Raymond Lee (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor known for his roles as Arlen Lee in the

Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

series ''

Mozart in the Jungle ''Mozart in the Jungle'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, Alex Timbers, and Paul Weitz for the video-on-demand service Amazon Prime Video. It received a production order in March 20 ...

'' and Duc Bayer-Boatwright in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

series '' Here and Now''. In 2021, Lee was a series regular on the

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

series '' Kevin Can F**k Himself''. From 2022 to 2024, Lee starred in the sequel/revival of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

science fiction drama ''

Quantum Leap Quantum leap or ''variation'', may refer to: In general * Quantum leap (physics), also known as quantum jump, a transition between quantum states ** Atomic electron transition, a key example of the physics phenomenon * Paradigm shift, a sudden ch ...

.''

Early life and education

Lee was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

but moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

at a very young age. He is of South Korean descent. Although he originally studied

kinesiology Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, Biomechanics, biomechanical, Pathology, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kines ...

in college, Lee switched his major to acting at

California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), also known in athletics as Long Beach State University (LBSU), is a public teaching-focused institution in Long Beach, California, United States. The 322-acre campus is the second largest in the ...

. He co-founded the Four Clowns acting troupe.

Career

His first major role was in the web series ''Ktown Cowboys'' where he appeared opposite

Lanny Joon Lanny Joon is an American actor known for his roles in films ''Takers'' (2010), '' Black Gold'' (2011), '' West 32nd'' (2007)'','' and ''Baby Driver'' (2017)''.'' He has appeared in single episodes of several TV series. In '' West 32nd'' (2007) ...

. He has appeared in minor roles in such television series as ''

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...

'', ''

Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American television sitcom, created by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, that aired on ABC for 11 seasons from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. The series follows the lives of three diverse but interrelated fa ...

'' and ''

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'', also known colloquially simply as ''Always Sunny'', is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and co-developed by Glenn Howerton for FX (TV channel), FX. It premiered on August 4, 2005, and stars Charl ...

''. In 2016, he starred in

Qui Nguyen Qui Nguyen is a Vietnamese playwright, screenwriter and director. He is best known for his plays '' She Kills Monsters'' and ''Vietgone''. He is also known for writing ''Raya and the Last Dragon'' and '' Strange World''. Career He is a play ...

's ''Vietgone'' at

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Lynne Meadow has been the company’s Artistic Director and visionary since 1972. Barry Grove joined the company in 19 ...

. He won a

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

for his

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

debut as Quang Nguyen, a Vietnamese refugee to the United States. In 2022 he became the lead of ''

'', the sequel to the cult classic 90's series. Lee was a fan of the original series. After the show was cancelled in 2024, he thanked fans and called it 'the role of a lifetime'.

Personal life

Lee is married to Stacy Kusumolkul Lee; after working with Syrian refugees in 2016, she and a friend co-founded a charity called Dignity not Despair. , the couple have two

toddler A toddler is a child approximately 1 to 3 years old, though definitions vary. The toddler years are a time of great cognitive, emotional and social development. The word is derived from "toddle", which means to walk unsteadily, as children at thi ...

s, a daughter and a son.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards

*2011 Top of Fringe Award, Best World Premiere Award and Best Physical Theater Award at the

Hollywood Fringe Festival The Hollywood Fringe Festival is an annual fringe theatre festival in Hollywood, California. Most indoor venues for the festival are in and around Hollywood Theatre Row, a stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles. Founder Ben Hill s ...

*2017

for ''Vietgone''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Raymond 1987 births American male film actors American male television actors American male actors of Korean descent American actors of Korean descent American people of South Korean descent Male actors from New York City Male actors from Los Angeles California State University, Long Beach alumni Living people Theatre World Award winners Year of birth missing (living people)