# Lee Kwang-soo

Lee Kwang-soo (Korean: 이광수, born July 14, 1985) is a South Korean actor, entertainer, and model. He made his acting debut in the sitcom Here He Comes (2008) 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.

## Early life and education

Lee was born on July 14, 1985, in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.

## Career

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" due to his large number of overseas 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.
On August 17, 2013, Lee held his first solo fan meeting of his career in Singapore. Attended by 2,000 fans, it was considered a success. He held another one in Malaysia on January 4, 2014, attended by almost 3,000 fans.
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. 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. He received his second nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for his work in Sinkhole.

## Personal life

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 |
| 2012 | The Scent | Gi-poong |
| 2012 | All About My Wife | PD Choi |
| 2013 | A Wonderful Moment | Kim Jung-il |
| 2013 | Maritime Police Marco | Marco |
| 2013 | Walking with Dinosaurs 3D | Patchi |
| 2014 | Confession | Min-soo |
| 2014 | A Dynamite Family | Constable Park |
| 2015 | Collective Invention | Park Goo |
| 2018 | The Accidental Detective 2: In Action | Yeo Chi |
| 2019 | Inseparable Bros | Park Dong-goo |
| 2019 | Tazza: One Eyed Jack | Jo Kka-chi |
| 2021 | Sinkhole | Kim Seung-hyun |
| 2021 | A Year-End Medley | Sang-hoon |
| 2022 | The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure | Mak-yi |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2008 | The Scale of Providence | Oh Kwang-chul | |
| 2008–2009 | Here He Comes | Oh Man-soo | |
| 2009–2010 | High Kick Through the Roof | Lee Kwang-soo | |
| 2010 | Dong Yi | Park Young-dal | |
| 2011 | City Hunter | Go Ki-joon | |
| 2011–2012 | Bachelor's Vegetable Store | Nam Yoo-bong | |
| 2012 | The Innocent Man | Park Jae-gil | |
| 2013 | Dating Agency: Cyrano | Choi Dal-in | Cameo (episode 6–8) |
| 2013 | Goddess of Fire | Prince Imhae | |
| 2013 | Potato Star 2013QR3 | Bo-young's first love | Cameo (episode 18) |
| 2014 | Secret Love | Lee Tae-yang | Episode 7–8: "A Seven Day Summer" |
| 2014 | It's Okay, That's Love | Park Soo-kwang | |
| 2015 | A Girl Who Sees Smells | Himself | Cameo (episode 1) with Running Man members |
| 2016 | Puck! | Jo Joon-man | |
| 2016 | Descendants of the Sun | Toy gun range shooting shop worker | Cameo (episode 1) |
| 2016 | Dear My Friends | Yoo Min-ho | Cameo |
| 2016 | Entourage | Cha Joon | |
| 2016–2017 | The Sound of Your Heart | Jo Suk | |
| 2016–2017 | Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth | Mak-moon | Cameo (episode 1–3) |
| 2017 | Hit the Top | Yoon-ki | Cameo (episode 2) |
| 2018 | Live | Yeom Sang-soo | |
| 2022 | The Killer's Shopping List | Ahn Dae-sung | |
| 2024 | No Way Out: The Roulette | Yoon Chang-jae | |
| 2025 | The Divorce Insurance | Ahn Jeon-man | |
| 2025 | Karma | | |
| TBA | Hero | | |

### Web series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2022 | X of Crisis | The man | Special appearance | |

### Television show

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2010–2021 | Running Man | Cast member | Episode 1–559 |
| 2015 | Perhaps Love | Cast member | with Lynn Hung |
| 2021 | House on Wheels: For Rent | Cast member | with The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure actors |
| 2023 | GBRB: Reap What You Sow | Cast member | with Kim Ki-bang, Kim Woo-bin and Doh Kyung-soo |

### Web show

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2018–2021 | Busted! | Cast member | Season 1 and 3 |
| 2022–2023 | The Zone: Survival Mission | Cast member | Season 1–2 |
| 2022 | Korea No. 1 | Cast member | 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) |
| 2012 | "Busan Vacance" | Skull and HaHa |
| 2013 | "You Are the Best" teaser | Byul |
| 2013 | "Runaway" | KARA |
| 2015 | "Again" | Turbo |
| 2016 | "MOMOMO" | Cosmic Girls |
| 2021 | "GAP" | HaHa |

## Discography

| Title | Year | Album |
| "Oh-Sing-Sing-Men Oh Sing Sing Men" (with Ji Chang-wook ,Lee Kwang-soo, Kim Young-kwang, Shin Won-ho, Sung-je, and Ji-hyuk) | 2011 | Bachelor's Vegetable Store OST - Japanese release |
| "Pink Nose Light (핑코빛)" (with Lee Kwang-soo, Ji Suk-jin and Apink) | 2019 | Running Man Fan Meeting: Project Running 9 |
| "I Like It" (with Running Man cast members) | 2019 | Running Man Fan Meeting: Project Running 9 |

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

### State honors

Name of country, year given, and name of honor :
| Country Or Organization | Year | Honor Or Award | Ref. |
| South Korea | 2016 | Prime Minister's Commendation | |

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
| Forbes | 2013 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 39th | |
| Forbes | 2016 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 30th | |