Paul Sun-Hyung Lee
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee | |
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![]() Lee in 2018 | |
Born | Daejeon, South Korea | August 16, 1972
Nationality | Canadian, South Korean |
Years active | 2005–present |
Korean name | |
Hangul | |
Revised Romanization | Yi Seon-hyeong |
McCune–Reischauer | Yi Sŏnhyŏng |
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (born August 16, 1972) is a Korean Canadian actor and television host. He is best known for his roles as Randy Ko in the soap opera Train 48 (2003–2005) and as family patriarch Appa in the 2011 play Kim's Convenience, and particularly its television adaptation.
Lee has won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series three times, for his role as Mr. Kim in Kim's Convenience (2016, 2017, and 2020), and has been nominated twice for the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role, Large Theatre, for The Monster Under the Bed in 2010 and the stage version of Kim's Convenience in 2012.
Early life[]
When Lee was three months old, his parents immigrated from Daejeon, South Korea to Canada, living in London, Toronto and Calgary.[1] In 1990, he moved back to Toronto to attend the University of Toronto, where he attended but did not complete the drama program at University College.[2]
Career[]
He had a supporting role in the film Ice Princess (2005) playing Tiffany's father. Lee appeared in the horror film P2 and the thriller The Echo. In 2006, he took the role of Jung Park in the video game Rainbow Six: Vegas and its 2008 sequel Rainbow Six: Vegas 2.[3]
Lee was part of the main cast of the Global nightly improvised soap opera Train 48 in the role of Randy Ko for the entire run of the series from 2003 to 2005.[4]
In 2012, Lee won the Best Actor citation from the Toronto Theatre Critics' Awards for his portrayal of Kim Sang-il in Kim's Convenience.[5] He played the role of Appa on stage in several Toronto productions of Kim's Convenience and on a national tour with the Soulpepper theatre company, as well as at an Off Broadway staging of the play.[4] He brought the role of Appa to television in 2016 when the show was adapted as a television series.[4] In 2016, Lee played Zhang Lin in the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre/Canadian Stage production of Chimerica.[6] On January 11, 2017, he guest starred on an episode of This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
Lee has been nominated twice for the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role, Large Theatre, for The Monster Under the Bed in 2010 and Kim's Convenience in 2012.[7] In the 5th, 6th, and 9th Canadian Screen Awards, he won the Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his portrayal of Appa in the Kim's Convenience television series.[8] Lee was selected to host the fourth season of the reality competition show Canada's Smartest Person, entitled Canada's Smartest Person Junior and featuring children as contestants.[9]
Lee is also a playwright, with his own play Dangling premiering at Toronto's fu-GEN theatre festival in 2010.[10]
In 2021 he appeared as a panelist on Canada Reads, championing Natalie Zina Walschots's novel Hench.[11] In the same year, Lee's five seasons on Kim's Convenience came to an abrupt end when the two show runners left the project.[12]
Filmography[]
Film[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | Gene Kajikawa | Television film | |
1996 | Harriet the Spy | Bruno Hung Fat | |
2001 | Khaled | Grocer | |
2002 | Tagged: The Jonathan Wamback Story | Doctor | Television film |
2003 | Delivery Doctor | Television film | |
2005 | Ice Princess | Tiffany Lai's Dad | |
2006 | D.A. Lee | Television film | |
2006 | One Way | Hotel Receptionist | |
2007 | P2 | Man in Elevator | |
2015 | End of Days, Inc.[13] | Mort | |
2020 | Dr. Han |
Television[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Total Recall 2070 | Waiter | Episode: "Rough Whimper of Insanity" |
2002 | Soul Food: The Series | Dan Lee | Episode: "A Taste of Justice" |
2002 | Doc | Orderly | Episode: "Complicated" |
2003–2005 | Train 48 | Randy Ko | Main role, 3 seasons |
2004 | Kevin Hill | Phil Steckler | Episode: "The Good Life" |
2005 | This Is Wonderland | Mr. Phan | Episode: "Episode #2.9" |
2005 | 1-800-Missing | Dr. Winston Nakano | Episode: "Fugitive" |
2006 | Billable Hours | Paul | Episode: "The Handicapped Bathroom" |
2007 | The Jane Show | E.R. Doctor | Episode: "Plastic Ono Jane" |
2010–2011 | Degrassi: The Next Generation | Juan Tong | 6 episodes |
2016–2021 | Kim's Convenience | Appa | Main role, 5 seasons Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, 5th (2017) and 6th (2018); nominated 8th (2020) |
2017 | Dark Matter | Dr. Borsin | Episode: "It Doesn't Have to Be Like This" |
2018 | Canada's Smartest Person Junior | Host | Season 4 of Smartest Person series |
2019–present | Abby Hatcher | Chef Jeff | Voice role |
2019–present | The Bravest Knight | The Potion Maker | Voice role [14] |
2020 | The Mandalorian | Captain Carson Teva | 2 episodes[15][16][17] |
2021 | Private Eyes | Chef Andre | Episode: "The Perfect Storm" |
2021 | Bakugan: Geogan Rising | Spartillion | Voice role |
2021 | Captain Park Yong-Chul | Mayday: Air Desaster Season 4 Episode 4 |
Video games[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Rainbow Six: Vegas | Jung Park | |
2008 | Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 |
References[]
- ^ "Calgarian is ready to commute". Calgary Herald, June 2, 2003.
- ^ "Hit play a homecoming for actor Sun-Hyung Lee". Calgary Herald, September 19, 2013.
- ^ Schedeen, Jesse (December 21, 2020). "The Mandalorian: Every Character and Celebrity Cameo So Far". IGN. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, a former U of T drama student, stars in the CBC comedy 'Kim's Convenience'". U of T News, October 24, 2016.
- ^ Phan, Rachel (May 31, 2012). "Kim's Convenience gets five thumbs up at Toronto Theatre Critics Awards". National Post. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
- ^ Maga, Carly (April 1, 2016). "Chimerica has stimulating ideas but underwhelming dialogue: review". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- ^ "Women on top; Crash, Penelopiad top Dora nominations". National Post, June 6, 2012.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (March 12, 2017). "'Orphan Black' Star Tatiana Maslany Dominates Canadian Screen Awards With Two Best Actress Wins". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Liwanag, Robert (November 12, 2018). "15 Minutes with Paul Sun-Hyung Lee". Reader's Digest. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- ^ "Hey, it's that guy from the IKEA ad and a TV show I never watched!". National Post. April 28, 2010.
- ^ "Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is looking forward to 'making reading cool' on Canada Reads". CBC Books. January 21, 2021.
- ^ Volmers, Eric (March 19, 2021). "'It died from within': Two actors lament the untimely demise of Kim's Convenience". Calgary Herald.
- ^ "End of Days, Inc". Hollywood Suite.
- ^ Lee, Paul Sun-Hyung [@bitterasiandude] (April 10, 2018). "Thank you for letting me play today!!! So. Much. Fun. #okseeyou #bravestknight #animation" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ "'Kim's Convenience' star Paul Sun-Hyung Lee lands 'dream' role in 'The Mandalorian'". CTV News. The Canadian Press. November 9, 2020.
- ^ Glasner, Eli; Weaver, Jackson (November 8, 2020). "How Kim's Convenience star Paul Sun-Hyung Lee arrived in The Mandalorian". CBC News.
- ^ Dumaraog, Ana (November 20, 2020). "The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 4 Cast & Cameos Guide". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
External links[]
- 1972 births
- Living people
- 20th-century Canadian male actors
- 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
- 21st-century Canadian male actors
- 21st-century Canadian male writers
- Best Actor in a Comedy Series Canadian Screen Award winners
- Canadian male actors of Korean descent
- Canadian male dramatists and playwrights
- Canadian male film actors
- Canadian male stage actors
- Canadian male television actors
- Canadian male video game actors
- Canadian male voice actors
- Canadian television hosts
- Canadian writers of Asian descent
- Male actors from Alberta
- People from Daejeon
- South Korean emigrants to Canada
- University of Toronto alumni