Michael K. Lee

Michael K. Lee (born June 5, 1973, in Brooklyn, New York) to Won Yub and Suzie Lee, is an American theater actor and singer who lives in Seoul, Korea. Lee is a graduate of Stanford University.[1][2]

Acting career

Lee's career began when he was cast in 1995 in the second national tour of Miss Saigon. At the time, he was not Equity, and he had never taken a singing lesson in his life; he auditioned for the show on three occasions before he was cast.[3][4] Lee went on to join the Broadway production of Miss Saigon (Thuy). Other Broadway credits include Jesus Christ Superstar (Simon Zealotes), Pacific Overtures (Kayama), and Rent.[3]

In 2015–2016, 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). Lee's 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

Lee was born in Brooklyn, New York, but grew up 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 learned to play both violin and piano, ultimately playing in the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra.[3] At Stanford, Lee studied psychology on a pre-med track; he also sang with the Stanford Fleet Street Singers.[4] As of 2020, he lives in Seoul, Korea. He is married to Kim Varhola.

Television appearances
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References
  1. "Allegiance Broadway Cast: Michael K. Lee". Allegiance Musical. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  2. "Michael K. Lee Theatre Credits". Broadway World. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  3. Shin, Laura (January–February 2002). "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Graduation". Stanford Magazine. Stanford, CA. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  4. Wishna, Victor (1 December 1994). "Stanford Fleet Street singer bound for 'Miss Saigon' national tour: Michael Lee". The Stanford Daily. 206 (47). p. 4. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  5. Leeds, Ryan. "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". 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. 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. "[Herald Interview] Korean-American Broadway actor reprises role of Jesus Christ". www.koreaherald.com. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
  11. Kim Soo-hyung (March 22, 2020). "'복면가왕' 코로나19 無관중 스페셜, 신이→골든차일드 지범 아쉬운 '생존신고' [종합]". OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  12. 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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