Lee Kwang-soo
Lee Kwang-soo | |
|---|---|
 Lee Kwang-soo in Malaysia for the Running Man Fan Meeting Asian Tour in 2014. | |
| Born | 14 July 1985 |
| Other names | The Giraffe |
| Education | Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts - Broadcasting |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Agent | King Kong Entertainment |
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | 李光洙 |
| Revised Romanization | I Gwang-su |
| McCune–Reischauer | I Kwang-su |
Lee Kwang-soo (Korean: 이광수; born 14 July 1985) is a South Korean actor and entertainer. He is best known as a cast member of the variety show Running Man.
Career
Lee Kwang-soo began his entertainment career as a model in 2007. He made his acting debut in the 2008 sitcom Here He Comes, followed by High Kick Through the Roof.[1]
Lee's popularity increased after joining SBS's Good Sunday variety show Running Man. His nicknames on the show include "framing master," "betrayer," and lately, "giraffe." He is known as "Kwangvatar" (a portmanteau of his given name Kwang-soo and Avatar) and is now more commonly known as "Prince of Asia" due to his being mobbed by numerous fans whenever Running Man episodes are filmed in other Asian countries such as Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Macau, Indonesia and Vietnam. The song "St. Agnes and the Burning Train" by Sting is his theme music in the variety show, which is played as a running gag whenever Lee is picked on, ousted, and made fun of. 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.[2]
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.[3][4]
In 2013, after another supporting role in A Wonderful Moment (also known as My Little Hero), Lee voiced the lead character Marco in the animated movie Maritime Police Marco, opposite fellow Running Man regular Song Ji-hyo as the voice of Lulu.[5][6]
Lee had publicly stated that he wanted to play an antagonist in TV or film, and he got his wish when he was cast as Prince Imhae (villainous brother to King Gwanghae) in the period drama Goddess of Fire.[7][8] In an interview with the main cast on MBC's Section TV, Goddess of Fire lead actress Moon Geun-young chose Lee as her "ideal type" among her co-stars Lee Sang-yoon, Kim Bum, and Park Gun-hyung, causing Lee to blush in embarrassment. She explained that among the reasons she picked him was that he is the tallest of the group, and that he's attentive and considerate towards others.[9]
Lee was chosen as one of the leading men on the miniseries Secret Love starring members of the girl group KARA. He was paired with Nicole Jung, and Secret Love is slated to air during the Chuseok festival.
On 17 August 2013, Lee held the first ever solo fan meeting of his career in Singapore. Attended by 2,000 fans, it was considered a success.[10] He held another one in Malaysia on 4 January 2014, attended by almost 3,000 fans.[11]
In 2014, Lee played his first major role on the big screen in Confession (also known as Good Friends). 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.[12] Rookie director Lee Do-yun said he wanted to portray the cold-hearted reality of getting caught up in and not being able to escape a vicious cycle.[13][14][15][16][17]
He then returned to television with the romantic comedy It's Okay, That's Love, appearing in a supporting role as a patient with Tourette syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics.[18]
Lee and Hwang Chansung (of boyband 2PM) then starred in the film A Dynamite Family, about five bickering brothers living in the village of Deoksu.[19] Lee will also play the protagonist in Mutant, a condition caused by side effects from a newly introduced drug.[20]
Nicknames from Running Man
- Framer Kwang-soo (모함광수)
- Giraffe (기린)
- Icon of Betrayal (배신의 아이콘)
- Prince of Asia (아시아 프린스)
- Kwang-ja (광자) (female alter ego)
- Kwangvatar (광바타)
- Kwang Toad
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Battlefield Heroes | Moon-di | |
| 2012 | Wonderful Radio | Cha Dae-keun | |
| The Scent | Gi-poong | ||
| All About My Wife | PD Choi | ||
| 2013 | A Wonderful Moment | Kim Jeong-il | |
| Maritime Police Marco | Marco | voice (animated) | |
| Walking with Dinosaurs 3D | Patchi | Korean dubbed (animated)[21][22] | |
| 2014 | Confession | Min-soo | |
| A Dynamite Family | Constable Park | ||
| 2015 | Mutant |
Television drama
| Year | Title | Role | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Scale of Providence | Oh Kwang-chul | SBS |
| 2008–2009 | Here He Comes | Lee Man-soo | MBC |
| 2009–2010 | High Kick Through the Roof | Lee Kwang-soo | MBC |
| 2010 | Dong Yi | Park Young-dal[23] | MBC |
| 2011 | City Hunter | Ko Ki-joon | SBS |
| 2011–2012 | Bachelor's Vegetable Store | Nam Yoo-bong[24] | Channel A |
| 2012 | The Innocent Man | Park Jae-gil | KBS2 |
| 2013 | Dating Agency: Cyrano | Choi Dal-in (guest, episodes 6-8)[25] |
tvN |
| Goddess of Fire | Prince Imhae | MBC | |
| Potato Star 2013QR3 | Bo-young's first love (cameo, episode 18)[26] |
tvN | |
| 2014 | Secret Love | Lee Tae-yang (episodes 7-8: "A Seven Day Summer") |
Dramacube |
| It's Okay, That's Love | Park Soo-kwang | SBS | |
| 2015 | The Girl Who Sees Smells | Cameo with Running Man members | SBS |
Variety show
| Year | Title | Role | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Introducing a Star's Friend | Guest - ep: 56-57 | MBC |
| Star Golden Bell | Guest - ep: 230 | KBS2 | |
| 2010 | Come to Play | Guest - ep: 286 | MBC |
| Strong Heart | Guest - ep: 25-26 | SBS | |
| 2010–present | Running Man | Cast member | SBS |
| 2011 | Happy Together 3 | Guest - ep: 229 | KBS2 |
| 2012 | Yoon Do-hyun's MUST | Guest - ep: 54 | Mnet |
| 2013 | Gag Concert | Guest - ep: 681 | KBS2 |
| 2014 | Taxi | Guest - ep: 336 | tvN |
| Magic Eye | Guest - ep: 1 | SBS | |
| 2015 | The Amazing Race | Cast - Season 2 with Kim Jong-kook | Shenzhen TV |
Music video
| Year | Song Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "격산타우 (Kyuksantawoo)" | LeeSsang |
| 2012 | "Busan Vacance" | Skull and HaHa |
| "Fanta CF" | Baek Jin-hee and Kang Seung-yoon (WINNER) | |
| 2013 | "Fanta Idol Season 1" | Jung Eun-ji and Niel (Teen Top) |
| "Fanta Idol Season 2" | Niel (Teen Top) and APink | |
| "You Are the Best" Teaser | Byul | |
| "Runaway" | KARA |
Endorsements
- 2008 :
Show Tag Story, Super Show, Chinese Show, Olympus Show Victory
- 2009 :
- Anycall Haptic Beam
- 2010 :
- ILDO Antianging
- 2011 :
ZUM, Cyon Cafe, Outback SKatehouse
- 2012 :
Fanta Drink, Outback Steakhouse (Winter Menu)
- 2013 :
Saving Energy, Outback Steakhouse (New Year Menu, Post Box, SK Energy, Fanta Time, SK Tarara, Manifesto, LG U+, Pepero
- 2014 :
Pizza Hut, LG U, Fanta
- 2015 :
LINE Ambassador (for Malaysia)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Hot CF Star | — | Won | |
| 2009 | CF Model Award | — | Won | |
| 2010 | New Star Award | Running Man | Won | |
| 2011 | Best Newcomer in Variety | Won | ||
| 2012 | Best New Actor | Wonderful Radio | Nominated | |
| Best New Actor | All About My Wife | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | The Innocent Man | Nominated | ||
| 2013 | Friendship Award | Running Man | Won | |
| Viewer's Choice: Most Popular Star | Won | |||
| 2014 | Excellence Award, Actor | It's Okay, That's Love | Won | |
| Popular Star Award, Actor | Won | |||
| Excellence Award in Variety | Running Man | Won | ||
| Special Award, Actor in a Miniseries | It's Okay, That's Love | Won |
References
- ^ "LEE Kwang-soo". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Lee, Nancy (31 December 2011). "Yoo Jae Suk Wins Big, Winners from 2011 SBS Entertainment Awards". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Kang, Hye-in (6 September 2012). "Lee Gwang Soo makes a disclosure about Song Joong Ki". StarN News. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Choi, Eun-hwa (9 December 2012). "Interview: Lee Kwang Soo Says He's Happy He′s Asked More about Song Joong Ki". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Ho, Stewart (22 November 2012). "Lee Kwang Soo Records for His First Animation Movie Dubbing". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Park, Hani (12 February 2013). "Song Ji Hyo Says Lee Kwang Soo Is A Loyal Friend". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (7 May 2013). "Lee Kwang Soo Cast in Goddess of Fire Jeongi as a Villain". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Son, Bo-kyung (27 June 2013). "Lee Kwang Soo Says He'll be More Vicious Than Running Man for Goddess of Fire Jeongi". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ "Moon Geun Young Picks Lee Kwang Soo as Her Ideal Type". Soompi. 30 June 2013. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Jeon, Su-mi (22 August 2013). "Lee Kwang Soo Meets Fans in Singapore Through a Fanmeeting". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Lee, Sun-min (8 January 2014). "Actor meets Malaysian fans". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Jin, Eun-soo (20 June 2014). "Masculinity, brutality themes of Confession". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
- ^ Lee, Cory (11 December 2013). "Lee Kwang-soo to Display Deep Bromance with Ji Sung, Ju Ji-hoon". TenAsia. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (28 May 2014). "Lee Kwang Soo Wipes Off the Smile on His Face for Good Friends". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Ha, Soo-jung (28 June 2014). "Interview: Lee Kwang Soo Will Not Leave Running Man Just to Focus on Other Projects". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
- ^ Ahn, Sung-mi (30 June 2014). "Herald Interview: Funnyman gets serious". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
- ^ Ha, Soo-jung (5 July 2014). "Interview: Lee Kwang Soo Spills His Thoughts on Dating and Marriage". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
- ^ "Jo In Sung, Gong Hyo Jin, and Lee Kwang Soo Confirmed for Noh Hee Kyung's New Summer Drama". Soompi. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ MacDonald, Joan (11 November 2013). "Lee Kwang Soo and 2PM's Chansung Sign On As Siblings". KDramaStars. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Kim, June (21 November 2014). "LEE Kwang-soo to Become a MUTANT". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-11-23.
- ^ Sunwoo, Carla (29 November 2013). "Dinosaurs walk Earth again in 3-D". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Lee, Eun-ah (4 December 2013). "INTERVIEW: Lee Kwang-soo, "Will You Join Me to the World Dinosaurs live in?"". TenAsia. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Lee, Ga-on (7 May 2010). "Han Hyo-joo says she "hold fast" to her role in Dong Yi". TenAsia. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
- ^ Choi, Eun-hwa (9 March 2012). "Lee Kwang Soo on the End of Bachelor's Vegetable Store". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Son, Bo-kyung (5 June 2013). "Lee Kwang Soo and Goo Eun Ae to Cameo in Dating Agency; Cyrano". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (4 November 2013). "Lee Kwang Soo Appear in Potato Star as Cameo". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-05-30.