Lee Moo-saeng
South Korean actor (born 1980)
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Lee Moo-saeng (Korean: 이무생; born May 10, 1980), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television dramas The World of the Married (2020), The Silent Sea (2021), Thirty-Nine (2022), and Cleaning Up (2022).[3]
Early life and education
Lee Moo-saeng was born on May 10, 1980, in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi, South Korea.[4] His initial foray into acting was driven by a simple desire: "I just had a vague thought, I'd really love to be on TV". After completing his high school college entrance exams and contemplating his future, Lee attended an acting academy for two months to seriously pursue this dream. He was successfully admitted to Department of Film of Sejong University. He recounted enjoying his four years there, where he developed a relationship with his mentor, actor Lee Soon-jae, and learned a lot. In 2006, he graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Film Arts.[5]
Career
2006–2019: Early career and building success
Lee made his debut in 2006 as Joon-tae in the film See You After School and later appeared in series and films such as Special Affairs Team TEN, Fengshui, Prison Playbook, and Something in the Rain.[6][7][8]
In particular in 2019, Lee received widespread recognition for his acting skills through his portrayal of various roles in works such as The Crowned Clown, One Spring Night, Designated Survivor: 60 Days, and Melting Me Softly.[9][10][11][12]
2020–present: Rise in popularity
In 2020, Lee gained popularity with his performance in the melodrama romance series The World of the Married in the role of Kim Yoon-ki.[13] In the same year, he was cast in Netflix's original series The Silent Sea with Bae Doona and Gong Yoo.[14]
In 2021, he was cast in the romance drama Thirty-Nine alongside Son Ye-jin and Jeon Mi-do.[15] Following the release of the series in 2022, he received much praise in his role as Kim Jin-seok. Lee's success was followed by a leading role in the drama Cleaning Up alongside Yum Jung-ah.[16] Lee also received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Kang Yeong-cheon, a psychopathic murderer, in The Glory.[17]
Lee's popularity continued to rise, starring as Yoo Jung-jae alongside Lee Young-ae in Maestra: Strings of Truth which aired on tvN from December 9, 2023, to January 14, 2024.[18] He portrayed the role of Konishi Yukinaga in Noryang: Deadly Sea a 2023 South Korean historical war action film and the role of Kim Yoon-gi in Citizen of a Kind.[19][20]
It was also announced that Lee has been cast in the upcoming thriller Hide, and will be starring alongside Lee Bo-young.[21] Reportedly, Lee will join the cast of Gyeongseong Creature in Season 2 of the series that was expected for release in 2024.[22] More recently, Lee has been cast in Blood Free in the role of On San, premiering on Disney+ on April 10, 2024.[23]
In 2025, Lee starred as Jin So-baek, the owner of the Jinkang Store,[24] in the Netflix crime thriller television series As You Stood By.[25][26]
Personal life
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | See You After School | Joon-tae | ||
| 2007 | Resurrection of the Butterfly | |||
| Our Town | Jung Myung-bo | |||
| 2009 | Running Turtle | Detective Lee | ||
| The Sword With No Name | Sang-Hoon | |||
| 2010 | Troubleshooter | interrogation prosecutor | ||
| A Long Visit | Joon-soo | |||
| 2011 | Homicide Sonata | |||
| 2012 | Sex, Lies and Videotape | Kyung-tae | ||
| Bloody Fight in Iron-Rock Valley | Chul-gi | [29][30] | ||
| Plump Revolution | Min-ho | |||
| 2013 | Eating, Talking, Faucking | rapist | ||
| Oldmen Never Die | Joon-soo | |||
| 2014 | The Suffered | Detective Lee | ||
| 2015 | Hot Service: A Cruel Hairdresser | Ji Yang-bae | ||
| 2016 | SORI: Voice from the Heart | NIS agent 1 | Cameo | |
| 2017 | Fabricated City | Prosecutor | ||
| 2018 | Fengshui | Feng shui expert 1 | ||
| 2019 | Money | Funeral hall manager | ||
| The Faceless Boss | Cha Joon-young | |||
| 2020 | The Faceless Boss: The Untold Story | |||
| 2022 | Broker | Seon-ho | Special appearance | [31] |
| 2023 | Noryang: Deadly Sea | Konishi Yukinaga | [19][32] | |
| 2024 | Citizen of a Kind | Kim Yoon-gi | [20][33] | |
| 2025 | Run to the West | Mul-Gae |
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Behind the White Tower | Kwon Hyung-jin | ||
| 2009 | Wife Returns | Director Lee | ||
| 2011 | Special Affairs Team TEN | Ji Jin-hyuk | ||
| 2013 | Special Affairs Team TEN 2 | Cameo (ep.11-12) | [6] | |
| Heartless City | Detective Kim Do-hoon | |||
| 2014 | Secret Affair | Chief Lim | ||
| A Witch's Love | Detective Lee | Cameo (ep. 10,13) | ||
| 2015 | My Beautiful Bride | |||
| 2016 | Pied Piper | Prosecutor | Cameo (ep. 6) | |
| 2017 | Irish Uppercut | Do Tae-min | Main Role | [34] |
| The Idolmaster KR | Chief Yang | |||
| Prison Playbook | Lawyer Kang Min-koo | [7] | ||
| 2018 | Something in the Rain | Jin Ah's boyfriend | Cameo (ep.15-16) | [8] |
| The Miracle We Met | Kim Choong-man | [35] | ||
| With Coffee | [Team Leader] | |||
| 2019 | The Crowned Clown | Prince Jinpyung | [9] | |
| One Spring Night | Nam Shi-hoon | [10] | ||
| Designated Survivor: 60 Days | Kim Nam-wook | [12] | ||
| Melting Me Softly | Jo Ki-beom | [11] | ||
| 2019–2020 | Chocolate | Jeong Se-un | [36] | |
| 2020 | The World of the Married | Kim Yoon-ki | [13] | |
| 2022 | Thirty-Nine | Kim Jin-seok | [15] | |
| Cleaning Up | Lee Young-shin | [16] | ||
| 2023 | Maestra: Strings of Truth | Yoo Jung-jae | [18][37] | |
| 2026 | 100 Days of Deception † | Phillip Yoo | [38] |
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The Silent Sea | Chief Gong Soo-hyuk | [39] | |
| 2022–2023 | The Glory | Kang Yeong-cheon | Special appearance (Part 1–2) | [17] |
| 2024 | Hide | Cha Seong-jae | [40][21] | |
| Gyeongseong Creature | Captain Kuroko | [41][22] | ||
| Blood Free | On San | [23] | ||
| 2025 | As You Stood By | Jin So-baek | Netflix | [42] |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Date | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Korean | |||||
| 2009 | Hamlet Q1 | 햄릿Q1 | Hamlet | Dongduk Women's University Performing Arts Centre | March 20 to 29 | [44] |
| 2009 | Culture of Youth Northern District 2009 Performance - Wuthering Height | 젊음의 문화북구 2009기획공연 - 폭풍의 언덕 | Hatton / Heathcliff (past) | Ulsan Buk-gu Culture and Arts Centre | June 27 to 28 | [45] |
| 2011 | Yasmin's first play "Meet the Gogol" | 야스민의 첫 연극 <고골을 만나다> | Miari Village Theater, Daehakro Woosuk Repertory Theater | October 26 to 30 | [46] | |
| 2014 | Now Gogol | 나우 고골리 | Seoul Arts Space (for the 35th Seoul Theater Festival) | May 3 to 4 | [47] | |
| 2016 | Death of a Salesman | 세일즈맨의 죽음 | Biff Loman | Asian Culture Center | December 3–4 | [48][49][50] |
| Arko Arts Theater | December 13–22 | |||||
| 2017 | Daejeon Arts | January 13–14 | [51][52] | |||
| Uijeongbu Arts | February 10–12 | |||||
| Suwon SK Atrium | February 17–18 | |||||
| Ulsan Culture | February 24–25 | |||||
| Gyeongju Arts | February 28 – March 1 | |||||