Lee Deok-hwa (Lee Deok-hwa), born on May 8, 1952, in South Korea, is a South Korean actor whose career spans more than five decades. He trained in theater and film at Dongguk University and made his acting debut in 1972. The son of actor Lee Ye-chun, he notably shared the screen with his father in The Man with Two Faces. In the 1970s, he became very popular with young audiences thanks to romantic movies Never Forget Me and I'm Really Sorry.
He went on to establish himself as one of the leading actors of his generation, both in film and on television. He won three Grand Bell Awards for Best Actor for Lost Love (1989), Fly High, Run Far (1991) and I Will Survive (1993). For this film, he also won the Best Actor Award at the 1993 Moscow International Film Festival. On television, his performances in Love and Ambition (1987) and Han Myung-hoe (1994) earned her a Daesang for each.
A veteran of major historical epics, he plays Chun Doo-hwan in Fifth Republic (2005), and then General Xue Rengui in Dae Jo-yeong (2006). He continues with Empress Cheonchu (2009), Giant (2010), History of a Salaryman and May Queen (2012), before playing King Injo in Blooded Palace: The War of Flowers (2013). He then appears in Hotel King (2014), The Merchant: Gaekju 2015, Monster (2016), then Suspicious Partner and Hit the Top (2017).
More recently, he made a lasting impression as King Yeongjo in The Red Sleeve (2021), before starring in Business Proposal and One Dollar Lawyer (2022), Stealer: The Treasure Keeper and The Escape of the Seven (2023). After appearing in Jeongnyeon: A Star Is Born and Brewing Love In 2024, he joined Undercover Miss Hong and Phantom Lawyer in 2026.
A veteran of the Korean entertainment industry, Lee Deok-hwa has also held positions in the film industry. His daughter, Lee Ji-hyun, is also an actress.
