I. Introduction
Lee Min-ho, born June 22, 1987 is a renowned actor, singer, and model. He gained widespread fame worldwide with his role as Gu Jun-pyo in Boys Over Flowers which also earned him the Best New Actor award at the 45th Baeksang Arts Awards. His notable lead roles in television series include Personal Taste, City Hunter, The Heirs, Legend of the Blue Sea and The King: Eternal Monarch. Apart from his television career, Lee featured in the first lead role in the film Gangnam Blues. This was followed by his first China-produced film Bounty Hunters and the mini-romance-web-series Line Romance.
Born in Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, Lee hoped to become a professional football player. He was selected for the youth football class of South Korean manager and former professional player Cha Bum-Kun, but an injury during his 5th grade of elementary school put an end to his aspiration. In his second year of high school, Lee turned to acting. He completed majors in Film & Art at Konkuk University.
Besides, his rich repertoire in acting, Min-ho is also the most followed actor on social media. Moreover, he became the first Korean celebrity to have a wax figure made in his image at Madame Tussauds, with figures being unveiled in Shanghai in 2013, and Hong Kong in 2014. Lee established himself as one of the highest paid actor in South Korea.
In 2020, Lee was cast as the lead in Apple's series Pachinko.
II. Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
| 2008 | Public Enemy Returns | Jung Ha-yeon |
| ... | Our School's E.T. | Oh Sang-hoon |
| 2015 |
Gangnam Blues |
Kim Jong-dae |
| 2016 |
Bounty
Hunters |
Yi San |
III. Television Series
| Year | Title | Role | Network |
| 2003 | Sharp | Student | KBS2 |
| 2004 | Nonstop 5 | MC Mong | MBC |
| 2005 | Recipe of Love |
Waiter | ... |
| 2006 | Secret Campus |
Park Du-hyun |
EBS |
| 2007 | Mackerel Run | Cha Gong-chan | SBS |
| ... | I Am Sam | Heo Mo-se | KBS2 |
| 2008 | Get Up | Min Wook-gi | MBC |
| 2009 | Boys
Over Flowers |
Gu Jun-pyo | KBS2 |
| 2010 |
Personal Taste |
Jeon Jin-ho | MBC |
| 2011 | City Hunter |
Lee Yoon-sung | SBS |
| 2012 | Faith | Choi Young | ... |
| 2013 | The Heirs |
Kim Tan | ... |
| 2016 | Legend
of the Blue Sea |
Kim Dam-ryeong / Heo Joon-jae | ... |
| 2017 | DMZ, the Wild | Himself | MBC |
| 2020 | The
King: Eternal Monarch |
Emperor Lee Gon | SBS |
IV. Web Series
| Year | Title | Role | Network |
| 2011 | Toyota Camry The One and Only |
Joon / Kwon | |
| 2012 | ... | ... | |
| ... | Innisfree First Love | Innisfree CEO | |
| 2014 | Line
Romance |
Min-ho | iQiyi |
| 2015 | Innisfree Summer Love |
Lee Min-ho | YouTube Innisfree Channel, Insight TV |
| 2016 | 7 First Kisses | Naver TV Cast | |
| 2021 | Pachinko | Hansu | AppleTV |
V. Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work |
| 2011 | SBS Drama Awards | Best Actor | City Hunter |
| ... | ... | Best Netizen Award | ... |
| ... | ... | Ten Star Award | ... |
| 2012 | ... | Best Actor | Faith |
| ... | ... | Ten Star Award | ... |
| 2013 | ... | Best Actor | The Heirs |
| ... | ... | Ten Star Award | ... |
| ... | ... | Best Netizen Award | ... |
| ... | ... | Best Dressed Award | ... |
| ... | ... | Best Couple Award | ... |
| ... | 12th China Fashion Awards | Best Popular Asian Actor Award | |
| 2015 | 51st Baeksang Arts Awards | Most Popular Actor | Gangnam Blues |
| ... | 52nd Daejong Film Awards | Best New Actor | ... |
| ... | 36th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Popularity Awards | |
| 2016 | SBS Drama Awards | Best Actor | The Legend of the Blue Sea |
| ... | ... | Ten Star Award | ... |
| ... | ... | Best Couple Award | ... |
| 2020 | ... | Best Actor | The King: Eternal Monarch |
Trivia
- Lee has been nicknamed by the Korean media as the "Hallyu King" and the "King of K-drama".
