Michael K. Lee
Michael K. Lee (born June 5, 1973) is an American theater actor and singer who resides in Seoul, Korea.
Early life
Lee was born in Brooklyn, New York to Susie and Won Yub Lee. He was raised in Salamanca, a small Native American reservation town near Buffalo, where his father, a surgeon, set up his practice.[1] Theirs was the only Asian American family in the town. He played both violin and piano, and performed in the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra.[2] He is a graduate of Stanford University,[1][3] where he studied psychology on a pre-med track and sang with the Stanford Fleet Street Singers.[4]
Acting career
Lee's career began in 1995, when he was cast in the second national tour of Miss Saigon. He auditioned for the show on three occasions before he was cast.[2][4] Lee went on to join the Broadway production of Miss Saigon (Thuy). His other Broadway credits include Jesus Christ Superstar (Simon Zealotes), Pacific Overtures (Kayama), and Rent.[2]
From 2015 to 2016, Lee starred in the musical Allegiance on Broadway,[5] a show about George Takei's life experiences (who starred in the musical alongside Lee). In the show, Lee reprised the role of Frankie Suzuki, a character based on real-life political activist Frank S. Emi.[6] The role had won him the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle's Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Featured Performance in 2012, during the Allegiance's run at the Old Globe there.[7] Allegiance began Broadway previews on October 6, 2015, and opened on November 8, 2015,[8] running through early 2016.
Lee has starred in numerous productions in Seoul, including Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus), Miss Saigon (Chris), Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Tick), Notre Dame de Paris (Gringoire), Amour (Dusoleil), and Gone with the Wind (Ashley). His other international credits include Where Elephants Weep in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, They’re Playing Our Song in Manila, Philippines (opposite Lea Salonga), and A Twist of Fate in Singapore (opposite Laura Michelle Kelley).
Lee portrayed Tommy in The Who's Tommy, winning a Seattle Footlight Award for Best Actor in a Musical;[9] Judas and Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar,[10] Aladdin in Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular; and Jamie Willerstein in The Last Five Years.
Personal life
As of 2013, he lives in Seoul, Korea. He is married to actress Kim Varhola.[11]
Theater
| Year | Title | Role | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-2001 | Miss Saigon | Thuy - Replacement | Broadway |
| 1999 | Beijing Spring | LA | |
| 2000 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Simon Zealotes | Broadway |
| ... | They’re Playing Our Song | ... | Manila, Philippines |
| 2001 | The Last Five Years | Jamie Willerstein | |
| ... | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Hero | ... |
| 2003 | Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular | Aladdin | Disneyland |
| 2004-05 | Pacific Overtures | Kayama | Broadway |
| 2005 | A Twist of Fate | ... | Esplanade Theatre, Singapore |
| 2006 | Miss Saigon (South Korea debut) | Chris | South Korea |
| 2007 | The Who's Tommy | Tommy | |
| 2008 | The King and I | ... | Village Theatre, Issaquah, WA |
| ... | Where Elephants Weep | ... | Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
| 2010 | Miss Saigon | Chris | South Korea |
| 2011 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Jesus Christ / Judas Iscariot | Village Theatre, WA |
| 2012 | Allegiance (musical) | Frankie Suzuki | Old Globe Theatre, San Diego |
| 2013 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Jesus Christ | South Korea |
| 2013 | Notre Dame de Paris | Gringoire | South Korea |
| 2014 | Priscilla, Queen of the Desert | Tick | South Korea |
| Amour | Dusoleil | South Korea | |
| Seopyeonje | Dongho | South Korea | |
| The Devil | X | South Korea | |
| 2015 | Gone with the Wind (musical) | Ashley | South Korea |
| Jesus Christ Superstar | Jesus Christ | South Korea | |
| 2015-16 | Allegiance (musical) | Frankie Suzuki | Broadway |
| 2016 | Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe | Edgar Allan Poe | South Korea |
| 2016 | Notre-Dame de Paris (musical) | Gringoire | South Korea |
| 2017 | Rocky Horror Show | Dr. Frank N. Furter | South Korea |
| Napoleon | Napoleon | South Korea | |
| Hedwig and the Angry Inch (musical) | Hedwig | South Korea | |
| 2018 | The Phantom of the Opera | Raoul | South Korea |
| Notre-Dame de Paris (musical) | Gringoire | South Korea | |
| Rocky Horror Show | Dr. Frank N. Furter | South Korea | |
| 2019 | Hedwig and the Angry Inch (musical) | Hedwig | South Korea |
| 2020 | Something Rotten! | Nostradamus | South Korea |
| Eyes of Dawn | Jang Ha-rim | South Korea | |
| 2021 | Blue Helmet : A Song of Meissa | Commander | South Korea |
| Jesus Christ Superstar | Jesus Christ | Japan | |
| 2022-23 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Jesus Christ | South Korea |
| 2023 | The Devil | X-White | Japan |
| 2024 | Notre-Dame de Paris (musical) | Gringoire | South Korea |
| Next to Normal | Dan | South Korea |
TV shows
- 2017: Phantom Singer 2, jury member
- 2020: King of Mask Singer (MBC), contestant as "Half Moon Prince" (episodes 247–248)[12][13]
- 2023: XO, Kitty (Netflix), Professor Lee of Korean Independent School of Seoul (KISS)
References
- ^ a b "Allegiance Broadway Cast: Michael K. Lee". Allegiance Musical. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ a b c Shin, Laura (January–February 2002). "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Graduation". Stanford Magazine. Stanford, CA. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
- ^ "Michael K. Lee Theatre Credits". Broadway World. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ^ a b Wishna, Victor (1 December 1994). "Stanford Fleet Street singer bound for 'Miss Saigon' national tour: Michael Lee". The Stanford Daily. Vol. 206, no. 47. p. 4. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- ^ Leeds, Ryan (16 December 2015). "Pledging "ALLEGIANCE": An Interview with Broadway's Michael K. Lee & Telly Leung". Manhattan Digest. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
- ^ "8Questions: Interview with 'Allegiance' actor Michael K. Lee". 17 November 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ^ "2012 Awards | The San Diego Theatre Critics Circle". sdcriticscircle.org. Retrieved 2016-01-20.
- ^ "George Takei, Lea Salonga, Telly Leung, Michael K. Lee and more at the first preview of Broadway's Allegiance; opens Nov. 8". AsAm News. 11 October 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
- ^ "The Times Footlight Awards for local theater". The Seattle Times. 2007-12-23. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
- ^ Herald, The Korea (25 June 2015). "[Herald Interview] Korean-American Broadway actor reprises role of Jesus Christ". www.koreaherald.com. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
- ^ "Get Inside the Opening Night Party for Allegiance, Starring George Takei, Lea Salonga, Telly Leung & More". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- ^ Kim Soo-hyung (March 22, 2020). "'복면가왕' 코로나19 無관중 스페셜, 신이→골든차일드 지범 아쉬운 '생존신고' [종합]". OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- ^ Ji Yeon-joo (March 29, 2020). "'복면가왕' 가왕 주윤발, 반달 프린스=마이클리 꺾고 3연승(종합)". Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved March 29, 2020.
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