Lee El (이엘), whose real name is Kim Ji-hyun (김지현), is a South Korean actress born on August 26, 1982, in Seoul. She attended Sungkyunkwan University before pursuing a career in acting.
She began her career in the late 2000s and first appeared in several films and TV series in supporting roles. On the big screen, she has appeared notably in Secret (2009), The Murderer (2010), Pacemaker and Masquerade (2012), then Man in High Heels (2014). She has drawn particular attention with Inside Men (2015), which earned her a Grand Bell Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
On television, Lee El has been making frequent appearances in shows such as White Christmas (2011), The Princess’ Man (2011), Liar Game (2014), My Beautiful Bride (2015) and Monster (2016). Her popularity soared thanks to her portrayal of Sam-sin in Goblin (2016–2017). She went on to play major roles in Black (2017), in which she plays Yoon Soo-wan, and then A Korean Odyssey (2017–2018) and Marital Chaos (2018).
In 2018, she also landed her first major leading role in a film with What a Man Wants, in which she plays Jenny. She appeared that same year in The Drug King, before playing Young-sook's mother in the thriller The Call.
Throughout the 2020s, Lee El continued her career, alternating between leading and supporting roles. She appeared notably in Happiness Battle (2023), in which she plays Jang Mi-ho, and then in Mr. Plankton (2024) as Bong-suk/Ju-ri.
The year 2025 is particularly busy for the actress. She plays Kang Tae-hee, the head of the ground control center, in When the Stars Gossip. She then went on to play leading roles in My Troublesome Star, in which she plays Ko Hui-young, and Queen Mantis, playing the role of Kim Na-hui. She also appears in Waiting for Gyeong-do as Seo Ji-yeon, Ji-u's older sister.
Among the projects it has announced is also Hyeopban, an eight-episode series in which she will play the lead character, Sim Cheong-ha.
Throughout her career, Lee El has made a name for herself in both supporting and leading roles, with a filmography that ranges from thrillers and crime dramas to romance, comedy, and fantasy.
