Lim Dong-hyun (; born April 11, 1995), known professionally as Lee Do-hyun (), is a South Korean actor. He first gained recognition for his supporting role in ''

Hotel del Luna ''Hotel del Luna'' () is a South Korean television series starring Lee Ji-eun and Yeo Jin-goo as the owner and manager, respectively, of the eponymous hotel that caters only to ghosts. Produced by GTist, written by the Hong sisters and directed ...

'' (2019), and went on to star in the television series '' 18 Again'' (2020), '' Sweet Home'' (2020–present), ''

Youth of May ''Youth of May'' () is a 2021 South Korean television series starring Lee Do-hyun, Go Min-si, Lee Sang-yi, and Keum Sae-rok. It premiered on KBS2 on May 3, 2021, and aired every Monday and Tuesday at 21:30 ( KST) until June 8, 2021, for 12 epis ...

'' (2021), ''

The Glory ''The Glory'' (1994) is the sequel to ''The Hope (novel), The Hope'' written by American author Herman Wouk. Plot introduction Interweaving the lives and fates of fictional characters and real-life notables, the sequel to ''The Hope (novel), T ...

'' (2022–2023), and ''

The Good Bad Mother ''The Good Bad Mother'' () is a 2023 South Korean television series directed by Shim Na-yeon, and starring Ra Mi-ran, Lee Do-hyun, Ahn Eun-jin and Yoo In-soo. It aired from April 26 to June 8, 2023 on JTBC's Wednesdays and Thursdays at 22:30 ...

'' (2023), as well as the film ''

Exhuma ''Exhuma'' () is a 2024 South Korean horror film written and directed by Jang Jae-hyun, and starring Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Do-hyun. The film includes mystery and occult elements, and follows the process of excavating an ...

'' (2024).

Early life and education

Lee Do-hyun was born in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea on April 11, 1995. Lee is the eldest son and has a younger brother, Lim Dong-hyuk, who has an

intellectual disability Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability (in the United Kingdom), and formerly mental retardation (in the United States), Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010).Archive is a generalized neurodevelopmental ...

. Lee graduated from the Department of Film and Theater at

Chung-Ang University Chung-Ang University (CAU; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. The university operates two campuses: main campus located in Dongjak District, Seoul, and an additional campus in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province. CAU consists of 1 ...

Career

2017–2018: Career beginnings

Lee Do-hyun made his acting debut in the 2017 black comedy ''

Prison Playbook ''Prison Playbook'' () is a 2017 South Korean television series directed by Shin Won-ho and starring Park Hae-soo and Jung Kyung-ho. The series marks Park's first-ever lead role. It aired on tvN from November 22, 2017 to January 18, 2018, ev ...

'', in which he portrayed the young version of Jung Kyung-ho's character. In 2018, Lee was cast in the romantic television series '' Still 17'' in a supporting role as a member of the high school's rowing club. For his performance, he was nominated in the "Character of the Year" category at the 2018 SBS Drama Awards alongside

Ahn Hyo-seop Ahn Hyo-seop (; born April 17, 1995) is a Canadian actor and singer based in South Korea. He gained recognition for his performances in television dramas such as '' Still 17'' (2018), ''Dr. Romantic 2'' (2020), '' Lovers of the Red Sky'' (2021) ...

and

Jo Hyun-sik Jo Hyun-sik (born March 13, 1983) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Television series Film Musical Theater References External links *Jo Hyun-sikat Daum Jo Hyun-sikat Naver Movies {{DEFAULTSORT:Jo, Hyun-sik South Korean mal ...

. The same year, Lee also appeared in '' Clean with Passion for Now'', playing the

female lead A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person w ...

's younger brother and a promising Taekwondo athlete.

2019: Rising popularity

In 2019, Lee joined the cast of the dark fantasy television series ''

'' which became one of the highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television. He also made a special appearance in tvN's ''

The Great Show ''The Great Show'' () is a 2019 South Korean television series starring Song Seung-heon, Lee Sun-bin, and Lim Ju-hwan. It aired on tvN on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:30 ( KST) from August 26 to October 15, 2019. Synopsis Wi Dae-han ( Song ...

''. Lee starred in ''Scouting Report'', the fifth drama of ''

KBS Drama Special ''KBS Drama Special'' () is a South Korean anthology series created and broadcast by KBS2, with each episode having a different story, cast, director and scriptwriter. The format is based on its predecessor '' Drama City'' and MBC's Best Theate ...

s tenth season, for which he won the "Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama Award" at the 33rd KBS Drama Awards.

2020–present: Transition to lead roles

In 2020, Lee had his first lead role in the romantic comedy '' 18 Again'', based on the 2009 American film '' 17 Again''. His performance in the drama earned him the Best New Actor award in television at the

57th Baeksang Arts Awards The 57th Baeksang Arts Awards () ceremony, organised by ''Ilgan Sports'' and JTBC Plus, was held on May 13, 2021, at KINTEX, Ilsanseo-gu, Gyeonggi Province, beginning at 9:00 p.m. KST. It was hosted by Shin Dong-yup and Bae Suzy, and was br ...

and Best New Actor award at the 7th APAN Star Awards. Later that year, he had a starring role in

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

's '' Sweet Home'', adapted from the webtoon of the same name. He received a good response for portraying a cool-headed and cynical character. In 2021, Lee appeared in ''

Beyond Evil ''Beyond Evil'' is a 1980 American supernatural horror film directed by Herb Freed and starring John Saxon and Lynda Day George. Its plot follows an architect who suspects his wife is possessed by a former resident of the historic colonial mansi ...

'', directed by

Shim Na-yeon Shim Na-yeon (; born 1987), also credited as Sim Na-yeon, is a South Korean Television director, director known for directing the Korean drama, television series Beyond Evil (TV series), ''Beyond Evil'' (2021), ''The Good Bad Mother'' (2023), a ...

, where he played younger self of

Shin Ha-kyun Shin Ha-kyun (; born May 30, 1974) is a South Korean actor. He first gained recognition for his role in ''Joint Security Area'' (2000), followed by notable performances in '' Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance'' (2002), ''Save the Green Planet!'' (2003 ...

's character. He also starred in KBS2's ''

'', a drama set in 1980 during the

Gwangju uprising The Gwangju Democratization Movement, also known in South Korea as May 18 Democratization Movement (), was a series of student-led demonstrations that took place in Gwangju, South Korea, in May 1980, against the coup of Chun Doo-hwan. The upr ...

, earned him a "Next Generation Melo-king" title for his spectacular performance in a melodrama genre. Later in July 2021, Lee was confirmed to join the tvN drama ''

Melancholia Melancholia or melancholy (from ',Burton, Bk. I, p. 147 meaning black bile) is a concept found throughout ancient, medieval, and premodern medicine in Europe that describes a condition characterized by markedly depressed mood, bodily complain ...

'' with

Im Soo-jung Im Soo-jung (; born July 11, 1979) is a South Korean actress and former model. After modeling for teen magazines, Im made her acting breakthrough in Kim Jee-woon's horror film ''A Tale of Two Sisters'' (2003), followed by the popular Korean dram ...

, airing in the second half of 2021. At the end of 2021, Lee became the MC of the

2021 KBS Drama Awards The 2021 KBS Drama Awards (), presented by Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), was held on December 31, 2021, at KBS Hall in Yeouido, Seoul. It was hosted by Lee Do-hyun, Kim So-hyun and Sung Si-kyung. Grand Prize (''Daesang'') was awarded to Ji ...

with

Sung Si-kyung Sung Si-kyung (; born April 17, 1979) is a South Korean singer, entertainer and television host. He debuted in 2001 and has released eight studio albums in Korean and two studio albums in Japanese. He has also hosted and appeared on numerous So ...

and

Kim So-hyun Kim So-hyun (; born 4 June 1999) is an Australian-born South Korean actress. She is known for her leading roles in the youth series ''Who Are You: School 2015'' (2015), historical dramas ''The Emperor: Owner of the Mask'' (2017), ''The Tale o ...

. In 2022, Lee starred in the web series ''Reincarnation Romance'', a short web series advertising motion sickness pills. This is the third reunion with

Go Min-si Go Min-si (; born February 15, 1995) is a South Korean actress, model and director managed by Mystic Story Entertainment. She is known for her prominent roles in television series such as ''Love Alarm'' (2019–2021), Sweet Home (TV series), ''S ...

. In December, Lee returned to the small screen with the Netflix drama written by writer

Kim Eun-sook Kim Eun-sook (; born 1973) is a South Korean screenwriter. She wrote the popular television dramas ''Lovers in Paris'' (2004), '' Secret Garden'' (2010), '' A Gentleman's Dignity'' (2012), ''The Heirs'' (2013), ''Descendants of the Sun'' (201 ...

titled ''

'', with

Song Hye-kyo Song Hye-kyo (; born November 22, 1981) is a South Korean actress. She gained international popularity through her leading roles in the television dramas '' Autumn in My Heart'' (2000), '' All In'' (2003), ''Full House'' (2004), '' That Winter, ...

. In 2023, Lee chose ''

Death's Game ''Death's Game'' () is a South Korean fantasy anthology mystery thriller television series written and directed by , and starring Seo In-guk and Park So-dam. Based on a webtoon of the same name by Lee Won-sik and Ggulchan, which was serialized ...

'' as his last project before joining the military because of the bond he made with director Ha Byung-hoon, which he worked with in ''18 Again''.

Personal life

Military service

On February 2, 2023, it was reported that Lee would enlist in the military for the first half of the year. Later the agency confirmed that no decision has been made and that if the date of the

mandatory military service Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

is received, it would be told for sure. On August 3, 2023, Yuehua Entertainment announced that Lee would enlist at the Air Force military band on August 14. On May 13, 2025, Lee was discharged after serving 21 months in the millitary.

Relationship

On April 1, 2023, Yuehua Entertainment confirmed that Lee is dating actress

Lim Ji-yeon Lim Ji-yeon (; born June 23, 1990) is a South Korean actress. After appearing in a number of short films and plays, she had her first feature film role in '' Obsessed'' (2014). The role earned her a Best New Actress nomination at the 35th Blue ...

, whom he met while filming ''

''.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Hosting

Fanmeeting tours

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Honors

Listicles

Notes

References

External links

Lee Do-hyun
at Yuehua Entertainment * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Do-hyun 1995 births Living people Male actors from Seoul South Korean male actors South Korean male television actors South Korean male web series actors Chung-Ang University alumni Best New Actor Paeksang Arts Award (television) winners