Lee Sun-kyun

Lee Sun-kyun (; March 2, 1975 – December 27, 2023) was a South Korean actor. Internationally, he was best known for his role in Bong Joon-ho's Academy Award–winning film Parasite, for which he won an Actor Award along with his castmates. He received several other awards, including a nomination for an International Emmy Award.

Lee debuted as an actor in 2000 and starred in TV dramas and musical theatre. The dramas Behind the White Tower and Coffee Prince (both 2007) brought Lee mainstream popularity, which he followed with Pasta (2010), Golden Time (2012), and My Mister (2018). On the big screen, he was known for his collaborations with director Hong Sang-soo in the arthouse films Oki's Movie (2010) and Nobody's Daughter Haewon (2013). His other high-profile films include mystery thriller Helpless (2012), romantic comedy All About My Wife (2012), and action thriller A Hard Day (2014), the latter of which won him the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actor.

Following the success of Parasite, Lee continued to take on diverse and critically acclaimed roles. He starred in the first Apple TV+ Korean-language series, Dr. Brain (2021), the political drama Kingmaker (2022), the crime thriller Payback: Money and Power (2023), and the psychological thriller Sleep (2023). On December 27, 2023, Lee died from suicide at the age of 48. At the time of his death, Lee had been investigated for alleged drug consumption.

Early life Lee Sun-kyun was born in Seoul on March 2, 1975. He attended the Korea National University of Arts in 1994, and graduated in the first ever class of its School of Drama with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Career 2000–2012: Acting beginnings Lee made his debut as the lead actor in the 2000 short film Psycho Drama. He was nominated for Best New Actor in Television during the 43rd Baeksang Arts Awards. Besides Coffee Prince, he worked with director Lee Yoon-jung two other times—in the sports-themed Taereung National Village in 2005, and in the slice-of-life drama Triple in 2009.

Despite his burgeoning fame, Lee then turned to low-budget arthouse films to polish his acting caliber. He appeared in films directed by Hong Sang-soo, such Night and Day, Lost in the Mountains, Oki's Movie, Nobody's Daughter Haewon and Our Sunhi. Hong had been renowned for his realistic portrayal of ordinary lives in his films. Lee also headlined Paju, for which he won the Best Actor award at the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival held in Spain. Film distributor Myung Film quoted the judging committee as handing Lee high points for portraying the anguish his character felt for loving his wife's younger sister.

Lee successfully shook off his "gentle" TV drama image in Pasta, where he played a brilliant-but-abrasive chef. The series' popularity made him a bankable romantic leading man. Petty Romance reunited him with his My Sweet Seoul co-star Choi Kang-hee, and one-upmanship action comedy Officer of the Year (also known as Arrest King) soon followed.

Lee showed his support for the revival of Drama Special (formerly Drama City) by starring in Our Slightly Risque Relationship (his acting was later recognized at the KBS Drama Awards). He continually defended the importance of the short drama format as a training ground for young talent, acknowledging its contribution to his own career.

2012–2017: Rising success In 2012, he starred in two consecutive well-reviewed big-screen hits—mystery thriller Helpless and romantic comedy All About My Wife. Reuniting with Pasta director Kwon Seok-jang, Lee played a trauma doctor in Golden Time. His third collaboration with Kwon was Miss Korea, a drama set amidst the IMF crisis in the 1990s.

Lee returned to the theater opposite wife Jeon Hye-jin in Mike Bartlett's stage play Love, Love, Love in 2013. The following year, he headlined the film A Hard Day, which screened at the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, and became a critically acclaimed sleeper hit at the box office.

In 2015, Lee starred in the courtroom drama film The Advocate: A Missing Body.

2018–2023: Return to television and resurgence In 2018, Lee starred in the critically acclaimed television series My Mister. The same year he starred in the action thriller film Take Point. In 2019, Lee starred in the legal television series Prosecutor Civil War.

In 2019, Lee had a starring role in the critically acclaimed film Parasite as Park Dong-ik (Nathan; ), the Park family father. Parasite was directed by Bong Joon-ho and became the first South Korean film to win the Palme d'Or as well as the Academy Award for Best Picture. The cast of Parasite, including Lee, also received an SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

In 2021, Lee played a neuroscientist trying to solve the mysterious death of his family by hacking into the brains of the deceased. Dr. Brain is the first Korean-language show produced for Apple TV+. As the drama series debut of renowned filmmaker Kim Jee-woon, the sci-fi thriller is based on the Korean webtoon of the same name. For his performance he was nominated for a Best Actor award for the 50th International Emmy Awards. He received a nomination for Best Actor for his role in the film at the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards; however, the award went to his costar Sul Kyung-gu.

In 2023, Lee starred alongside Lee Ha-nee (Honey Lee) in Lee Won-suk's comedy Killing Romance. While the film received a tepid reaction upon release, it has since become a cult favorite in Korea, and made its North American debut at the 22nd New York Asian Film Festival on July 14, 2023. In that same year, Lee also starred alongside Jung Yu-mi in the critically acclaimed horror film Sleep.

Personal life and death Marriage Lee married his wife, actress Jeon Hye-jin, on May 23, 2009. Their agency announced that their first son was born on November 25, 2009. The couple's second son was born on August 9, 2011.

Drug use allegations On October 19, 2023, it was revealed that Lee was booked for internal investigation over suspected drug use. As a result, he voluntarily dropped out of No Way Out, an upcoming thriller drama serial which just started its production days before the revelation of his alleged drug use. On October 24, he was charged on suspicion of using cannabis and psychoactive drugs, according to Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency, and was summoned for questioning on October 28. Lee was also given a travel ban to prevent him from leaving the country during the course of investigations. Initial test results of Lee's hair samples revealed that Lee tested negative for drugs, and further investigations were expected as of November 2023. Lee first requested the police to conduct an additional lie detector test through his lawyer. Lee contended that the accusations of drug use based only on hearsay with no physical evidence were unfair. After a third interrogation, which lasted over 19 hours, Lee admitted that he might have possibly taken drugs which were given to him by a hostess who he had been at a bar with, but said he was unaware that what he was given were illegal drugs, and that he had been deceived into doing so as part of a blackmail attempt. Due to Lee's public persona as a "family man", and South Korean society's high moral expectations of public figures and strong social disapproval of both infidelity and drug use, Lee and the investigation were heavily covered by South Korean media. The Korean opposition party questioned the coverage of Lee's suspected drug use, stating that it took public attention away from unfavorable developments involving the government and ruling People Power Party; member and Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon commented that "the drug use issue was unrelated to politics".

Death On December 27, 2023, at 10:30 a.m., Lee was found dead at the age of 48 inside his car at the road parking lot nearby Waryong Park in central Seoul. The police earlier received a report from his wife that Lee had left home after "writing a memo akin to a suicide note". Lee's funeral was held at the funeral hall of Seoul National University Hospital, and he was buried on the 29th in Yeonhwajang, Suwon.

Lee's death came amidst multiple suspected suicides among South Korean celebrities, and an analysis article by CNN said it cast a spotlight on the high-pressure environment in South Korea's entertainment industry. Following Lee's death, a woman was arrested following allegations she had blackmailed him. Director Bong Joon-ho and other prominent figures demanded an inquiry into the role of South Korean media and police in Lee's death. On December 19, 2024, two women, a bar hostess surnamed Kim and a former actress surnamed Park who extorted from Lee were sentenced to 3.5 years and to 4 years and 2 months, respectively, with the judge stating that the extortion attempts had contributed to Lee's death.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2000 Psycho Drama Park Dong-woo Short film 2002 Make It Big Woo Jung-chul Surprise Party the real Kim Jung-woo A Perfect Match Doctor Boss X-File Gangster 2003 Goodbye Day Short film Scent of Love Doctor Shin Show Show Show Sang-chul Survival Meeting Game Short film 2004 Hitchhiking Man My Mother, the Mermaid Do-hyeon Love, So Divine Man in lovey dovey couple R-Point Sergeant Park 2005 Curry and Rice Story Short film Erotic Chaos Boy 2006 The Customer Is Always Right Lee Jang-gil A Cruel Attendance Cheon Man-ho 2007 Our Town Jae-shin 2008 Night and Day Yoon Kyeong-soo Sa-kwa Min-seok Romantic Island Kang Jae-hyuk 2009 Lost in the Mountains Myeong-woo Short film Paju Kim Joong-shik 2010 Oki's Movie Nam Jin-gu Petty Romance Jeong Bae 2011 Officer of the Year Jung Eui-chan 2012 Helpless Jang Mun-ho All About My Wife Lee Doo-hyun 2013 Nobody's Daughter Haewon Lee Seong-joon Our Sunhi Mun-su 2014 A Hard Day Ko Gun-su 2015 The Advocate: A Missing Body Byeon Ho-sung 2017 The King's Case Note Yejong of Joseon Man of Will Go Jong Cameo A Special Lady Im Sang-hoon 2018 Take Point Yoon Ji-eui 2019 Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage Jo Pil-ho Parasite Park Dong-ik (Nathan) 2020 Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP Black goat Voice 2022 Kingmaker Seo Chang-dae 2023 Killing Romance Jonathan Na Sleep Hyun-soo Project Silence Cha Jung-won Posthumous release 2024 Land of Happiness Park Tae-ju Posthumous release; final film role

Television series Year Title Role Notes 2002 Lovers Lee Sun-kyun 2003 Thousand Years of Love Pil-ga MBC Best Theater "Chakhan Dangshin Loveholic" MBC Best Theater "Dad Romeo, Mom Juliet" Drama City "18-year-old Bride" 2004 Drama City "Semi-transparent" Dong-soo Drama City "Dr. Love" 2005 Drama City "Love of a Spider Woman" Drama City "Innocent Love" Loveholic Kim Tae-hyun MBC Best Theater "Taereung National Village" Lee Dong-kyung 2006 Fugitive Lee Doo-yong Noh Cheol-ki MBC Best Theater "Behind" 2007 Behind the White Tower Choi Do-young Coffee Prince Choi Han-sung 2008 My Sweet Seoul Kim Young-soo 2009 Triple Jo Hae-yoon 2010 Pasta Choi Hyun-wook Our Slightly Risque Relationship Ki Dong-chan Drama special 2012 Golden Time Lee Min-woo 2013 Miss Korea Kim Hyung-joon 2016 Listen to Love Do Hyun-woo Don't Dare to Dream Na-ri's blind date (Voice) Cameo (ep. 15) 2018 My Mister Park Dong-hoon 2019 Diary of a Prosecutor Lee Seon-woong 2023 Payback: Money and Power Eun Yong

Television shows Year Title Role 2013 March: A Story of Friends Cast member 2019 Trans-Siberian Pathfinders 2023 Very Private Southeast Asia

Music videos Year Song title Artist 1999 "It's OK" Bijou 2001 "You Remain in My Heart" Lucid Fall 2007 "Arirang" SG Wannabe 2008 "Between Hidden Time" 2012 "Deep Night Sad Song" E2RE

Stage credit Theater + Theater play performances Year Title Role Theater Date English Korean 2005 Indangsu Love Song 인당수 사랑가 Valentine's Theatre 3 April 22 to September 11 2013 Love, Love, Love 러브 러브 러브 Kenneth Myeongdong Arts Theatre March 27 to April 21

Musical + Musical performances Year Title Role Theater Date English Korean 2001 The Rocky Horror Show 록키 호러 쇼 Brad Majors the Polymedia Theater in Dongsung-dong July 17 to August 26 2003 Grease 그리스 Danny Zuko Dongsung Art Centre Dongsung Hall August to November 16

Discography Title Year Album "Ocean Voyage (Choi Han-sung version)" 2007 Coffee Prince OST "My Sweet City" 2008 My Sweet Seoul OST "Romantic Christmas" Romantic Island Christmas Story single "Boy" Song Book: Play With Him album "Kangaroo" 2010 Petty Romance OST "Gift for You" 2011

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 2018 Grand Prize (Daesang) My Mister Asian Pop-Up Cinema 2023 Award for Excellent Achievement in Film Lee Sun-kyun Baeksang Arts Awards 2007 Best New Actor – Television White Tower 2019 Best Actor – Television My Mister 2022 Best Actor – Film Kingmaker Blue Dragon Film Awards 2014 Best Leading Actor A Hard Day Buil Film Awards 2014 Best Actor Busan International Film Festival 2024 Korean Film Achievement Award Lee Sun-kyun (posthumous award) CETV Awards 2010 Top 10 Asian Stars Pasta Chunsa Film Art Awards 2015 Best Actor A Hard Day Critics' Choice Awards 2020 Best Acting Ensemble Parasite Herald DongA TV Lifestyle Awards 2012 Best Dressed Lee Sun-kyun International Emmy Awards 2022 Best Performance by an Actor Dr. Brain KBS Drama Awards 2004 Best Actor in a One-Act/Drama Special Dr. Love 2010 Our Slightly Risque Relationship Korea Advertisers Association 2008 Good Model Award Lee Sun-kyun Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival 2010 Best Actor Paju MBC Drama Awards 2007 Golden Acting Award, Actor in a Miniseries White Tower Excellence Award, Actor Coffee Prince 2010 Top Excellence Award, Actor Pasta Best Couple Award Lee Sun-kyun 2012 Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Golden Time 2014 Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Miss Korea Screen Actors Guild Awards 2020 Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Parasite The Seoul Awards 2018 Best Actor (TV) My Mister

State honors + Name of country, year given, and name of honor Country Or Organization Year Honor Or Award South Korea 2018 Prime Minister's Commendation

Listicles + Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement Publisher Year Listicle Rank The Screen 2019 2009–2019 Top Box Office Powerhouse Actors in Korean Movies Korean Film Council 2021 Korean Actors 200