Lee Dong-wook (이동욱)
Overview
Lee Dong-wook (이동욱, born November 6, 1981) is a South Korean actor and entertainer. He debuted as an actor in 1999 after working as a model, and rose to Hallyu stardom through the 2005 drama My Girl (마이걸). Since then, he has built a filmography that crosses romance, fantasy, and genre works, including Scent of a Woman (여인의 향기), Goblin (도깨비), and the Tale of the Nine Tailed (구미호뎐) series.
Main Content
Birth and Debut
He was born on November 6, 1981, in Seoul. His appearance stood out from childhood, and around high school he began modeling after being street-cast; in 1999 he became known to the public as a CF model. Around the same year, he is known to have begun his acting career by appearing in television dramas in minor and supporting roles. His tall height of nearly 187 cm and Western-looking features became his signature image from early in his debut.
Formative Years and Representative Works
In the early 2000s, he built his career by appearing in teen dramas and daily dramas. In 2005, he played Seol Gong-chan, a chaebol heir, in the SBS drama My Girl (마이걸), gaining huge popularity not only in Korea but throughout Asia, including China and Japan, and rose to become a Hallyu actor. During this period, he established the typical image of a 'rom-com male lead.'
Goblin and Prime Career
In 2016, he played the Grim Reaper in the tvN drama Goblin (도깨비), entering a second prime in his acting career. He received widespread acclaim for portraying a character who shifts between a chilling and comic tone, and his 'bromance' chemistry with Gong Yoo (공유) in the drama became a major topic at the time of broadcast. This work is often cited as one of the representative works symbolizing the overseas spread of Korean dramas.
Tale of the Nine Tailed Series
In 2020, he played Lee Yeon, a nine-tailed fox who has lived a thousand years, in tvN's Tale of the Nine Tailed (구미호뎐), showing action and fantasy acting; in 2023, he continued the series by appearing in the follow-up season Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938. In addition, he has broadened his genres by appearing in the medical drama Life (2018), the romance Touch Your Heart (2019), the genre series Bad and Crazy (2021–2022), and The Killer's Shopping List (2022).
Career as an Entertainer
Alongside his acting career, he also made a name for himself as an entertainment and talk show host. He was a regular cast member on the Netflix variety series Busted!, and demonstrated his hosting abilities through the healing variety show House on Wheels and the talk show named after him, Lee Dong-wook Wants to Talk. His characteristic dry humor and relaxed hosting style are evaluated as his hallmarks.
Reception and Personal Relationships
He is evaluated as an actor who has maintained a balance between popular recognition and artistic quality while working in both acting and variety shows. He has won numerous awards at drama and entertainment awards ceremonies, and is also well known for his close friendships with industry colleagues. In particular, his long friendship with Gong Yoo is a story often talked about among fans.
Recent Trends
In 2024, he played Jung Jin-man in the Disney+ original series A Shop for Killers (킬러들의 쇼핑몰), portraying a former killer with a past and showing a new side in the action and noir genre. The work was produced as a seasonal series and drew attention in the global OTT market. In 2025, he appeared in the tvN drama The Divorce Insurance, returning to the romantic comedy genre centered on divorce, and drew attention for his ensemble acting with Lee Kwang-soo, Lee Da-hee, and others. Recently, while moving between OTT platforms and terrestrial and cable channels, he has continued public-facing activities such as brand modeling and fan meetings, and even now in his mid-40s, he maintains his position as a 'stable leading actor who is not limited by genre.'
Related Topics
- [[Goblin (TV series)]]
- [[Tale of the Nine Tailed]]
- [[Gong Yoo]]
- [[Hallyu]]
- [[A Shop for Killers]]