Lee Si-yeon
Born
Lee Dae-hak

(1980-07-24) 24 July 1980
South Korea
Occupation(s)Actress, model
Years active1999–present
RelativesSeo Jae-hyuk[1] (uncle)
Korean name
Hangul
이시연
Hanja
李詩姸
Revised RomanizationI Si-yeon
McCune–ReischauerYi Si-yeŏn
Birth name
Hangul
이대학
Hanja
李大鶴
Revised RomanizationI Dae-hak
McCune–ReischauerYi Tae-hak

Lee Si-yeon (born Lee Dae-hak on July 24, 1980[2]) is a South Korean actress and model. In 1999, Lee participated in the Anti-Miss Korea competition.[3] In November 2007, Lee underwent sex reassignment surgery[4] and changed her name to Si-yeon. Lee is the niece of Seo Jae-hyuk, a singer-songwriter and guitarist, member of Boohwal.

Life

Lee debuted as a male model under her birth name Dae-hak, becoming known for her feminine appearance and wearing women's clothing on the catwalk, but ultimately wished to pursue a career as an actor. She appeared in the films My Boss, My Hero (2001) and Sex Is Zero (2002), providing comic relief in effeminate male roles, but felt pressured into cutting her hair and building up muscle. Lee recalled that, "once I entered showbiz, I was forced to live a life I didn't like", and growing increasingly unhappy, made several attempts at suicide before deciding to transition.[5]

Adopting the given name Si-yeon, Lee underwent sex reassignment surgery in 2007, and admitted to having doubts over her sexuality since being in secondary school.[5] She returned to acting later that year in the sequel Sex Is Zero 2, with her character from the original film now also a transsexual.[6] Lee publicly announced her sex reassignment prior to the release of the film, but was apprehensive about the reaction from audiences.[7] Co-star Shin Yi observed that surgery had not changed her image much, and stated that she had always regarded Lee as a "kid sister".[6]

Filmography

Film

Year Film Role
2001 My Boss, My Hero Shin Jin
2002 Sex Is Zero Lee Dae-hak
2007 Sex Is Zero 2
2008 The Devil's Game

Studio albums

  • I Became a Woman (2010)

See also

References

  1. ↑ '트랜스젠더' 이시연, 알고보니 부활 베이시스트 서재혁 조카 한국경제 2010.04.22 (in Korean)
  2. ↑ 인물검색 (People Search) NAVER 23 May 2014 (in Korean)
  3. ↑ 큰 용기 이시연, ‘누가 그녀에게 돌을 던지랴’ 데일리안 2007.11.09 (in Korean)
  4. ↑ 트렌스젠더 배우 이시연 가수 변신···“난 여자가 됐어” 강원일보 2010.04.13 (in Korean)
  5. 1 2 Chang May Choon, "I have started my second life as a woman" Archived 2008-05-11 at the Wayback Machine, Asiaone, 31 January 2008. Retrieved on 2 February 2008.
  6. 1 2 Yang Sung-jin, "Sex is Zero 2 sticks to toilet and bawdy humor", The Korea Herald, 3 December 2007. A free copy of this article can be found at HanCinema. Retrieved on 16 January 2007.
  7. ↑ Park Si-soo, "Male-Turned-Female Actress Appears in Sex Is Zero Sequel", The Korea Times, 12 November 2007. Retrieved on 16 January 2008.
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