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Biography
Lee Joon-Gi was born on April 17th, 1982 in Busan, South Korea. His immediate family consists of his parents and one younger sister. While growing up, Joon-Gi was a fairly normal kid who enjoyed sports & computers. He first became interested in the performing arts as a high school student after watching a play of “Hamlet.”[1] Lee Joon-Gi initially failed to get into college and, because of this, he moved to Seoul with almost nothing, but a dream to work in the entertainment field. For the next couple of years, Joon-Gi worked at various part time jobs, before gaining acceptance into the Seoul Institute of the Arts.
In 2001, Lee Joon-Gi made his debut as a model for fashion brand So Basic, appearing alongside actress Hee-seon Kim.[2] He would go on to appear in many more CF's and music videos. Joon-Gi continued to audition for various acting roles, but not did not find immediate success. In 2004, Joon-Gi landed his first substantive acting role in the TV drama "Star's Echo" - co-produced by MBC & Fuji TV. Joon-Gi would also make his acting debut on the big screen in the same year. Competing alongside 2000 other participants, Joon-Gi landed a role in the Japanese film "The Hotel Venus." During his time working on the set of "The Hotel Venus," Lee Joon-Gi found himself less than pleased with his management company & having to work part time jobs to support himself. "The Hotel Venus" would go on to become moderately successful in Japan selling 2.8 million tickets. Lee Joon-Gi would also start work on his first Korean film "Flying Boys" in 2004.
One year later, Lee Joon-Gi would land the role of "Gong-gil" in the 2005 film "The King and the Clown." The film was an unusual historical drama centered around the relationship between two male clown actors - one having traditional masculine traits and the other (played by Lee Joon-Gi) having highly effeminate traits. To land the role of Gong-gil, Joon-Gi endured four separate auditions. While filming "The King and the Clown," Joon-Gi spoke in a higher pitched voice and acted effeminate even when not in front of the camera to stay in the character of Gong-gil. The movie with little expectations upon its release, would then go on to become the highest grossing film of its time, selling 12.3 million tickets. Lee Joon-Gi also appeared concurrently on the small screen in the SBS drama series "My Girl," further boosting his popularity & making him one of the most popular actors in Asia.
After "The King and the Clown," Joon-Gi has usually taken on more masculine roles to avoid typecasting. He starred in two successful television series, "Time Between Dog And Wolf" & "Il Ji-Mae: The Phantom Thief," while appearing on the big screen in "Fly, Daddy, Fly," "Virgin Snow" (his second Japanese film), & the box office hit "May 18."
In 2009, Lee Joon-Gi worked primarily on his musical career, holding fan concerts in South Korea, China, and Japan, while releasing several digital download singles. Lee Joon-Gi was also appointed an ambassador for Korea tourism by the Korea Tourism Organization.[3] He is now set to star in the upcoming MBC drama "Hero" this November.
Notes
- Lee Joon-Gi began his two year mandatory military obligation starting on May 3rd, 2010. He tried to postpone his military requirements to finish filming the movie "Grand Prix" and SBS drama series "Faith," but was unable to get an extension. Because of this Lee Joon-Gi dropped out of both projects.
- Lee Joon-Gi was discharged from the military on February 16, 2012.
- Lee Joon-Gi will hold a comeback fan meeting tour titled "Coming Back" in Japan. The fan meetings will be held on March 16 in Nagoya, March 18 in Yokohama and March 19 in Osaka. During the tour Lee Joon-Gi will also promote songs from his new single "Deucer".
- Due to positive reception of his single "Deucer," released on March 16, Lee Joon-Gi will release a 9 track album titled "Deucer" on April 25, 2012.
Movies
Drama Series
Awards
References
- 이준기, "이효리 주선으로 보아와 소개팅", News Chosun, April 30, 2009.
- 이준기 “이젠 배우로 인정받았어요”, Cine21, January 2, 2006.
- Lee Becomes Tourism Ambassador, The Korea Times, August 5, 2009.
