Lee Yong-yi

Not to be confused with Li-Young Lee.

In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.

Lee Yong-yi (Korean: 이용이; born July 30, 1958) is a theater, television and movie actress.^[1][2] She is known for her role as Nomo both in theater play and film Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005)^[3][4] and tvN series Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021).^[5]

Lee Yong-yi
이용이
Born	(1958-07-30) 30 July 1958 (age 66) Seoul, South Korea
Other names	Lee Yong-ee
Alma mater	Seoul Institute of the Arts
Occupations	Television Actress Theater Actress Folk Song Singer
Years active	1979 - present
Agent	High Entertainment
Spouse	Kim Il-woo
Relatives	Lee Da-geun (brother)
Korean name
Hangul	이용이
Hanja	李龍伊
RR	I Yongi
MR	I Yongi
Website	https://www.highentfamily.com/lee-yong-i

Career

After graduating from Seoul Institute of the Arts, in 1979, Lee joined Theatre Company Minye^[a] where she made her acting debut in the play Broken Jar by Heinrich von Kleist.^[3]

In 1986, Lee joined Theater Company Michu^[b] and participated in several notable productions. One of her notable performances was the role of Hyeong-bang in Madangnori Chunhyangjeon (1987–1992).^[8] She also performed in play Dung Dung Nakrang Dung (둥둥 낙랑둥) as King Bang Sook in July 12 to 24, 1996, at Towol Theater, Seoul Arts Center.^[9]

In 1991, Lee Yong-yi acted in Park Kwang-soo's film I Want to Go to That Island. She played the character Ne Eop-sun, a shaman who lived on the island with her husband. Interestingly, her real-life husband, actor Kim Il-woo, portrayed the role of the shaman's husband in the movie.^[4] The movie was released in 1993, So the year officially became her first big screen debut.^[10][11][12]

In 1995 Lee Yong-yi cast as Gwibone in play That Woman's Novel, adapted from the novel "Little Grandmother!" by playwright Um In-hee. It was a refinement of a work published in 1989 by the writer Um In-hee in Another Cultural 3rd Collection. The play, directed by Kang Young-geol, was performed at the 19th Seoul Theater Festival in June 1995 at the Arts Center Small Theater. Lee Yong-yi received the 19th Seoul Theater Festival Female Acting Award for her portrayal.^[13]

In 1998, Lee became leader of the theater company Hyun Bin (玄牝) which was established by her husband, actor and theater director Kim Il-woo.^[4][14] Their first production was an adaptation of Lee Moon-yeol's original novel, "Choice."^[15]

Since 2017, Lee Yong-yi has been under an exclusive contract with Liyan Entertainment.^[16] She later moved to High Entertainment.^[11]

Other activities

In addition to her acting career, Lee also possesses musical talent. She studied Gyeonggi folk songs under the guidance of the master pansori singer Ahn Bok-sik (1926–97).^[c] Furthermore, she served as a lecturer on music and acting at Sungkyunkwan University Social Education Center.^[4]

Personal life

Lee Yong-yi's late husband was Kim Il-woo, an actor and theater director. They met while they were both attending Seoul Institute of the Arts, where he was her senior in the theater department. They had two children together. Sadly, he passed away in 2004 due to stomach cancer.^[4]

Lee Yong-yi's older brother, Lee Dae-geun [ko], is also an actor. He appeared in productions such as 'The Third Republic' and 'The Fourth Republic'. However, he has not been active in the industry since his appearance in 'Fermented Family'.^[12]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Ref.
1993	I Want to Go to That Island
1997	Barricade	mother
1998	Hyun Bin
2000	Bongja	kimbap restaurant owner
2002	Don't Ask Family My Nike	mother
2004	Bride Lessons	Super Grandmother
2005	The Big Family	Soon-Im
	Welcome to Dongmakgol	Nomo[3]	[3]
	Leave when you applaud	shaman
2006	The Elegant World	old woman
	Son's Things	Grandmother
	Righteous Ties	Chi Seong-mo
2007	The Miracle of 1st Avenue	Seon Joo Mo
	Shadows in the Palace	Cheon Sang-gung
	Let's Live Right	Do Man Mo
2008	Little Prince	Sister Director
	Our School E.T.	Mo Eun-sil
	I Need Courage
	Accompanying	mother
	Mundi	mother
2009	Good Morning President	Nomo
	Operation	Hyun Soo-mo
	Chungdam Bodhisattva	Seung Wono
	Bean Pods in My Eyes	Sojoo Mo
2010	How to travel with a cow	mother of choice
2011	Romantic Heaven	old man Kim Boon In
	Mr. Idol	Rikimo
	The Guitar Laughs	Lee Gap-soon
	Bob, Sang	mother
2013	The Five	Jeong Ha-mo
	Perfectly Precious Love	Sarang Grandmother
2014	The Tenor – Lirico Spinto	Bae Jae-cheol's mother
2015	C'est Si Bon	aunt
	Salt Star
	Barter Exchange
2016	Missing: The Missing Woman	a caregiver grandmother
2017	Fabricated City	So Hyeon-Jeong Mo (voice)
	A Taxi Driver	Hong Yong-pyo Mo
2018	Herstory	a grandmother Yu, Inuk
	Whisper Whisper
2019	Jurors 8	Kang Doo-shik Mother
	Let Us Meet Now Hello -	Youngshin
	Long Live the King-	Mokpo Restaurant owner's grandmother (special appearance)
	The Missing Woman	Tazza Grandma
2020	The Day I Died: Unclosed Case	Grandmother Hwang
2021	Angels Are Viruses	Grandmother on Knees
2024	The Firefighters	Shin Yong-tae's mother

Television series

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2002	Pure Youth Park Jong-cheol	Jong-cheol's mother
2004	Tell Me That You Love Me	Governor
2007	New Heart	Patient	Cameo
2009	Temptation of an Angel	the director of a nursery school
2012	A Gentleman's Dignity	Lee Mi-kyung
2013	Prime Minister & I	Lee Dal-ja
	The Eldest	wife of the village mayor	Cameo
2014	You're All Surrounded	owner of a food stall	Cameo
	Endless Love	Mrs. Ahn
	Sweden Laundry	Grandmother		[18]
	Tears of Heaven	Yoon Eun-ja
2015	Warm and Cozy	Noh Bok-nyeo, haenyeo of Sorang Town		[19]
	My Fantastic Funeral	grandmother living upstairs
	It's Okay Because I am a Mom	Cha Ye-soon	TV movie
	Bubble Gum	patient
	Sweet and Bloody Family
2016	My Lawyer, Mr. Jo	Mal-sook
	Uncontrollably Fond
	Drinking Solo	Min Jin-woong's mother, Kim Mi-kyung
	Dr. Romantic	mother of a patient who came in after drinking pesticides
2017	Ms. Perfect	Goo Jung-hee's mother
2017–2018	A Korean Odyssey	Jin Seon-mi's grandmother
2018	Sunny Again Tomorrow	Hwang Dong-seok's mother
	My Only One	Geum-ok		[20]
	The Ghost Detective	Seon Woo-hye's mother
2019	Chocolate	Sookja's grandmother
	Chief of Staff	Yu's Grandmother
	When My Love Blooms	convenience store owner
2021	Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha	Lee Mat-yi
2021–2022	Let Me Be Your Knight	Chorong
2022	The Veil	Lee Choon-gil's aunt

Stage

Hyunbin Troupe

Theater play performances with Hyunbin Troupe

Year	Title		Role	Theater	Date	Ref.
	English	Korean
1998	(1998) Seoul International Theater Festival, Choice	(1998) 서울국제연극제-선택	Manshin, a female shaman	Arts and Culture Center	August 31 to October 15
1998–1999	Choice - Lee Yong-yi Goodnori Play	선택 - 이용이 굿놀이 연극		Hakjeon Blue Small Theater	June 9 to February 21
				Daehakro Theater	November 26 to January 10
1999				Arts and Culture Center Small Theater	February 5 to 21
2001	(2001) SPAF Seoul Performing Arts Festival: Princess Bari	(2001) SPAF 서울공연예술제: 바리공주	Giri	Sejong Center for the Performing Arts	October 12 to 15
2002	(2002) SPAF Seoul Performing Arts Festival: Happy House	(2002) SPAF 서울공연예술제: 행복한 집	Wife	Hakjeon Blue Small Theater	May 9 to 19
	Specialised in Raw Meat	생고기전문	—	Daehak-ro Small Theater rhythm space	October 3 to 27	Producer
2005	Hyun Bin's Goodnori play 'Choice'	극단 현빈의 굿놀이 연극 '선택'	Manshin, a female shaman	Inaso Theater	Nov 5 to 11
				Jeongmiso, Daehangno Installation Theater	Nov 25 to Dec 4	[21]
2006	The Richness	부유도	—	National Theater Sky Theater	October 25 to 29	Artistic Director
2008	Dangun Bonpuri	단군본풀이	Dangun	Korean Music Hall	January 29 to February 3
2010	There is Nothing Wrong with the Chair	의자는 잘못 없다	—	Daehangno Theater	August 24 to 26	producer

Musical

List of Musical Play(s)

Year	Title		Role	Theater	Date	Ref.
	English	Korean
1999	Beautiful autographs - delightful chatter of women who committed suicide!	아름다운 사인(死因) - 자살한 여인들의 유쾌한 수다!	Kim Gwi-in	Seoul Arts Center CJ Towol Theater	November 4 to 24	[22]

Theater

List of Stage Play(s) with other Theater Troupe

Year	Title		Role	Theater	Date	Ref.
	English	Korean
1986	Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad	엄마가 아빠를 옷장속에 매달아 놓았어요 그래서 나는 너무나 슬퍼요!!	mother	Arts and Culture Center Grand Theater	6.24—6.30
1997	Taxi Driver - Where are you going?	택시 드리벌 - 당신은 어디까지 가십니까?	passenger	Arts and Culture Center Small Theater	February 27–March 18	[23]
	(21st) Seoul Theater Festival: Taxi Driver - Where are you going?	(제21회) 서울연극제: 택시 드리벌 - 당신은 어디까지 가십니까?			October 10–15	[24]
1999	Three Tall Women	키 큰 세여자	C	Yonkang Hall	6.8 – 6.20
2000	Lady in the Pine House 101st Theater Company Constellation Performance	소나무집 여인아	Jin Woo-hee	Dongsung Art Center Dongsung Hall	6.29 – 7.9
	(12th) Geochang International Theater Festival; Lady in the Pine House	(제12회) 거창국제연극제 ; 소나무집 여인아	Jin Woo-hee	Wicheon Theater	8.1 – 8.2
2002	Welcome to Dongmakgol	웰컴 투 동막골	Nomu
2009	3 Days 2 Nights with My Mother's	친정엄마와 2박3일	Mrs. Choi	Lee Hae-Rang Arts Theater	01.17 – 03.08
				Changwon Seongsan Art Hall Grand	05.02 – 05.03
	Unhyeongung Brother (2009) (10th) Okrang Drama Award Winner	운현궁 오라버니	Han Sang-gung	Namsan Arts Center	12.4 – 12.13
2010	Theater Heated Battle 3 - The Most Beautiful Goodbye in the World	연극열전3 - 세상에서 가장 아름다운 이별	Sangju-daek	Daehak-ro T.O.M. Hall 1	04.23 – 07.18
2011	The Most Beautiful Goodbye in the World	세상에서 가장 아름다운 이별		Taebaek Culture and Arts Center Grand Performance Hall	02.19 – 02.19
2014	The Sea of Eomong	어멍의 바다	Superwoman	Uniplex Hall 1 (Grand Theater)	12.17 – 12.18
2016	Smile Deokgu	웃어요 덕구씨	wife	Masterpiece Theater 2 (Former Fox Star Theater)	09.03 – 10.02

National Theater

List of Stage Play(s) with National Theater

Year	Title		Role	Theater	Date	Ref.
	English	Korean
1995	Bull	불	Bun-yi-eo-meom	National Theater Small Theater	Mar 29-Apr 4	[25]
				Myeongdong Theater	Sep 01–07	[26]
2012	It's a Flower	꽃이다	geomne	National Theater Company Baek Baek Hee Jang Minho Theater	Sep 22-Oct 7	[27]

Theater Company Michu and Minye

Theater

List of Stage Play(s) with Minye Trope

Year	Title		Role	Theater	Date	Ref.
	English	Korean
1981	Baenggi Good The 60th Minye Theater Troupe Theater Performance	배뱅이 굿	Samwol-i	National Theater Small Theater	10.23 – 10.28
1983	Puppet Nooreum - Park Cheomji Nori		a great man	Minye Theater	3.1 – 3.15
	Hannah's Ascension	한네의 승천	sadang-pae	Arts and Culture Center Grand Theater	6.25 – 6.30
1985	Rice — The 87th performance	쌀	Woman	Arts and Culture Center Small Theater	8.29 – 9.3
1986	Muldori-dong	물도리동	Shaman	Arts and Culture Center Grand Theater	September 1–5
1993	The 111th Regular Performance Disengagement - Portrait of a seeker	脫俗 - 어느 구도자의 초상	Gwibunne	Arts and Culture Center Small Theater	3.18 – 3.31	[28]
	20th anniversary commemorative performance Disengagement - Portrait of a seeker			Hakjeon Small Theater	6.4 – 6.30
	Disengagement - Portrait of a seeker			Hakjeon Small Theater	8.31 – 9.19
1995	That Woman's Novel (Original Title: Little Grandmother) the 22nd anniversary of the founding of the theater company Minye Theater	(제19회) 서울연극제: 그 여자의 소설	Jag Eun-Daegu	Arts and Culture Center Small Theater	June 3 to 15	[13]
	That Woman's Novel (Original Title: Little Grandmother) the 19th Seoul Theater Festival in 1995				September 19 to October 1	[13]
	That Woman's Novel (Original Title: Little Grandmother)				Nov 1–Dec 31	[13]
1996	Arirang Jeongseon - The sound of life, the sound of love	아리랑 정선 - 삶의 소리, 사랑의 소리	mother	Arts and Culture Center Small Theater	April 26to May 8

List of Stage Play(s) with Michu Trope

Year	Title		Role	Theater	Date	Ref.
	English	Korea
1986	Muldori-dong	물도리동	Shaman	Arts and Culture Center Grand Theater	9.1 – 9.5
1991	Shadow of Time - Trilogy	시간의 그림자 - 3부작	mother	Arts and Culture Center Grand Theater	June 25–30
1989	Shin Yi Gukgi	신이국기	Seoul	Arts and Culture Center Grand Theater	May 9–15
1996	Dung Dung Nakrang Dung	둥둥 낙랑 둥	King Bang Sook	Seoul Art Center CJ Towol Theater	July 12–24	[29][9]

Musical

List of Musical Play(s) with Michu Troupe

Year	Title		Role	Theater	Date	Ref.
	English	Korean
1990	Make a Hero	영웅만들기	executive	Arts and Culture Center Grand Theater	Mar 27–Apr 2	[30]

Awards

List of Award(s)

Award	Year	Category	Works	Result	Ref.
19th Seoul Theater Festival Acting Award	1995	Best Actress	That Woman's Novel (Original Title: Little Grandmother)	Won	[13]
4th Hiseo Theater Award	1999	Best Actress	Lee Yong-yi	Won	[31]

Notes

1. Theatre Company Minye (민예극장; 民藝劇場;Folk Craft Theatre) is theater company founded in Seoul in 1973 for the purpose of respecting humanity through plays and modern acceptance of traditional plays. The theater company Minye is an abbreviation of 'National Theater of Performing Arts'. The folk craft theater's acceptance of traditional arts had a great influence on plays in the 1970s, and formed a flow in Korean theater, such as inserting mask dances or spears into modern plays, and finding materials in folktales and shamanism.^[6]
2. Theatre Company Michu (극단 미추; 美醜) was founded in August 1986 by Son Jin-chaek. The theater company Michu originated with the 'Son Jinchaek Directing Lab', which established when CEO Son Jin-chaek was the representative of the Minye Theater. Michu continues to search for the identity of Korean theater that emphasizes spirit rather than form . Since 1987, Michu has performed Madangnori works every year. Madangnori refers to traditional Korean theater that combines various forms of folk entertainment, such as puppetry, mask dances and traditional percussion music.^[7]
3. Gyeonggi folk song refers to all folk songs handed down in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. However, Gyeonggi folk songs designated as important intangible cultural assets refer to 'Gyeonggi Ginjapga' called 'Gyeonggi jwachang'. Gyeonggi Folk Song' was designated as Important Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 57 on July 12, 1975. As the first entertainers, Ahn Bok-sik (stage name Ahn Bi-chwi), Lee Gyeong-ok (李瓊玉, stage name Muk Gye-wol), and Lee Yun-ran (李潤蘭, stage name Lee Eun-ju) were recognized as the first entertainers.^[17]