Lee Sang-yi (actor)

Lee Sang-yi (actor)
Lee Sang-yi (born November 27, 1991) is a South Korean actor, musical actor and singer. He is best known for his roles in Once Again (2020), Youth of May (2021), and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021). As a singer, he is best known for being a member of the vocal group MSG Wannabe.
Early life and education
Lee Sang-yi was born in 1991 in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. Lee's interest in acting was sparked when he took part in an English play during his elementary school years. After attending Jeongji Elementary School and Wonil Middle School, Lee Sang-yi pursued his passion for acting by enrolling in the Department of Theater and Film at Anyang Arts High School.
Lee started his journey in the entertainment industry as a child actor, initially encouraged by his father. He took on a supporting role as part of a group at the acting academy he attended. However, his dreams changed multiple times throughout his life. During his high school years, he found himself uncertain about which path to pursue. At different times, when he played the guitar, he aspired to become a guitarist. When engrossed in playing games, he dreamt of becoming a professional gamer. Additionally, while practicing stage production, he developed a desire to become a stage designer. Eventually, Lee realized that acting encompassed all of these passions. With a growing fondness for acting, he ultimately decided to pursue it as his career.
During his time at Anyang Arts High School, he held notable positions, including that of the student council president. His strong desire to connect with students from other departments prompted his participation in the student council president election. In the week leading up to the election, he would arrive at school 30 minutes early every day, using that time to compose songs and sing while playing the guitar. His eagerness to forge friendships led him to create a Cyworld club, where he invited prospective classmates and exchanged contact information. Encouraged by his proactive approach, his peers urged him to continue taking on leadership roles.
In 2008, during his high school years, Lee demonstrated his dance skills by winning first place in the J-Tune Company UCC contest. He showcased his talent by performing the choreography for Rain's song "Rainism". He shared the video on platforms such as Daum TV Pod, Pikicast, and YouTube.
In 2010, he pursued his higher education at the School of Drama, Department of Acting, Korea National University of Arts. During his college years, he held a notable position as the head of the class of the acting department. Throughout this period, he exhibited a strong motivation for social interaction. Later on, he, along with Kim Go-eun, Park So-dam, Ahn Eun-jin, and Kim Seong-cheol, became known as the legendary 10th graders. He successfully earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Career
Early career
Lee Sang-yi was discharged as a duty police officer at the National Police Agency and debuted in 2014 with the musical Grease. In the following years, he appeared in various musicals including Runway Beat, Legendary Little Basketball Team,
The following year, he acted as Peter in Bare: The Musical.
In 2015, Lee Sang-yi was cast as Jang Seon-jae in the musical 'Infinite Power, which gained attention as Park Hee-soon's musical directorial debut. Park Hee-soon, an actor from the theater company Mokhwa, took on the role of director for the play, showcasing his unique approach that highlighted the individuality of each actor. Lee remarked, "Having been an actor himself, the director understands the actor's mindset better than anyone else."
In 2016, Lee Sang-yi and Kang Young-seok were part of the double cast for the Korean encore of Stephen Dolginoff's musical "Thrill Me." The musical is based on the true story of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, notorious "thrill killers" who committed a murder in 1924 with the intention of carrying out "the perfect crime." The narrative unfolds through flashbacks, starting with a 1958 parole hearing. Directed by Park Ji-he, the press call for the musical took place on March 3 at Lifeway Hall in Daemyung Cultural Factory Building 2, Daehangno, Seoul. Lee Sang-yi, who newly joined the production in this season, expressed his intention to portray Nathan, a character who is mild-mannered and soft-spoken but possesses exceptional logic and quick thinking. The musical "Thrill Me," featuring a cast of two actors and one piano, ran from February 19 to June 12, 2016, at Lifeway Hall in Daemyeong Cultural Factory Building 2. He gained attention for her intense emotional acting as Nathan Leopold.
He expanded his acting spectrum through roles such as Benny in 'In the Heights' and Baek-seok in 'Me, Natasha, and the White Donkey.'
In 2017, Lee spent five weeks rehearsing and perfecting his dance skills, together with Park Ji-eun to cover the choreography from the popular film La La Land. Their performance was uploaded on YouTube in March 2017 and quickly gained widespread attention and popularity. In April, Lee performed onstage in play Mad Kiss. Later in 2017, he made his first television appearance when he joined the cast of the drama Manhole and portrayed Oh Dal-soo. In November of the same year he featured in the Prison Playbook series as Oh Dong-hwan. However, he didn't let go of his love for the stage.
In 2018, Lee starred as supporting role in the musical rom-com To. Jenny, led Kim Sung-cheol and Jung Chae-yeon. In 2018, he played Brown in the play Red Book.
In 2019, Lee appeared as a villain in 'Special Labor Supervisor Jo Jang-pung' and baseball coach Yang Seung-yeop in When the Camellia Blooms.
Career Breakthrough
In 2020, Lee starred in 100 episodes weekend drama Once Again, where he played the role of Yoon Jae-seok, a dentist and the younger brother of one of the show's leads, Yoon Gyu-jin, portrayed by Lee Sang-yeob. Lee's romantic storyline with Lee Cho-hee's character became a fan favorite, and their on-screen couple, known as the Sadon Couple, lovingly called as the "national in-law". In the end of the year they won the Best Couple Award at the 2020 KBS Drama Award. Lee also won Best New Actor Award at the same event. The drama's success helped him gain tremendous popularity.
After a two-year hiatus from musical, Lee returned to perform in the musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. He played the role of Monty Navarro, a man who aims to become a count by eliminating eight heirs of the Dysquith family. Lee's portrayal of Monty Navarro won over the hearts of the audience with his unique 'nerd beauty' and solid acting skills, as he comically searched for the members of the Dysquith family one by one. He received positive feedback for his exceptional character synchronization with Monty Navarro, showcasing his talent as an actor. Lee captivated the audience with his versatile charm and received praise for delicately portraying the changing expressions, gestures, and speech of Monty Navarro, a man who tries to become a viscount by eliminating eight people and their heirs one by one. He convincingly depicted the process of gradually transforming into a figure befitting the position of a viscount.
Following his success in Once Again, Lee remained busy in 2021. In May 2021, he joined the cast of the KBS2 Monday-Tuesday drama Youth of May. Lee Soo-chan, a determined individual balancing family responsibilities and running the family business. Soo-chan's educational background, business administration at a university in France, fueled his ambition to establish a pharmaceutical company in 1980s Gwangju. Despite challenges, he remained resilient, supported by his affection for nurse Kim Myung-hee, portrayed by Go Min-si. Lee Sang Yi's authentic portrayal received praise, exploring themes of love, family, and ambition. His performance in "Youth of May" showcased his talent and solidified his presence in the Korean drama industry.
in the same year, on May, 2021, Lee was revealed as one of the MSG Wannabe members who passed on variety show program Hangout with Yoo and debuted as a member of MSG Wannabe and was part of the sub-unit JSDK.
In June 2021, he was confirmed to star in the tvN drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha alongside Kim Seon-ho and Shin Min-a. He portrayed Ji Sung-hyun, a workaholic variety show director who has a bright personality. In the drama, Lee covered a song titled "Love is Forgotten" by Love from the artist . He also contributed to the OST by singing a song called "I Hope You're Happy," which was released as a single on October 17, 2021.
On November 24, 2021, Lee reprised his role as Ji PD and became virtual guide for Gongjin VR tour in contents of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha that were released through LG U+ XR platform U+DIVe. Studio Dragon utilized its premium intellectual property to present virtual reality (VR) contents in partnership with Korea Tourism Organization and LG U+. The project aimed to promote Korea's beautiful tourist destinations using drama content as a medium. All content was filmed in VR, capturing the unique emotions of various tourist spots in 3D 180-degree high-definition video to enhance the immersive experience.
In November 2021, Lee reprised his role as Monty Navarro in the musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.
Also in, November, Lee confirmed his appearance in Netflix Original Series Bloodhounds. It depicts a story about three young people who set foot in the world of private loans in pursuit of money and get caught up in a huge force.
At the end of 2021, Lee became an MC for the 2021 MBC Entertainment Awards with Jun Hyun-moo and Kim Se-jeong.
Filmography
Film
Television series
Web series
Television show
Hosting
Music video
Stage
Musical
Theater
Discography
Soundtrack appearances
With MSG Wannabe
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Lee Sang-yi at PLK Good Friends
Lee Sang-yi at Daum Encyclopedia
Lee Sang-yi at PlayDB
Lee Sang-yi at Naver
1991 births
Living people
People from Ansan
21st-century South Korean male actors
South Korean male musical theatre actors
South Korean male actors
South Korean male film actors
South Korean male television actors
Korea National University of Arts alumni
Anyang Arts High School alumni