Lee Bo-young

Lee Bo-young (; born January 12, 1979) is a South Korean actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder. She is best known for starring in the television dramas Seoyoung, My Daughter (2012–2013), I Can Hear Your Voice, Whisper (2017), Mother (2018), Mine (2021), and Agency (2023). Lee was Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year in 2013. Having majored in Korean literature at Seoul Women's University, she originally dreamed of becoming a news presenter. She was one of 15 finalists in MBC's annual recruitment drive in 2002, but ended up not getting the job. and as the antagonist in Save the Last Dance for Me (2004).

In 2005, Lee played her first leading role in the daily drama My Sweetheart, My Darling, followed by the Silla-set historical epic Ballad of Seodong with Jo Hyun-jae. She spent the next several years in television dramas — Mr. Goodbye with Ahn Jae-wook, Queen of the Game with Joo Jin-mo, and Becoming a Billionaire with Ji Hyun-woo — but none struck a chord with audiences or critics. After playing the love interest in My Brother (2004) and A Dirty Carnival (2006), Lee was cast in her first major big screen role in Once Upon a Time (2008). The heist comedy is set during colonial rule in the 1940s, and she and Park Yong-woo played notorious swindlers out to steal a diamond from the Japanese army.

Her two films released in 2009 were both melodramas. In More than Blue, Lee plays the soulmate of a terminally ill man (Kwon Sang-woo), but their love ends in a tragedy undercut with a poetic sparseness. While in I Am Happy, Lee played a nurse who falls for a patient in the psychiatric ward (Hyun Bin), and in each other they find consolation to see them through their harsh and miserable reality.

Lee returned to television in 2010, playing a seductress in the quirky cable drama Golden House opposite Shin Ha-kyun. She then had a guest arc as the president's daughter in spy series Athena: Goddess of War, followed by post-divorce romance series Bravo, My Love! with Lee Tae-sung, and revenge drama Man from the Equator (2012) with Uhm Tae-woong.

She then played the titular character in Seoyoung, My Daughter (2012–2013), a career woman who is angry at her father (Chun Ho-jin), whose gambling addiction led to her mother's death, yet she struggles to keep the family together and make ends meet. Lee said playing Seo-young required a greater depth of emotion than any of her previous roles, which left her drained but also feeling a greater sense of achievement. The family drama was the biggest hit yet of Lee's career; it dominated the weekly ratings chart for 22 straight weeks, and recorded a series high of 47.6% on its last episode, the highest Korean drama rating in 2013.

Her follow-up series I Can Hear Your Voice (2013) was also popular during its run. In it, Lee played a materialistic public defender who testified on behalf of a boy with supernatural abilities (Lee Jong-suk) a decade ago after she witnessed the boy's father being murdered. Critics said with her stubborn and argumentative character, Lee was able to break free of her previous calm and elegant image. She won several awards for her performance, including the Daesang ("Grand Prize"), the highest honor at the SBS Drama Awards. Lee was selected as Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year in 2013.

In 2014, Lee played a mother who travels back in time two weeks before her daughter's kidnapping and murder in God's Gift: 14 Days.

In 2017, Lee starred in SBS legal thriller Whisper, playing the role of a section chief of criminal division who gets dismissed from the police and later on disguise herself and work as an undercover at a law firm.

In 2018, Lee played the titular character in the tvN drama Mother - a role for which she won Best Actress at the 2018 Seoul International Drama Awards - a story adapted from the Japanese television series of the same name. She then starred in the melodrama When My Love Blooms in 2020 and black comedy Mine in 2022.

Other activities Lee is active in environmental causes, including the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. She and husband Ji Sung also makes donations to charitable causes regularly.

While on acting hiatus in 2015 during her pregnancy, she published the book Time of Love, a collection of essays on 23 books with themes of love, consolation and growth that have impacted Lee throughout her childhood and adulthood; they include The Little Prince, José Mauro de Vasconcelos's My Sweet Orange Tree, and Alain de Botton's Essays in Love.

Lee was confirmed to host 2017 SBS Drama Awards together with Shin Dong-yup. Previously, Lee has emceed the same award ceremony in 2013 together with Lee Hwi-jae and Kim Woo-bin.

In February 2023, Lee hosted the Accompanying charity concert to support Ukrainian children oppressed by the ongoing war.

Personal life Marriage and family Lee met actor Ji Sung on the set of 2004 TV series Save Last Dance for Me, and they confirmed their relationship in 2007. On August 2, 2013, they announced their engagement by uploading handwritten letters on their respective official fan sites. They married at Aston House, W Seoul Walkerhill Hotel on September 27, 2013. Their first child, daughter Kwak Ji-yoo was born on June 13, 2015. Their second child, a son named Kwak Woo-sung, was born on February 5, 2019.

Philanthropy In 2015, Lee donated 100 million won to the Children's Cancer Center at Seoul National University Hospital.

Filmography Film Year Title Role 2004 My Brother Mi-ryung 2006 A Dirty Carnival Hyun-joo 2008 Once Upon a Time Haruko / Choon-ja 2009 More than Blue Eun-won ("Cream") I Am Happy Soo-kyung

Television series Year Title Role Notes 2003 Escape from Unemployment Cha Mi-rim 2003–2004 Long Live Love Se-ryung 2004 People of the Water Flower Village Yoo Yeo-kyung Jang Gil-san Kwi-rye 2004–2005 Save the Last Dance for Me Yoon Soo-jin 2005 Encounter Choi Eom-ji My Sweetheart, My Darling Yoo In-young 2005–2006 Ballad of Seodong Princess Seonhwa of Silla 2006 Mr. Goodbye Choi Young-in 2006–2007 Queen of the Game Kang Eun-seol 2010 Becoming a Billionaire Lee Shin-mi Golden House Yoon Seo-rin Athena: Goddess of War Jo Soo-young guest appearance (episodes 3–5) 2011–2012 Bravo, My Love! Kang Jae-mi 2012 Man from the Equator Han Ji-won 2012–2013 Seoyoung, My Daughter Lee Seo-young 2013 I Can Hear Your Voice Jang Hye-sung 2014 God's Gift: 14 Days Kim Soo-hyun Pinocchio Hye-sung car navigation voice cameo (episode 3) 2017 Whisper Shin Young-joo 2018 Mother Kang Soo-jin 2020 When My Love Blooms Yoon Ji-soo Start-Up Woman at pub Cameo (Episode 10) 2021 Mine Seo Hee-soo See You in My 19th Life Lee Sang-ah Special appearance 2024 Hide Na Moon-young 2025 Mary Kills People Woo So-jung

Television shows Year Title Role 2007 She's Olive - Lee Bo-young from Grasse to Paris Host 2013 eat CITY - Lee Bo-young's Italian Cafe

Music video appearances Year Song title Artist 2011 "Crying, Calling" Zia & 4Men

Awards and nominations + Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Andre Kim Best Star Awards 2007 Female Star Award Lee Bo-young 2009 Female Star Award APAN Star Awards 2013 Top Excellence Award, Actress I Can Hear Your Voice, Seoyoung, My Daughter Best Couple Award Lee Bo-young I Can Hear Your Voice 2018 Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Mother Baeksang Arts Awards 2008 Best New Actress – Film Once Upon a Time 2013 Best Actress – Television Seoyoung, My Daughter 2014 I Can Hear Your Voice 2018 Mother Brand Customer Loyalty Awards 2023 Best Actress – Drama Agency Chunsa Film Art Awards 2006 Best New Actress A Dirty Carnival Grimae Awards 2013 Best Actress I Can Hear Your Voice KBS Drama Awards 2005 Best New Actress My Sweetheart, My Darling 2006 Excellence Award, Actress Mr. Goodbye 2010 Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama Becoming a Billionaire 2012 Top Excellence Award, Actress Man from the Equator, Seoyoung, My Daughter Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama Man from the Equator Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama Seoyoung, My Daughter Best Couple Award Lee Bo-young Seoyoung, My Daughter Best Couple Award Lee Bo-young I Can Hear Your Voice MBC Drama Awards 2011 Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Bravo, My Love! SBS Drama Awards 2005 New Star Award Ballad of Seodong Top 10 Stars 2006 Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Queen of the Game Top 10 Stars 2013 Grand Prize (Daesang) I Can Hear Your Voice Seoul International Drama Awards 2018 Best Actress Mother The Seoul Awards 2017 Whisper