Ma Dong-seok

Ma Dong-seok
Ma at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Lee Dong-seok

(1971-03-01) March 1, 1971 (age 52)
Other namesDon Lee
Citizenship
  • South Korea (1971–1989)
  • United States (1989–present)
EducationColumbus State Community College
OccupationActor
Years active2005–present
AgentBig Punch Entertainment
Spouse
Ye Jung-hwa
(m. 2021)
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationMa Dong-seok
McCune–ReischauerMa Tongsŏk
Birth name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationI Dong-seok
McCune–ReischauerI Tongsŏk

Ma Dong-seok (born Lee Dong-seok on March 1, 1971), also known as Don Lee, is a South Korean–American actor. With his breakout performance in Train to Busan and subsequent leading roles, he has become one of South Korea's most successful actors. He was Gallup Korea's Film Actor of the Year in 2018.

Career

Ma rose to fame for his supporting roles in the films The Neighbor, Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time, and The Unjust. He then played leading roles in Norigae, Murderer, and One on One.

Ma's role in the zombie film Train to Busan propelled him to international popularity. His subsequent leading roles in films Derailed, The Bros, The Outlaws, Unstoppable, Champion, The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil, The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos and The Roundup along with supporting roles in Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days and Ashfall have met with critical and commercial successes led him to Most Bankable Star of Korean Cinema. Although known for his 'tough guy' persona roles, Ma is often celebrated and criticized for playing similar roles in his movies. In 2019, he joined the cast of the MCU film Eternals as Gilgamesh which marked his Hollywood debut.

On television, Ma is known for his roles in the hit OCN series Bad Guys and Squad 38.

In 2022, Ma signed a contract with LDH Japan, another large Japanese agency. His 2022 release action crime thriller The Roundup, sequel to his 2017 film The Outlaws not only opened to unanimous positive reviews but also became the highest grossing film of 2022 by surpassing 12 million admissions for the first time since 2019 and all time 3rd highest grosser in South Korea.

In 2024, dystopian film Badland Hunters in which Ma is playing role of wasteland hunter will be released on 26 January on Netflix.

Other activities

Ma in 2016

Under his Westernized name, Don Lee, and before he turned to acting, Ma was the personal trainer of mixed martial artists Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman.

With his production company Team Gorilla, Ma is currently involved in planning and writing screenplays. He worked on the screenplay for the film Deep Trap, in which he starred. He is also the co-creator of the OCN Dramatic Cinema series Team Bulldog: Off-Duty Investigation.

Armwrestling

Ma Dong-seok
Personal information
Birth nameLee Dong-seok
NicknameDon Lee
Born (1971-03-01) March 1, 1971 (age 52)
Seoul, South Korea
Height178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight90 kg (199 lb)

Ma has been an amateur armwrestler since 2008, and he became the president of Korea Armwrestling Federation in 2018.

Personal life

In 2016, Ma was reportedly dating sports reporter and media personality Ye Jung-hwa. On October 20, 2022, Ma's agency stated that he and Ye registered their marriage last year. The wedding ceremony will be held at a later date, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and busy schedules.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2012 33rd Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Supporting Actor The Neighbor Nominated
2013 49th Baeksang Arts Awards Won
22nd Buil Film Awards Nominated
17th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival It Award Won
2016 5th APAN Star Awards Best Supporting Actor Squad 38 Nominated
25th Buil Film Awards Familyhood Nominated
37th Blue Dragon Film Awards Train to Busan Nominated
2017 8th KOFRA Film Awards Won
11th Asian Film Awards Nominated
53rd Baeksang Arts Awards Nominated
22nd Chunsa Film Art Awards Nominated
2018 Golden Egg Awards Best Actor The Outlaws Won
54th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actor (Film) Nominated
23rd Chunsa Film Art Awards Best Actor Nominated
2nd Korea China International Film Festival Best Actor Won
2022 Beautiful Artist Awards
(Shin Young-kyun Arts and Culture Foundation)
Film Artist Award The Roundup Won
9th Korean Film Producers Association Awards Best Actor Won
2022 Kinolights Awards Actor of The Year (Domestic) 5th
2023 Visionary Awards 2023 Visionary Won
59th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actor – Film The Roundup Nominated

Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement
Publisher Year Listicle Placement Ref.
Cine21 2021 Actors that will lead Korean Video Content Industry in 2022 6th
Gallup Korea 2017 Gallup Korea's Film Actor of the Year 2nd
2018 1st
2019 2nd
2020 3rd
2021 3rd
2022 2nd
2023 1st
The Screen 2019 2009-2019 Top Box Office Powerhouse Actors in Korean Movies 10th

This page was last updated at 2024-01-20 16:34 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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