Introduction
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).
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.
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.
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. In the same year, he was cast in Netflix's original seriesThe Silent Sea with Bae Doona and Gong Yoo.
In 2021, he was cast in the romance drama Thirty-Nine alongside Son Ye-jin and Jeon Mi-do. 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 along side Yum Jung-ah. Lee also received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Kang Yeong-cheon, a psychopathic murderer, in The Glory.
Lee's popularity continued to rise, starring as Yoo Jung-jae along side Lee Young-ae in Maestra: Strings of Truth which aired on on tvN from December 9, 2023 to January 14, 2024. 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 Deok Hee.
It was also announced that Lee has been cast in the upcoming thriller Hyde, and will be starring alongside Lee Bo-young. Reportedly, Lee will join the cast of Gyeongseong Creature in Season 2 of the series that is expected to be released in 2024. More recently, Lee has been cast in Dominant Species in the role of On San.
Personal life
Lee married his girlfriend in 2011 and they have two children, a son and a daughter.
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 | |||
| 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 | |
| 2023 | Noryang: Deadly Sea | Konishi Yukinaga | ||
| 2024 | Citizen of a Kind | Kim Yoon-gi |
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) | ||
| Heartless City | Detective Kim Do-hoon | |||
| 2014 | Secret Love 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 | |
| The Idolmaster KR | Chief Yang | |||
| Prison Playbook | Lawyer Kang Min-koo | |||
| 2018 | Something in the Rain | Jin Ah's boyfriend | Cameo (ep.15-16) | |
| The Miracle We Met | Kim Choong-man | |||
| With Coffee | [Team Leader] | |||
| 2019 | The Crowned Clown | Prince Jinpyung | ||
| One Spring Night | Nam Shi-hoon | |||
| Designated Survivor: 60 Days | Kim Nam-wook | |||
| Melting Me Softly | Jo Ki-beom | |||
| 2019-2020 | Chocolate | Jeong Se-un | ||
| 2020 | The World of the Married | Kim Yoon-ki | ||
| 2022 | Thirty-Nine | Kim Jin-seok | ||
| Cleaning Up | Lee Young-shin | |||
| 2023 | Maestra: Strings of Truth | Yoo Jung-jae |
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The Silent Sea | Chief Gong Soo-hyuk | ||
| 2022–2023 | The Glory | Kang Yeong-cheon | Special appearance (Part 1–2) | |
| 2024 | Hyde | Cha Seong-jae | ||
| Gyeongseong Creature | ||||
| TBA | Dominant Species | On San |