Lee Joon-gi (born 17 April 1982) is a South Korean actor, singer,
dancer, and model. He rose to fame on his first leading role playing a
clown in the critically acclaimed film The King and the Clown (2005)
and gained further recognition in the romantic comedy My Girl
(2005âˆ'06). Since then he has diversified into other genres such as
historical dramas (sageuk) and action thrillers. The popularity of his
work overseas, especially in Asia, have established him as a top
Hallyu star.Lee Joon-gi was born in Busan but spent his schooling
years in nearby Changwon. He first became interested in the performing
arts as a high school student after watching a performance of Hamlet.
After finishing high school, he went against his parents' wishes for
him to enter university and moved to Seoul to pursue a career in the
entertainment industry. For the next several years, Lee worked at
various part-time jobs such as waiting tables while auditioning for
roles and also debuted as a print and commercial model in 2001. He was
accepted into the Seoul Arts College on a scholarship and graduated in
2007.After bit-part roles in several dramas and films, Lee had his
first major acting role in the 2005 film The King and the Clown, in
which he played the historical figure Gong-gil, an effeminate clown in
the Joseon Dynasty. The film, which achieved both critical and
commercial success, propelled the then-unknown actor into Asia-wide
stardom. Apart from winning numerous Best Newcomer recognition at the
Korean Film Awards, Grand Bell Awards and Baeksang Art Awards, Lee
also won the Best Actor Award at the Max Movie Awards.
dancer, and model. He rose to fame on his first leading role playing a
clown in the critically acclaimed film The King and the Clown (2005)
and gained further recognition in the romantic comedy My Girl
(2005âˆ'06). Since then he has diversified into other genres such as
historical dramas (sageuk) and action thrillers. The popularity of his
work overseas, especially in Asia, have established him as a top
Hallyu star.Lee Joon-gi was born in Busan but spent his schooling
years in nearby Changwon. He first became interested in the performing
arts as a high school student after watching a performance of Hamlet.
After finishing high school, he went against his parents' wishes for
him to enter university and moved to Seoul to pursue a career in the
entertainment industry. For the next several years, Lee worked at
various part-time jobs such as waiting tables while auditioning for
roles and also debuted as a print and commercial model in 2001. He was
accepted into the Seoul Arts College on a scholarship and graduated in
2007.After bit-part roles in several dramas and films, Lee had his
first major acting role in the 2005 film The King and the Clown, in
which he played the historical figure Gong-gil, an effeminate clown in
the Joseon Dynasty. The film, which achieved both critical and
commercial success, propelled the then-unknown actor into Asia-wide
stardom. Apart from winning numerous Best Newcomer recognition at the
Korean Film Awards, Grand Bell Awards and Baeksang Art Awards, Lee
also won the Best Actor Award at the Max Movie Awards.
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