Veteran actor Lee Soon-jae dies at 91

“Acting has no end. There is no perfection. There are only new challenges, creativity and effort. I have not yet reached the end myself,” Lee Soon-jae said in a 2022 interview with The Dong-A Ilbo.

Lee Soon-jae, a veteran actor who debuted at 22 and performed for nearly 70 years, died on Nov. 25. He was 91.

Born in 1934 in Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province, Lee enrolled at Seoul National University to study philosophy but became captivated by Hamlet. He made his stage debut in 1956 in the play "Beyond the Horizon." He began appearing in television dramas in 1957 with Blue Concerto and joined Tongyang Broadcasting Company as part of its first recruiting class in 1964. He made his film debut in 1966 with First Performance.

Lee was never a flashy superstar. He worked steadily, like a single hearth fire. He became so ubiquitous that people used to say, “Turn on the TV and there is Lee Soon-jae.” At one point, he appeared in as many as 30 productions in a single month. Even when he briefly entered politics around 1992 after winning a parliamentary seat in Seoul’s Jungnang district, he never gave up acting.

A drama he made around that time, "What Is Love," remains one of the defining works of his career. The series, which ranked second all time in drama viewership with ratings as high as 65 percent, also gained huge popularity in China. His role as Dae-bal’s father became his trademark for many years.

Lee appeared in about 140 leading roles in works such as "The Bathhouse Men," "Donguibogam" and "Yi San," and his total acting credits, including bit parts, exceeded 400. Older audiences often remember him for historical dramas in which he portrayed figures such as Heo Jun’s mentor in "Donguibogam" and King Yeongjo in "Yi San." In his 70s, he took on sitcoms and drew attention from younger viewers, earning the playful nickname “Yadong Soon-jae” for his comic turns in shows such as "High Kick!" (2006). He later won renewed affection through appearances on reality programs, including tvN’s "Grandpas over Flowers" in 2013, alongside actors Shin Goo, Park Geun-hyung and Baek Il-seob.

Yet his heart always belonged to the theatre. He had long regretted not performing all four of Shakespeare’s great tragedies and at age 87 in 2021 finally took the stage as King Lear. In a 2023 interview with The Dong-A Ilbo, he said he believed theatre had the power to change society. In 2022 he directed "The Seagull," calling himself the oldest debuting director.

He once said his dream was to collapse on stage, and his health declined while performing. Last year, he paused activities during "Waiting for Godot," and his planned 70th-anniversary production of "Death of a Salesman" never materialized.

Lee led efforts to protect actors’ rights as the founding president of the Actors Association in 1971, and he taught the next generation at Sejong University and Gachon University. He received the Bogwan Cultural Medal in 2002 and the Silver Crown Cultural Medal in 2018.

Despite his long life and distinguished career, honors were scarce until late. On Dec. 31 last year he received the grand prize at the 2024 KBS Drama Awards, the first acting grand prize of his life, and he wept as he ascended the stage despite his frail condition.

“After living a long life you find days like this,” he said. “I have always kept myself ready, thinking one day an opportunity would come. Viewers, I owe you so much and have received so much help. Thank you.”

News of his death on Nov. 25 prompted tributes from across society. President Lee Jae-myung said on social media that the works and messages the actor left behind were a precious part of South Korea’s cultural heritage. Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon called him a grandpa more stylish than the grandpas on TV, a beloved professor, a respected senior and an eternal artist.

Actor Jeong Bo-seok said, “Each step the master took was the beginning and history of our broadcast acting,” and actress Kim Hye-soo bowed her head, saying, “I owe you so much and I received so much help.” Producer Na Young-seok, who directed "Grandpas Over Flowers," said Lee taught the value of steady, diligent work.

By about 2 p.m. that day, Lee’s funeral hall at Asan Medical Center in the Songpa district of Seoul was filled with wreaths from fellow actors including Choi Bool-am, Na Moon-hee, Ha Jung-woo and Ahn Jae-wook.


김태언기자 beborn@donga.com