Lee debuted on the small screen through SBS television series “Dinosaur Teacher,” in October 1993 and shot to stardom through another SBS drama series “Sandglass,” in 1995. Although a 90s star, Lee’s most iconic characters are in films released after 2000, including “The Housemaid,” (2010), “The Thieves,” (2012), “New World,” (2013), “The Face Reader,” (2013), “Assassination,” (2015) and “Deliver Us From Evil,” (2020). He found global fame through Netflix Korea series “Squid Game,” for which he won the 'Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor,' at the 28th Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. His directorial debut through the action film “Hunt,” was released in 2022.