Michael K. Lee (born June 5, 1973) is an American theater actor and singer who resides in Seoul, Korea.

Early life

Lee was born in Brooklyn, New York to Susie and Won Yub Lee. He was raised in Salamanca, a small Native American reservation town near Buffalo, where his father, a surgeon, set up his practice.[1] Theirs was the only Asian American family in the town. He played both violin and piano, and performed in the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra.[2] He is a graduate of Stanford University,[1][3] where he studied psychology on a pre-med track and sang with the Stanford Fleet Street Singers.[4]

Acting career

Lee's career began in 1995, when he was cast in the second national tour of Miss Saigon. He auditioned for the show on three occasions before he was cast.[2][4] Lee went on to join the Broadway production of Miss Saigon (Thuy). His other Broadway credits include Jesus Christ Superstar (Simon Zealotes), Pacific Overtures (Kayama), and Rent.[2]

From 2015 to 2016, Lee starred in the musical Allegiance on Broadway,[5] a show about George Takei's life experiences (who starred in the musical alongside Lee). In the show, Lee reprised the role of Frankie Suzuki, a character based on real-life political activist Frank S. Emi.[6] The role had won him the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle's Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Featured Performance in 2012, during the Allegiance's run at the Old Globe there.[7] Allegiance began Broadway previews on October 6, 2015, and opened on November 8, 2015,[8] running through early 2016.

Lee has starred in numerous productions in Seoul, including Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus), Miss Saigon (Chris), Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Tick), Notre Dame de Paris (Gringoire), Amour (Dusoleil), and Gone with the Wind (Ashley). His other international credits include Where Elephants Weep in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, They’re Playing Our Song in Manila, Philippines (opposite Lea Salonga), and A Twist of Fate in Singapore (opposite Laura Michelle Kelley).

Lee portrayed Tommy in The Who's Tommy, winning a Seattle Footlight Award for Best Actor in a Musical;[9] Judas and Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar,[10] Aladdin in Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular; and Jamie Willerstein in The Last Five Years.

Personal life

As of 2013, he lives in Seoul, Korea. He is married to actress Kim Varhola.[11]

Theater

Year Title Role Region
1991-2001 Miss Saigon Thuy - Replacement Broadway
1999 Beijing Spring LA
2000 Jesus Christ Superstar Simon Zealotes Broadway
... They’re Playing Our Song ... Manila, Philippines
2001 The Last Five Years Jamie Willerstein
... A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Hero ...
2003 Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular Aladdin Disneyland
2004-05 Pacific Overtures Kayama Broadway
2005 A Twist of Fate ... Esplanade Theatre, Singapore
2006 Miss Saigon (South Korea debut) Chris South Korea
2007 The Who's Tommy Tommy
2008 The King and I ... Village Theatre, Issaquah, WA
... Where Elephants Weep ... Phnom Penh, Cambodia
2010 Miss Saigon Chris South Korea
2011 Jesus Christ Superstar Jesus Christ / Judas Iscariot Village Theatre, WA
2012 Allegiance (musical) Frankie Suzuki Old Globe Theatre, San Diego
2013 Jesus Christ Superstar Jesus Christ South Korea
2013 Notre Dame de Paris Gringoire South Korea
2014 Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Tick South Korea
Amour Dusoleil South Korea
Seopyeonje Dongho South Korea
The Devil X South Korea
2015 Gone with the Wind (musical) Ashley South Korea
Jesus Christ Superstar Jesus Christ South Korea
2015-16 Allegiance (musical) Frankie Suzuki Broadway
2016 Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe South Korea
2016 Notre-Dame de Paris (musical) Gringoire South Korea
2017 Rocky Horror Show Dr. Frank N. Furter South Korea
Napoleon Napoleon South Korea
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (musical) Hedwig South Korea
2018 The Phantom of the Opera Raoul South Korea
Notre-Dame de Paris (musical) Gringoire South Korea
Rocky Horror Show Dr. Frank N. Furter South Korea
2019 Hedwig and the Angry Inch (musical) Hedwig South Korea
2020 Something Rotten! Nostradamus South Korea
Eyes of Dawn Jang Ha-rim South Korea
2021 Blue Helmet : A Song of Meissa Commander South Korea
Jesus Christ Superstar Jesus Christ Japan
2022-23 Jesus Christ Superstar Jesus Christ South Korea
2023 The Devil X-White Japan
2024 Notre-Dame de Paris (musical) Gringoire South Korea
Next to Normal Dan South Korea

TV shows

References

  1. ^ a b "Allegiance Broadway Cast: Michael K. Lee". Allegiance Musical. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Shin, Laura (January–February 2002). "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Graduation". Stanford Magazine. Stanford, CA. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  3. ^ "Michael K. Lee Theatre Credits". Broadway World. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  4. ^ a b Wishna, Victor (1 December 1994). "Stanford Fleet Street singer bound for 'Miss Saigon' national tour: Michael Lee". The Stanford Daily. Vol. 206, no. 47. p. 4. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  5. ^ Leeds, Ryan (16 December 2015). "Pledging "ALLEGIANCE": An Interview with Broadway's Michael K. Lee & Telly Leung". Manhattan Digest. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
  6. ^ "8Questions: Interview with 'Allegiance' actor Michael K. Lee". 17 November 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  7. ^ "2012 Awards | The San Diego Theatre Critics Circle". sdcriticscircle.org. Retrieved 2016-01-20.
  8. ^ "George Takei, Lea Salonga, Telly Leung, Michael K. Lee and more at the first preview of Broadway's Allegiance; opens Nov. 8". AsAm News. 11 October 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
  9. ^ "The Times Footlight Awards for local theater". The Seattle Times. 2007-12-23. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
  10. ^ Herald, The Korea (25 June 2015). "[Herald Interview] Korean-American Broadway actor reprises role of Jesus Christ". www.koreaherald.com. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
  11. ^ "Get Inside the Opening Night Party for Allegiance, Starring George Takei, Lea Salonga, Telly Leung & More". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  12. ^ Kim Soo-hyung (March 22, 2020). "'복면가왕' 코로나19 無관중 스페셜, 신이→골든차일드 지범 아쉬운 '생존신고' [종합]". OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  13. ^ Ji Yeon-joo (March 29, 2020). "'복면가왕' 가왕 주윤발, 반달 프린스=마이클리 꺾고 3연승(종합)". Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved March 29, 2020.


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