Lee Si-eon

Lee Si-eon (born Lee Bo-yeon on July 3, 1982) is a South Korean actor and television personality. He is best known for his comic supporting role in the popular campus drama Reply 1997. He is also known for being a cast member of MBC's popular reality TV show I Live Alone until his departure in December 2020.

Early life and education After graduating from high school in Busan and completing his military service, Lee Si-eon moved to Seoul. In 2005, Lee enrolled in the Broadcasting and Entertainment Department at the Seoul Institute of the Arts, joining a cohort that included Kim Seon-ho from the same department, as well as Kwon Hyuk-soo and Lee Dong-hwi from theater department.

Career Lee made his television debut in the 2009 drama Friend, Our Legend. He later revealed that the media had initially misreported that a female actress had been cast in his role due to his birth name, Lee Bo-yeon. The drama's director, Kwak Kyung-taek, gave him the stage name "Lee Si-eon" after consulting a naming agency. He continues to use the name throughout his career. He went on to appear in dramas such as Warrior Baek Dong-soo (2011) and The King 2 Hearts (2012).

Lee had his breakthrough with his comic supporting role as Bang Sung-jae in the tvN drama Reply 1997, the first installment of the Reply series created by Shin Won-ho and Lee Woo-jung. His character was known as the "one-man rumor mill" of the group. The series achieved both commercial and critical success, sparking a retro craze in South Korea.

Following the drama's success, on September 15, 2012, Lee, along with co-stars Seo In-guk, Eun Ji-won, and Shin So-yul, hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live Korea, which featured parodies of scenes from their series. A special program on tvN's enews was also aired on September 20, 2012, providing behind-the-scenes footage and bloopers from the set.

He also appeared in the films Tough as Iron (2013) and My Love, My Bride (2014), as well as dramas including Modern Farmer (2014), and Remember - War of the Son (2015). He was subsequently invited to participate in the Real Man Manly Men special in November 2016.

Lee was cast in a supporting role in the drama W: Two Worlds, which aired on MBC from July 20 to September 14, 2016. The series explores the intersection of two realms: the real world and an alternate universe within a webtoon, from which it derives its title. Lee portrayed Park Soo-bong, an apprentice to webtoon artist Oh Seong-moo and a confidant of his daughter, Yeon-joo. W received acclaim for its innovative premise, achieving ratings of 11.63% and topping viewership ratings in its time slot throughout its run. Following the success of W, Lee joined the cast of the MBC reality show I Live Alone in September 2016.

He went on to appear in the dramas Man to Man (2017), Into the New World (2017), and Two Cops (2017). On November 8, 2021, it was reported that Lee would be getting married in a private ceremony on December 25, 2021, in Jeju. Later that same day, Lee's agency confirmed the report. On May 22, 2026, the couple welcomed their first child, a son.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role 2001 Kick the Moon bit part 2011 Children... PD Yoon Perfect Game senior member of national team/MBC Baseball player (cameo) 2013 Tough as Iron Jong-soo 2014 My Love, My Bride Ki-tae2019 Race to Freedom: Um Bok Dong Lee Hong-dae Killed My Wife Chae Jung-ho 2020 Search Out Sung-min 2024 Pilot Captain from the air force (cameo)

Television series Year Title Role Network Notes 2009 Friend, Our Legend Kim Joong-ho MBC 2010 Dr. Champ Heo Taek-woo SBS 2011 Paradise Ranch Secretary Lee Warrior Baek Dong-soo Daeheung 2011–12 Bolder By the Day Wang Sung-han MBN 2012 The King 2 Hearts Kim Hang-ah's first love MBC Reply 1997 Bang Sung-jae tvN 2012–13Seoyoung, My Daughter Choi Ho-jung's blind date KBS2 Cameo 2013 Don't Look Back: The Legend of Orpheus Kim Dong-soo The Strange Cohabitation Gwang-hyun Drama Special Reply 1994 Bang Sung-jae tvN Cameo (Ep. 16) Eun-guk and the Ugly Duckling Eun-guk KBS2 Drama Special Jin Jin Kim Kyung-chulDrama Special 2014 The Noblesse Yoon Shin-joong JTBC Modern Farmer Yoo Han-cheol SBS Righteous Love tvN Cameo 2015 Kill Me, Heal Me Park Min-jae MBC Hogu's Love Shin Chung-jae tvN Beating Again Oh Woo-sik JTBC Webtoon Hero Toondra Show Text of the Joseon Dynasty MBC Every 1 2015–16 Remember Section Chief Ahn SBS 2016 W Park Soo-bong MBC 2017 Three Color Fantasy - The Universe's Star Grim Reaper Innocent Defendant SBS Cameo (Ep. 18) Good Manager Prosecutor Park Yong-tae KBS2 Cameo (Ep. 20) Whisper young Kang Yoo-taek SBS Man to Man Ji Se-hoon JTBC My Sassy Girl Bang Se-ho SBS Reunited Worlds Shin Ho-bang Man in the Kitchen Bong Myung-tae MBC Two Cops Yong-pal I'm Not a Robot Cameo 2018 Live Kang Nam-il tvN High-End Crush Section chief Heo MBN Web Drama Player Lim Byung-min OCN 2019 Welcome to Waikiki 2 a reporter JTBC Cameo (Ep. 3) Abyss Park Dong-cheoltvN Hotel del Luna an astronaut Cameo (Ep. 3) 2019–20 Queen: Love and War Wal TV Chosun 2020 Dinner Mate Food truck operator MBC Cameo (Ep. 3) Men Are Men Oh Jak-ga KBS2 Cameo Cheat on Me If You Can Jang Seung-cheol 2021 The Penthouse: War in Life 2 Detective SBS Cameo (Ep. 6) Racket Boys Busan Citizen Cameo (Ep.9) 2022 Crazy Love Kang Min / Kim Cha-bae KBS2 Café Minamdang Yeo Chul-pal Cameo (Ep.2) Bad Prosecutor Go Joong-do

Television shows

Music video appearances Year Song title Artist 2012 "Have, Don't Have" Dal Shabet

Theater YearEnglish titleKorean title Role 2021 The Perfect Other 완벽한 타인 2022 Then and Today그때도 오늘 Moon-suk

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result2016 SBS Drama Awards Special Award, Actor in a Genre Drama Remember MBC Drama Awards Best New Actor W Best Couple Award (with Kim Eui-sung) MBC Entertainment Awards Male Rookie Award in Variety Show I Live Alone, Real Men (Season 2) 2017 MBC Entertainment Awards Rookie Award, Variety Category I Live Alone MBC Drama Awards Golden Acting Award, Actor in a Monday-Tuesday Drama Two Cops SBS Drama Awards Best Supporting Actor Reunited Worlds 201919th MBC Entertainment Awards Top Excellence Award in Variety Category (Male)I Live Alone Best Teamwork Award 2020 20th MBC Entertainment AwardsTop Excellence Award in Variety Category – male