: 디 오리지널

Actor
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G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Actor
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Red 2Stream

Actor
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44%

최후의 제국

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Masquerade

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Movie
2012

2011 MAMA

Host
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2011

힐링캠프

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2011

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tvN스페셜

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Hero

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夏物語

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Three... Extremes

Actor
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2005

A Bittersweet Life

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誰にでも秘密がある

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2004

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2004

All In

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Addicted

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2002

My Beautiful Girl, Mari

Voice
Namoo
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2002

バンジージャンプする

Actor
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2001

번지점프를 하다

Actor
Seo In-woo
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Actor
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2000

The Harmonium in My Memory

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1999

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Actor
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Show
1997

지상만가

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이소라의 프로포즈

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1996

그들만의 세상

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Love
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1996

내일은 사랑

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1992