Sang Heon Lee

Sang Heon Lee was born on May 21, 1996, in Seoul, South Korea. He has an older sister, actress and XO, Kitty co-star, Gia Kim.^[1][2] He spent most of his childhood and teenage years in Hong Kong due to his father's work in the construction industry.^[3]

Lee and his sister attended Island School while living in Hong Kong.^[4][5] He began having an interest in acting from taking drama classes during his school years,^[6] which subsequently led him to major in Drama at the University of Northampton in England.^[4] After graduating from university, he returned to South Korea to fulfill his mandatory military duty for two years.^[6][7]

Lee previously worked as a model in addition to appearing as a background actor and reenactment actor in documentaries.^[8] His sister, Gia, suggested to Lee to submit an audition tape for XO, Kitty, which became his first official audition for a major acting role.^[9] Lee subsequently made his film debut with a small role in the biographical film, Gran Turismo (2023), based on Jann Mardenborough's life and career as a professional race car driver which was released on August 11, 2023.^[10][11] In 2024, he starred in the Filipino romantic series Secret Ingredient by Viu.^[12]

Lee is an avid rock climber.^[6][4] A self-proclaimed foodie, he taught himself how to cook by watching YouTube videos of Gordon Ramsay during his undergraduate years in England.^[13]