Actor Lee Soon-jae, a towering figure in Korean entertainment and one of the nation’s longest-working performers, died Tuesday. He was 91.
According to his family, Lee died early on Tuesday morning.
Even in advanced age, Lee had continued to work across television, film and theater, remaining active until late 2024, when health problems forced him to withdraw midway through the run of the play “Waiting for Waiting for Godot.” His final screen appearance came in the KBS series “Dog Knows Everything,” which aired in September and October 2024. He accepted the broadcaster’s top acting prize at its year-end awards show in January before stepping back to rest.
During a 69-year illustrious career, Lee created some of the most indelible characters in Korean popular culture: the stern yet comedic “Daebal’s Father,” the mischievous “Yadong Soon-jae” and the globe-trotting “Grandpa Over Flowers” persona that endeared him to younger generations. A consummate craftsperson, he often said that “a lifetime of acting still isn’t enough,” approaching each role as if it might be his last. With his passing, his acting life has taken its final bow.
From Olivier-inspired student to nation’s ‘father’ onscreen
Born in Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province, in what is now part of North Korea in 1934 (officially recorded as 1935), Lee moved to Seoul at age 4 with his grandparents. He lived through liberation as a schoolboy and the Korean War as a teenager, experiencing the full sweep of Korea’s modern history.
At Seoul National University, where he majored in philosophy, Lee became enamored with cinema. Watching Laurence Olivier’s “Hamlet” set him on the path to acting. He joined Theatre Libre troupe in 1956 and debuted in a Korean production of Eugene O’Neill’s “Beyond the Horizon.” After graduating in 1960, he helped found Experimental Theater, Korea’s first collective-artist troupe.
Lee entered broadcasting in 1961 with “I, Too, Will Become Human,” a drama series that marked the launch of KBS. In 1965, he became a first-generation contracted actor with the since-defunct network TBC, placing him at the heart of Korea’s rapidly expanding television industry.
At times, Lee appeared in more than 30 productions a month. His major works number roughly 140, including “Donguibogam,” “See and See Again,” “The Age of Three Kims,” “The Men of the Bathhouse,” “The Wild Days,” “Land” and “Mom’s Dead Upset” — with innumerable smaller roles in addition.
In MBC’s “What on Earth Is Love” (1991-92), he portrayed a patriarch whose mixture of warmth and comic obstinacy captivated the country, leaving him to be known as “Daebal’s Father.” The show reached an astonishing 65 percent viewership.
The drama series’ success briefly ushered Lee into politics: He won a National Assembly seat in 1992 as a candidate of the then-ruling Democratic Liberal Party, a precedent of today’s People Power Party. Even while serving as a lawmaker, he continued acting on TV.
Lee was also central to the golden age of Korean historical dramas, anchoring hits like “Hur Jun” (1999), “The Merchant” (2001) and “Lee San, Wind of the Palace” (2007) with a gravitas that made him a dramatic cornerstone.
From sitcom star to TV grandpa
Restless and ever in pursuit of his next challenge, Lee continuously reinvented himself.
In his 70s, Lee shattered his solemn, sage-on-the-mountain image with wildly popular sitcom turns in “High Kick!” (2006) and “High Kick Through the Roof” (2009). His unabashed comedic timing won him a legion of younger fans and the irreverent nickname “Yadong Soon-jae,” referring to a running gag of his character inadvertently encountering adult materials.
Lee’s leap into unscripted television came after meeting star producer Na Young-suk. On travel reality series “Grandpas Over Flowers” (2013), Lee displayed a vigor that belied his age, striding ahead with a brisk pace that earned him yet another moniker as “Straight-Ahead Soon-jae.” The show offered a rare glimpse of Lee as himself: his principles, his humor and his way of moving through the world.
During its third season, Lee said, “If you sit down and demand deference just because you’re old, that’s when you grow old and stagnant. As long as I can still do it, I will.”
His candor resonated widely, especially with middle-aged viewers and younger people experiencing burnout. He studied relentlessly, worked without complaint and greeted each day with resolve, embodying the kind of elder many said society sorely needed.
Back on stage, Lee’s final curtain
In his last decade, Lee continued to embrace new challenges.
He returned frequently to the theater stage, delivering lauded performances in “Salut d’Amour” (2016), “The Student and Mister Henri” (2017), and Shakespeare’s “King Lear” (2021, 2023). In “King Lear,” he commanded the stage for nearly 200 minutes, mastering its vast and demanding monologues. In 2023, he made his directorial debut with Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” bringing younger actors with him onto the stage.
Lee’s health faltered during performances of “Waiting for Waiting for Godot,” a Korean production of Dave Hanson’s theatrical adaptation of Samuel Beckett’s original in October 2024, and he withdrew on medical advice calling for several months of rest. That same fall, his appearance in KBS’ “Dog Knows Everything” earned him the distinction of becoming the oldest recipient of the network’s top acting award.
“Opportunities come if you keep preparing,” he said tearfully as he accepted the honor. “Living this long, such a day eventually arrives. I want to say to the viewers watching that I have depended on you, learned from you and received so much from you all my life.”
The veteran actor, a mentor to generations and a living archive of modern Korean performance often spoke of acting as “a source of vitality.”
At the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards in 2024, he remarked, “Even if you’re bedridden with aches and chills, when someone says ‘Ready, go,’ you must rise — that is an actor’s life force. Acting can be done well, but it can never be perfected.”
His conviction fueled decades of teaching; until recently, he served as a professor of acting at Gachon University.
Funeral arrangements are being coordinated by the family.
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