Lee Na-young

Lee Na-young (; born February 22, 1979) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading roles in television series such as Ruler of Your Own World, Ireland (2004) and Romance Is a Bonus Book (2019), as well as the films Someone Special (2004) and Maundy Thursday (2006). Aside from acting, Lee is also known for appearing in numerous commercials.

Career Lee Na-young began her modeling career in a Jambangee Jeans TV commercial in 1998, then made her acting debut that same year. Following supporting roles in 1999 television dramas Did We Really Love?, KAIST, and Queen, Lee starred in the tepidly received 2001 Hong Kong sci-fi action film Dream of A Warrior starring Leon Lai. She also appeared in the 2001 music video for "Catherine's Wheel" by Britpop band Rialto.

But Lee rose to fame in 2002 with the critically acclaimed series Ruler of Your Own World. She played an indie rock musician who unexpectedly falls for a terminally ill grifter, and Lee and her fellow cast members were praised for their realistic, nuanced acting. She later reunited with Ruler of Your Own World screenwriter In Jung-ok for Ireland, a 2004 drama about a Korean adoptee who journeys to her homeland, but its reception was less positive.

During this time, Lee had become one of the top-ranked and highest-paid commercial models, endorsing diverse products such as cosmetics (notably Laneige and Lancôme), electronics, clothing lines, beverages, food, telecommunications, and construction companies. Lee later became the first Korean to appear on the cover of fashion magazine W Korea, for its November 2009 issue.

But unlike her graceful and glamorous public persona in advertisements, her image in film has been the opposite, with Lee choosing to portray women who are awkward and eccentric. In 2002, she starred in the cyber romance Who R. U.? as an introverted character similar to her role in Ruler of Your Own World. Lee then played a quirky, English-challenged civil servant in Kim Sung-su's comedy film Please Teach Me English (2003) and the harmless stalker of a struggling baseball player in Jang Jin's romantic comedy Someone Special (2004). She won several Best Actress prizes for Someone Special, notably from the prestigious Blue Dragon Film Awards.

Lee again drew praise in 2006, this time for her dramatic chops in Maundy Thursday, Song Hae-sung's film adaptation of Gong Ji-young's novel Our Happy Time about a suicidal rape victim who develops a close bond with a death row inmate. She next played an emotionally tormented sleepwalker in Kim Ki-duk's Dream (2008), and nearly died while filming a scene where her character hangs herself.

In 2010, Lee headlined Lady Daddy, playing a trans woman photographer whose life is disrupted with the sudden arrival of a young boy who claims that she's his biological father. To promote the film, she made a guest appearance in the sitcom High Kick Through the Roof. Lee then returned to television with the big-budget action-mystery series The Fugitive: Plan B, in which she performed her own action scenes without a stunt double.

When Lee's contract with talent agency KeyEast expired in 2011 (she had signed with KeyEast in 2006, and with the William Morris Agency in 2009), she joined Eden 9 Entertainment. In 2012, she starred in Yoo Ha's suspense thriller Howling, about a veteran detective (played by Song Kang-ho) who teams up with a female rookie (Lee) to solve a series of murders involving a mysterious wolfdog.

In 2013, Lee appeared in a minor role in the two-part Japanese film SPEC: Close. She then played an actress having a secret romance with a boom operator in Sad Scene; it was among the three short films in the omnibus Woman, Man commissioned by W Korea for its 10th anniversary in 2015.

In 2018, Lee returned to the silver screen with the North Korean refugee drama Beautiful Days, which premiered at the 23rd Busan International Film Festival.

In 2019, Lee returned to the small screen after nine years by starring in the romance comedy drama Romance Is a Bonus Book alongside Lee Jong-suk. She played a main character named Kang Dan-yi who is a new temporary worker of book publishing company.

In 2026, Lee starred in ENA's mystery legal thriller television series Honour alongside Jung Eun-chae and Lee Chung-ah. It is based on the Swedish television series Heder which evolves around a 20-year-old secret that the three lawyer friends buried, which resurfaces and throws their lives into chaos.

Personal life Lee married actor Won Bin on May 30, 2015, in a small, private ceremony in a wheat field near an inn in Won's hometown, Jeongseon County, Gangwon Province, South Korea. The couple belong to the same talent agency, Eden 9, and reportedly began dating in August 2012 (though the agency only confirmed the relationship in July 2013). A press release from Eden 9 on December 19, 2015, announced that Lee had given birth to the couple's first child, a son.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1999 Eiji Mae-hwa Japanese film 2001 Dream of a Warrior Shosho 2002 Who R. U.? Seo In-joo 2003 Please Teach Me English Na Young-ju 2004 Someone Special Han Yi-yeon Sweet Home short film Leaving Me, Loving You (cameo) Hong Kong film 2006 Maundy Thursday Moon Yu-jeong 2008 Dream Ran 2010 Lady Daddy Ji-hyeon 2012 Howling Cha Eun-young 2013 SPEC: Close Woman who speaks Korean Japanese film 2015 Woman, Man segment: "Sad Scene" 2018 Beautiful Days Mother

Television series Year Title Role Notes1998 One Day Suddenly So-hee, a ghost (bit part) Three Guys and Three Girls (bit part) MBC Best Theater:"What Was I to You?" 1999 KAIST Did We Really Love? Kang Jae-young MBC Best Theater:"Goodbye Audrey Hepburn" one act-drama Queen Oh Soon-jung Magic Castle Hong Yoon-hee Love Story:"Message" So-young 2000 Cool Friends Broadcasting writer Lee Na-young 2002 Ruler of Your Own World Jeon Kyung 2004 Ireland Lee Joong-ah 2009 High Kick Through the Roof Lee Na-bong Cameo (episode 85) 2010 The Fugitive: Plan B Jini 2019 Romance Is a Bonus Book Kang Dan-yi 2026 Honour Yoon Ra-young

Web series Year Title Role 2023One Day OffPark Ha-kyung

Music video appearances

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref. 2002 MBC Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Ruler of Your Own World 200339th Baeksang Arts AwardsBest Actress (TV) 2004 25th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Leading ActressSomeone Special 12th Chunsa Film Art Awards Best Actress 5th Women in Film Korea Awards MBC Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actress Ireland Popularity Award, Actress 2006 6th Korea Advertisers Association Good Model Award 27th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Leading Actress Maundy Thursday 2007 1st Korea Broadcast Advertising Festival - Model Awards Best Partner Award 41st Taxpayer's Day Prime Minister's Commendation 2010 KBS Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama The Fugitive: Plan B 2023 59th Grand Bell Awards Best Actress in a Series One Day Off

Listicles + Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement Publisher Year Listicle Placement Forbes 2011 Korea Power Celebrity 40 Korean Film Council 2021 Korean Actors 200