Lee Dong-wook

Lee Dong-wook (; born 6 November 1981) is a South Korean actor and presenter. He is best known for his leading roles in the television dramas My Girl (2005–2006), Scent of a Woman, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016–2017), Life (2018), Hell Is Other People (2019), Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020), Bad and Crazy (2021), Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 (2023), and A Shop for Killers (2024). He is also the host of the talk show Strong Heart (2012–2013), boy group survival reality show Produce X 101 (2019), and his own American-style talk show Wook Talk (2019).

Early life and education In 2005, Lee enrolled in Joongbu University, majoring in media and broadcasting arts.

Career Lee made his acting debut in 1999 in an MBC single-episode drama after winning the grand prize in the V-NESS model contest of the same year. The PD of the drama saw Lee, and proceeded to cast him in the teen drama School 2. Lee started to gain recognition with his performance in School 3.

Lee hit stardom with 2005 romantic comedy My Girl. The drama series became a hit during its run both domestically and across Asia, and made Lee a Korean Wave star.

He has since starred in noir Bitter Sweet Life (2008), courtroom dramedy Partner (2009), melodrama Scent of a Woman (2011), baseball rom-com Wild Romance (2012), period thriller The Fugitive of Joseon (2013), and revenge drama Hotel King (2014), in which he reunited with My Girl co-star Lee Da-hae. He then starred in fantasy-action series Blade Man (2014) and romance drama Bubble Gum (2015).

Lee and comedian Shin Dong-yup took over as MCs of talk show Strong Heart from April 2012 to January 2013. Lee also joined the reality show Roommate, which aired from 2014 to 2015.

From 2016 to 2017, Lee starred alongside Gong Yoo in Kim Eun-sook's fantasy-romance drama Guardian: The Lonely and Great God playing a grim reaper. The drama was a hit, and along with its success, helped in the resurgence of Lee's acting career.

In 2018, Lee starred in the medical drama Life as a doctor who works at the ER Department.

In 2019, Lee starred in the romance comedy drama Touch Your Heart alongside Guardian co-star Yoo In-na, playing a workaholic lawyer. The same year, he was confirmed as the host for Produce X 101, the fourth season of survival audition program Produce 101. He then starred as the main antagonist in the thriller drama Hell Is Other People as a dentist in the morning but a psychopath in the evening. He also started hosting his own talk show, Wook Talk, to celebrate his 20th anniversary since debut.

In 2020, Lee was cast in the fantasy drama Tale of the Nine Tailed as a nine-tailed fox who used to be a mountain god, and is now working as a civil servant. He also confirmed to appear in the romantic comedy film Single in Seoul alongside Im Soo-jung.

In December 2020, he was listed as Asia-Pacific's Most Influential Celebrities on Social Media.

In 2021, he appeared in A Year-End Medley, a romantic comedy film by Kwak Jae-yong and in an iQIYI original mystery drama Bad and Crazy, which aired on 17 December 2021.

In 2022, Lee joined the Universe communication platform.

In 2024, Lee starred in Disney+'s A Shop for Killers.

Other activities Ambassadorships Year Title Ref. 2018 Honorary Ambassador for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Tourism Ambassador of Gangwon Province 2024 Olympic Friends of 2024 Winter Youth Olympics

Philanthropy On 11 March 2022, Lee made a donation of million to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help the victims of the Uljin forest fire 2022, which devastated the area and then spread to Samcheok, South Korea.

On 5 Jan 2025, Lee made a donation of ₩50 million to the Community Chest of Jeollanam-do to support the families of the Dec 2024 Jeju Air plane accident victims.

On 27 Mar 2025, Lee made a donation of ₩50 million to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relieft Association to help the victims of the wildfires in the Ulsan, Gyeongbuk and Gyeongnam regions.

Personal life Military service Lee enlisted in the military in August 2009, serving under the National Defense Public Relations Service. He was discharged in June 2011.

Ancestry His parents are mainly of Korean descent. In a Wook Talk episode that aired on 22 January 2020, guest and forensic professor Yoo Sung-ho revealed genealogical DNA test results for him and one of the show's producers. According to Lee's results, a significant part of his mother's genetic makeup matches that of Koryak and Khaka people—both ethnic groups that are indigenous to Siberia (to be more specific, Kamchatka and Khakassia respectively).

Filmography