Lee Kwang-soo

Lee Kwang-soo (, born July 14, 1985) is a South Korean actor, entertainer, and model. He made his acting debut in the sitcom Here He Comes and received further recognition for his roles in medical melodrama It's Okay, That's Love (2014), neo-noir film Confession (2014), black comedy film Collective Invention (2015), sitcom The Sound of Your Heart (2016), drama Live (2018), and human comedy film Inseparable Bros (2019).

Lee was a regular cast member of the South Korean variety show Running Man from June 2010 until May 2021, while his last appearance on the show was aired on June 13, 2021.

Life and career Lee was born on July 14, 1985, in Namyangju, South Korea.

Lee began his entertainment career as a model in 2007. He made his acting debut in the 2008 sitcom Here He Comes, which was followed by High Kick Through the Roof.

Lee's popularity increased after joining SBS' Good Sunday variety show Running Man, gaining the nickname "Prince of Asia" by his fans. In 2010 and 2011, Lee won back-to-back awards at the SBS Entertainment Awards for "New Star Award" and "Best Newcomer in Variety", respectively.

In 2012, Lee played supporting roles in the romantic comedies Wonderful Radio and All About My Wife, and thriller The Scent. Later in the year, he reunited onscreen with his former Running Man co-star and real-life best friend Song Joong-ki in the TV melodrama The Innocent Man.

In 2013, after another supporting role in A Wonderful Moment, Lee voiced the lead character Marco in the animated movie Maritime Police Marco, opposite fellow Running Man regular Song Ji-hyo, who voiced for Lulu.

Lee had publicly stated that he wanted to play an antagonist in TV or film. He was then cast as Prince Imhae (villainous brother to King Gwanghae) in the 2013 period drama Goddess of Fire. While filming Goddess of Fire, he participated in an energy conservation campaign alongside child actress Kim Yoo-bin.

In 2014, Lee played his first major role on the big screen in Confession. The neo-noir film is about three friends (played by Ji Sung, Ju Ji-hoon, and Lee) whose friendship gets destroyed after getting involved in a murder case. He then returned to television with the medical melodrama It's Okay, That's Love, playing a patient suffering from Tourette syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. Lee then starred in the film A Dynamite Family, about five bickering brothers living in the village of Deoksu.

In 2015, Lee played the protagonist in Collective Invention, whose condition is caused by side effects from a newly introduced drug. Collective Invention was screened in the Vanguard section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, marking Lee's first red carpet appearance at an international film festival. He also starred in the two-episode drama Puck!, where he played a loan shark who joins a college ice hockey club. The one-act play was aired on January 1, 2016. The same year, he was appointed ambassador of the "2015 Korea Brand & Entertainment Expo" and received commendation from the trade minister for boosting the Korean Wave industry.

In 2016, Lee starred in tvN's Entourage, a South Korean remake of the American series. He was then cast in the KBS sitcom The Sound of Your Heart, based on the webtoon of the same name. The web drama was a success in both South Korea and China, gaining 100 million on Sohu TV and ranked No. 1 among Korean dramas on the site.

In September 2017, it was confirmed that Lee would be a fixed cast member in Netflix's variety show Busted!.

In 2018, Lee starred in Noh Hee-kyung's slice-of-life Live playing a police officer who tries to uphold values in everyday life and maintain justice. The drama was a success and Lee received rave reviews for his performance. He then played a Mensa genius in crime comedy The Accidental Detective 2: In Action, a sequel to the 2015 film.

In 2019, Lee starred in human comedy Inseparable Bros and gambling film Tazza: One Eyed Jack. He won his first Baeksang Arts Awards award for Best Supporting Actor and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for his outstanding portrayal of Park Dong-goo who suffers from severe intellectual disabilities in Inseparable Bros, with critics citing "it was like seeing Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man".

On February 15, 2020, Lee was involved in a car accident which put all of his activities on pause until his recovery from ankle injury. Later in June, it was confirmed that he would be starring in The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure, a sequel to the 2014 film. The film was released in January 2022.

In 2021, Lee returned to the Season 3 of Netflix variety show Busted!. Later in April 2021, Lee confirmed the film A Year-End Medley, which was released in the same year. On April 27, 2021, Lee's agency announced that he will be stepping down from Running Man to focus on treatment and recovery from the accident (2020). His last recording took place on May 24, 2021. In 2022, Lee starred in the tvN drama The Killer's Shopping List, marking his return to the small screen after four years. His work also includes films Sinkhole and A Year-End Medley. It is based on the Kakao webtoon of the same name by Choi Hee-seon, about people who are unexpectedly entangled and destroy each other while pursuing their own desires.

Personal life Relationship On December 31, 2018, it was reported that Lee had been dating actress Lee Sun-bin, with King Kong by Starship stating that the couple had been dating "for 5 months" prior to the announcement of their relationship.

Filmography Film Year Title Role 2011 Battlefield Heroes Moon-di 2012 Wonderful Radio Cha Dae-geun 2013 A Wonderful Moment Kim Jung-il 2014 Confession Min-soo A Year-End Medley Sang-hoon 2025 Love Barista Kang Jun-woo

Television series Year Title Role Notes 2008 The Scale of Providence Oh Kwang-chul 2008–2009 Here He Comes Oh Man-soo 2011 City Hunter Go Ki-joon 2011–2012 Bachelor's Vegetable Store Nam Yoo-bong 2012 The Innocent Man Park Jae-gil Goddess of Fire Prince Imhae 2014 Secret Love Lee Tae-yang Episode 7–8: "A Seven Day Summer" It's Okay, That's Love Park Soo-kwang Dear My Friends Yoo Min-ho Cameo Entourage Cha Joon 2017 Hit the Top Yoon-ki Cameo (episode 2) 2018 Live Yeom Sang-soo 2024 No Way Out: The Roulette Yoon Chang-jae 2025 The Divorce Insurance Ahn Jeon-man Karma Han Sang-hun Hero

Web series Year Title Role Notes 2022 X of Crisis The man Special appearance 2025 The Manipulated Baek Do-kyung

Television shows Year Title Role Notes 2010–2021 Running Man Cast member Episode 1–559 2015 Perhaps Love with Lynn Hung 2021 House on Wheels: For Rent with The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure actors 2023 GBRB: Reap What You Sow with Kim Ki-bang, Kim Woo-bin and Doh Kyung-soo 2026 Yoo Jae-suk's CampMain Castwith Yoo Jae-suk and Byeon Woo-seok

Web shows Year Title Role Notes 2018–2021 Busted! Cast member Season 1 and 3 2022–2023 The Zone: Survival Mission Season 1–2 2022 Korea No. 1 with Yoo Jae-suk and Kim Yeon-koung

Music video appearances Year Song title Artist 2011 "격산타우 (Kyuksantawoo)" LeeSsang 2012 "Oh Fresh Men"(The Bachelor's Vegetable Store OST) VF6DOLE (with Ji Chang-wook, Kim Young-kwang, Shin Won-ho and Sung Ha) "Busan Vacance" Skull and HaHa 2013 "You Are the Best" teaser Byul "Runaway" KARA 2015 "Again" Turbo 2016 "MOMOMO" Cosmic Girls 2021 "GAP" HaHa

Discography Title Year Album "Oh-Sing-Sing-Men Oh Sing Sing Men" 2011 Bachelor's Vegetable Store OST - Japanese release "Pink Nose Light " 2019 Running Man Fan Meeting: Project Running 9 "I Like It"

Ambassadorship Korea-Mekong Ambassador (2021)

Accolades 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 APAN Star Awards 2014 Popular Star Award, Actor It's Okay, That's Love Asia Artist Awards 2019 Scene Stealer Award Lee Kwang-soo Best K-Culture (Actor) Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards 2024 Best Supporting Actor Asia Model Awards 2009 CF Model Award Baeksang Arts Awards 2012 Best New Actor – Film Wonderful Radio 2020 Best Supporting Actor – Film Inseparable Bros Blue Dragon Film Awards 2012 Best New Actor All About My Wife 2019 Best Supporting Actor Inseparable Bros Popular Star Award 2021 Best Supporting Actor Sinkhole Blue Dragon Series Awards 2023 Best Male Entertainer The Zone: Survival Mission TIRTIR Popularity Award 2025 Best Supporting Actor Karma 2026 Gold Land Fashionista Awards 2015 Best Male Fashionista Lee Kwang-soo Golden Cinematography Awards 2021 Best Supporting Actor Inseparable Bros Hong Kong's YouTube Ads Leaderboard 2015 2015 Season One Best Commercial Award Nestle's Fruitips Ad Jumei Awards Ceremony 2016 Variety Influence Lee Kwang-soo KBS Drama Awards 2012 Best Supporting Actor The Innocent Man KBS Entertainment Awards 2016 Hot Issue Variety Award The Sound of Your Heart Best Couple Award Lee Kwang-soo The Sound of Your Heart Korea Best Star Awards 2018 Best Popular Star Award The Accidental Detective 2: In Action Korea Drama Awards 2014 Excellence Award, Actor It's Okay, That's Love Korea First Brand Awards 2026 Film Actor (Vietnam) Lee Kwang-soo MBC Entertainment Awards 2008 Best Newcomer in Comedy / Sitcom Here He Comes Mnet 20's Choice Awards 2008 Hot CF Star Lee Kwang-soo SBS Drama Awards 2014 Special Award, Actor in a Miniseries It's Okay, That's Love SBS Entertainment Awards 2010 New Star Award Running Man 2011 Best Newcomer in Variety 2013 Friendship Award Viewer's Most Popular Award Lee Kwang-soo Best Couple Award Lee Kwang-soo Running Man 2014 Excellence Award in Variety Running Man 2016 Top Excellence Award in Variety Show Annoying Guy Award 2017 Best Couple Award Lee Kwang-soo Running Man Global Star Award Lee Kwang-soo 2018 Popularity Award Running Man Best Couple Award Lee Kwang-soo Running Man 2019 SNS Star Award Running Man 2020 Golden Content Award Lee Kwang-soo Star Night - Korea Top Star Awards Ceremony 2017 Top Entertainer Award Lee Kwang-soo Sina Weibo Night Awards 2016 Asia Popularity Award Lee Kwang-soo

State honors + Name of country, year given, and name of honor Country or Organization Year Honor or Award South Korea 2016 Prime Minister's Commendation

Listicles + Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement Publisher Year Listicle Placement Forbes 2013 Korea Power Celebrity 40 2016 Korean Film Council 2021 Korean Actors 200