Lee Dong-hwi


Lee Dong-hwi is a South Korean actor and singer who first gained recognition through his roles in the television series Reply 1988 and Entourage. He achieved further attention for starring in the feature film Extreme Job, comedy series Pegasus Market '', and crime drama Chief Detective 1958 .'' Lee is a member of the South Korean supergroup MSG Wannabe.
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Early life and education

Growing up, Lee loved drawing cartoons and dreamed of becoming a cartoonist. Although he was an introvert at home, he was outgoing with friends, with whom he would spend hours chatting. Feeling limited by his drawing skills, he began to wonder, "What if I tried expressing this with my body?" This thought inspired him to pursue acting. He then enrolled in the Theater Department at the Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2005.

Career

2013–2014: Beginnings

Lee made his debut at the age of 28 with Im Sun-rye's film Run to the South. He has since appeared with films such as Way Back Home and Tazza: The Hidden Card.

2015–2020: Breakthrough and rising popularity

Lee achieved breakthrough with the retro drama Reply 1988. He went through an audition where he danced and sang a rendition of Jeong Soo-ra's "Joy". Additionally, he imitated the voices of Lee Sun-kyun, Park Hee-soon, Jang Hyuk, and Yoo Hae-jin to get the part. This was followed with a role in the film Veteran. He then starred in Chang You-jeong's comedy-drama film The Bros and crime-thriller film One Line.
With his performance in the film Extreme Job, he further received attention for his memorable characters. The same year, Lee got his first starring role in television as Moon Seok-goo in tvN drama Pegasus Market, a television series based on Kim Gyu-sam's webtoon of the same name. It aired on tvN every Friday at 23:00 from September 20 to December 6, 2019.

2021–present

On November 30, 2020, KeyEast announced that Lee signed an exclusive contract with the label. In May 2021, Lee was reported to be one of the members of the supergroup MSG Wannabe and its sub-unit JSDK. In December 2023, Lee signed an exclusive contract with Company On.

Personal life

Lee was in a relationship with model-actress Jung Ho-yeon from 2015 until November 2024.
He is part of a celebrity group of friends known as BYH48 consisting of other actors and singers. The name was coined by fans and is a parody of Japanese idol group AKB48.

Other ventures

Endorsements

Following the success of the drama Reply 1988, Lee became a sought-after model in the advertising industry since 2016. He became the face of a chicken advertisement, a role typically reserved for the popular stars. Showcasing his lively and humorous charm, Lee became advertising model for companies such as LG U+, K5, Banky, and Ferricana. In addition, he received attention for his excellent fashion sense through his SNS and won the Awesome Swagger Award at the Style Icon Awards Asia in 2016.

Philanthropy

Lee has been actively engaged in philanthropic efforts through the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association. On March 8, 2022, he donated million to support those affected by the extensive wildfires that began in Uljin, Gyeongbuk, and spread to Samcheok, Gangwon. Later, on August 18, 2022, he contributed an additional million to aid victims of the 2022 South Korean floods.

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResultRef.
2016InStyle Star IconNew Generation Actor AwardReply 1988, The Sound of a FlowerNomitated
20168th Style Icon AsiaAwesome SwaggerWon
201611th Max Movie AwardsBest Supporting ActorThe Beauty InsideNomitated
201652nd Baeksang Arts AwardsBest New Actor Reply 1988Nomitated
20169th Korea Drama AwardsBest New ActorReply 1988Nomitated
20161st tvN10 AwardsScene-Stealer Award, ActorReply 1988Nomitated
201616th Korea World Youth Film FestivalRookie AwardReply 1988Won
201630th KBS Drama AwardsBest Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short DramaDrama Special – Red TeacherWon
20162nd Fashionista AwardsBest FashionistaNomitated
20176th Korea Top Star AwardsPopular Star AwardThe BrosWon
20172017 MBC Drama AwardsExcellence Award, Actor in a MiniseriesRadiant OfficeNomitated
20218th Wildflower Film AwardsBest Actor Somewhere in BetweenNomitated
202121st MBC Entertainment AwardsBest Teamwork AwardHangout with YooWon
20232nd Blue Dragon Series AwardsBest Supporting ActorBig BetWon