Lee Do-hyun
South Korean actor (born 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lim Dong-hyun (Korean: 임동현; born April 11, 1995), known professionally as Lee Do-hyun (Korean: 이도현), is a South Korean actor. He first gained recognition for his supporting role in Hotel del Luna (2019), and went on to star in the television series 18 Again (2020), Sweet Home (2020–2024), Youth of May (2021), The Glory (2022–2023), and The Good Bad Mother (2023), as well as the film Exhuma (2024).
Early life and education
Lee Do-hyun was born in Seoul, South Korea on April 11, 1995. Lee is the eldest son and has a younger brother, Lim Dong-hyuk, who has an intellectual disability.[2] Lee graduated from the Department of Film and Theater at Chung-Ang University.[3]
Career
2017–2018: Career beginnings
Lee made his acting debut in the 2017 black comedy Prison Playbook, in which he portrayed the young version of Jung Kyung-ho's character.[4]
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.[5] For his performance, he was nominated in the "Character of the Year" category at the 2018 SBS Drama Awards alongside Ahn Hyo-seop and Jo Hyun-sik.[6] The same year, Lee also appeared in Clean with Passion for Now, playing the female lead's younger brother and a promising Taekwondo athlete.[7]
2019: Rising popularity
In 2019, Lee joined the cast of the dark fantasy television series Hotel del Luna which became one of the highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television.[8] He also made a special appearance in tvN's The Great Show.[9] Lee starred in Scouting Report, the fifth drama of KBS Drama Special's tenth season, for which he won the "Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama Award" at the 33rd KBS Drama Awards.[10][11]
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.[12] His performance in the drama earned him the Best New Actor award in television at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards[13] and Best New Actor award at the 7th APAN Star Awards.[14] Later that year, he had a starring role in Netflix's Sweet Home, adapted from the webtoon of the same name.[15] He received a good response for portraying a cool-headed and cynical character.[16]
In 2021, Lee appeared in Beyond Evil, directed by Shim Na-yeon, where he played younger self of Shin Ha-kyun's character.[17] He also starred in KBS2's Youth of May, a drama set in 1980 during the Gwangju uprising, earned him a "Next Generation Melo-king" title for his spectacular performance in a melodrama genre.[18][19][20] Later in July 2021, Lee was confirmed to join the tvN drama Melancholia with Im Soo-jung, airing in the second half of 2021.[21] At the end of 2021, Lee became the MC of the 2021 KBS Drama Awards with Sung Si-kyung and Kim So-hyun.[22]
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.[23] In December, Lee returned to the small screen with the Netflix drama written by writer Kim Eun-sook titled The Glory, with Song Hye-kyo.[24] In 2023, Lee chose Death's Game 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.[25]
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.[26] Later the agency confirmed that no decision has been made and that if the date of the mandatory military service is received, it would be told for sure.[27] On August 3, 2023, Yuehua Entertainment announced that Lee would enlist at the Air Force military band on August 14.[28] On May 13, 2025, Lee was discharged after serving 21 months in the military.[29]
Relationship
On April 1, 2023, Yuehua Entertainment confirmed that Lee is dating actress Lim Ji-yeon, whom he met while filming The Glory.[30][31]
Filmography
Film
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–2018 | Prison Playbook | young Lee Joon-ho | Cameo (Episodes 1, 6, 9) | [4] |
| 2018 | Still 17 | Dong Hae-beom | [5] | |
| 2018–2019 | Clean with Passion for Now | Gil Oh-dol | [7] | |
| 2019 | Hotel del Luna | Go Cheong-myeong | [8] | |
| The Great Show | young Wi Dae-han | Cameo (Episodes 1–3) | [9] | |
| KBS Drama Special – "Scouting Report" | Kwak Jae-won | Season 10, episode 5 | [11] | |
| 2020 | 18 Again | young Hong Dae-young / Go Woo-young | [12] | |
| 2020–2024 | Sweet Home | Lee Eun-hyuk | Main role (Season 1 & 3) / Cameo (Season 2) | [15][35] |
| 2021 | Beyond Evil | young Lee Dong-sik | Cameo (Episodes 1–2, 5, 11) | [17] |
| Youth of May | Hwang Hee-tae | [19] | ||
| Melancholia | Baek Seung-yoo / Baek Min-jae | [21] | ||
| 2022–2023 | The Glory | Joo Yeo-jeong | [36] | |
| 2023 | The Good Bad Mother | Choi Kang-ho | [37] | |
| 2023–2024 | Death's Game | Jang Geon-woo | Cameo (Episodes 4 and 6) | [38][25] |
Hosting
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2021 KBS Drama Awards | with Sung Si-kyung and Kim So-hyun | [22] |
Accolades
Awards and nominations
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APAN Star Awards | 2021 | Best New Actor | 18 Again | Won | [39][14] |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2020 | Popularity Award (Actor) | Lee Do-hyun | Nominated | [40][non-primary source needed] |
| 2021 | Rookie of the Year Award | Youth of May | Won | [41][42] | |
| Asian Academy Creative Awards | 2021 | Best Actor in Supporting Role (National Winners – Korea) | Sweet Home | Won | [43][44][45] |
| Asian Film Awards | 2025 | Best Newcomer | Exhuma | Nominated | [46] |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2021 | Best New Actor – Television | 18 Again | Won | [47][48][13] |
| 2024 | Best New Actor – Film | Exhuma | Won | [49] | |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2024 | Best New Actor | Nominated | [50] | |
| Blue Dragon Series Awards | 2022 | Best New Actor | Youth of May | Nominated | [51] |
| Brand Customer Loyalty Awards | 2023 | Best Actor – OTT | The Glory | Nominated | [52] |
| Brand of the Year Awards | 2021 | Rising Star Actor | Lee Do-hyun | Won | [53] |
| 2023 | Male Actor of the Year (OTT) | Won | [54] | ||
| Buil Film Awards | 2024 | Best New Actor | Exhuma | Nominated | [55] |
| Director's Cut Awards | 2025 | Best New Actor (Film) | Won | [56][57] | |
| Global Film & Television Huading Awards | 2023 | Best Global Teleplay Leading Actor | The Glory | Nominated | [58] |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2019 | Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama | Drama Special – Scouting Report | Won | [11] |
| 2021 | Top Excellence Award, actor | Youth of May | Won | [59] | |
| Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Nominated | [60] | |||
| Best Couple Award | Lee Do-hyun (with Go Min-si) Youth of May |
Won | [61] | ||
| Kinolights Awards | 2021 | Actor of the Year (Domestic) | Sweet Home Youth of May |
5th | [62] |
| Korea First Brand Awards | 2021 | Best New Actor | 18 Again | Won | [63] |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2018 | Character of the Year | Still 17 | Nominated | [6] |
| Seoul International Drama Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Korean Actor | Sweet Home | Nominated | [64][65] |
Honors
Listicles
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cine 21 | 2020 | New Actor to Watch in 2021 | 1st | [68] |
| 2023 | Top 5 New Actor to Watch in 2023 | 2nd | [69] | |
| 2024 | Korean Film Next 50 – Actors | Placed | [70] | |
| Forbes | 2022 | Korea Power Celebrity Rising Star | Placed | [71] |
Notes
- Established in 2019 and co-sponsored by Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Korea Creative Content Agency, Seoul Metropolitan Council and the Seoul Tourism Organization, it awards cultural icons, businesses, and individuals who have contributed greatly to Hallyu, the Korean wave.[66]
