Lee Byung-hun: Career, Net Worth & Hollywood Milestones
Lee Byung-hun, born on July 12, 1970, in Seoul, South Korea, gained international recognition through critically lauded movies like Joint Security Area and A Bittersweet Life. His transition to Hollywood brought global fame via roles in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and RED 2.
As of early 2017, his net worth reached $20 million, built over decades of acting and entrepreneurial ventures starting in the 1990s. Raised in Gyeonggi Province, he is the brother of former Miss Korea Lee Eun-hee and studied French Literature at Hanyang University before pursuing theatre and film at Chung-Ang University.
His breakthrough came in 1991 with KBS’s Asphalt My Hometown, followed by standout performances in The Harmonium in My Memory and Asphalt Man. Winning a Busan Film Critics’ Best Actor award for Joint Security Area (2000) solidified his status as a leading figure in South Korean cinema, alongside hits like Bungee Jumping on Their Own and The Good, the Bad, the Weird.
Hollywood expansion began with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), co-starring Sienna Miller and Channing Tatum. Subsequent projects included RED 2, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and Terminator Genisys, plus The Magnificent Seven alongside Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt. In 2012, he became the first Korean actor to have handprints at Hollywood’s Chinese Theatre, and in 2016, he made history as the first Korean to present an Oscar.
Beyond acting, he founded BH Entertainment, managing talent in South Korea, and launched the BHNC apparel line selling accessories. Married since 2013 to actress Lee Min-jung, they share son Lee Joon-hoo.
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