Lee Byung-hun is one of the most successful South Korean actors in Hollywood. Since his Hollywood debut in 2009, Lee has become a familiar face to film audiences. For many viewers, Lee is known for playing the villain. Over the years, he has received accolades in South Korean cinema and is considered one of the country’s biggest theatrical exports.
In 2024, Lee Byung-hun reprised his role as the Front Man/Hwang In-ho in the long-awaited season 2 of the South Korean survival thriller series Squid Game. Although he only made a cameo appearance in season 1, Lee’s character was one of the central characters in season 2. As the main antagonist, Lee’s Hwang In-ho character discreetly joined the games as Player 001. Audiences watched his character befriend and eventually betray Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae). Besides Squid Game, here’s every Hollywood movie Lee Byung-hun has starred in.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
The Stephen Sommers-directed 2009 military sci-fi action film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was the first installment in the G.I. Joe film series. It also doubled as Lee Byung-hun’s Hollywood debut. Lee was cast as Storm Shadow, one of the secondary antagonists. His character is that of a skilled martial artist and ninja who works with the Cobra organization. Storm Shadow has a deep and complex rivalry with Snake Eyes, another Ninja from the G.I. Joe team.
A background storyline revealed Storm Shadow, known as Thomas when he was younger, belonged to the same Arashikage ninja clan as Snake Eyes. The G.I. Joe film series was based on Hasbro’s comics and toy line. Despite never reading or knowing about the comic or toy line (the franchise was unknown in South Korea), Lee Byung-hun delivered exceptionally in his Storm Shadow portrayal. Lee Byung-hun reprised the role of Storm Shadow in the 2013 sequel and second installment, G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Red 2
After reprising his role as Storm Shadow, Lee Byung-hun was cast again as a highly skilled martial artist and assassin. In Red 2, Lee played Han Cho-Bai, a former colleague of the film’s protagonist, Frank Moses (Bruce Willis). After Frank and his associates are declared terrorists, Han is introduced as one of the assassins hired to stop and eliminate Frank and his team. Han holds a grudge against Frank and seeks revenge.
It gets personal for Han after Frank, Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), and Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker) steal his plane. However, Han later becomes an ally to stop Dr. Edward Bailey (Anthony Hopkins). In the end, Han’s plane blows up with Bailey in it. Han angrily demands Frank pay him $30 million to get a new plane and an additional $20 million for canceling his contract not to kill Frank. Lee Byung-hun’s Han Cho-Bai character stood out for his precision, agility, hand-to-hand combat, and weaponry proficiency. Red 2 was a commercial success, grossing $148.1 million against its $84 million budget.
Terminator Genisys
With the success of the G.I. Joe films and Red 2, Lee Byung-hun has become a familiar face in Hollywood. Having played two significant villain roles, it was no surprise he returned as a Cop/T-1000 in Terminator Genisys. The movie was the fifth installment in the Terminator franchise. Lee’s character was an advanced shape-shifting prototypical Terminator. With the character made from mimetic poly-alloy, Lee’s T-1000 was a menacing antagonist capable of mimicking others. It does so by transforming parts of his liquid metal into a perfect replica of the person, as well as creating weapons.
Lee Byung-hun’s portrayal brought a fresh intensity to this iconic character previously made famous by Robert Patrick in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Arnold Schwarzenegger returned as the Terminator and also starred Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, J. K. Simmons, Matt Smith, and Courtney B. Vance. Terminator Genisys was panned by critics and also struggled at the Box Office. It performed moderately and below expectations, grossing $440.6 million against its estimated $155–158 million production budget.
Misconduct
Lee Byung-hun joined the star-studded cast of Shintaro Shimosawa’s 2016 thriller Misconduct, playing The Accountant. Although cast in a supporting role, his portrayal of a Hitman was nothing short of masterclass. After Ben Cahill (Josh Duhamel) decides to file a class action lawsuit against Arthur Denning (Anthony Hopkins), the owner of a major pharmaceutical company, Lee’s character is hired to keep him in check. Although he performs fewer martial arts fights in the movie, audiences watched him play a menacing hitman on a power bike. Misconduct also starred Al Pacino, Julia Stiles, Malin Åkerman, Alice Eve, and Glen Powell.
The Magnificent Seven
As of 2024, Lee Byung-hun’s last Hollywood movie was Antoine Fuqua’s 2016 Western action The Magnificent Seven. He returned portraying Billy Rocks, a skilled assassin and knife expert. Billy, Goodnight Robicheaux’s (Ethan Hawke) traveling companion, joined the group of outlaws, bounty hunters, and hired guns. The group is hired to defend a small town, Rose Creek, from the ruthless robber baron and gold mining tycoon Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard). Lee’s Billy Rocks was known for his calm demeanor, loyalty, and weapon precision. The character was killed alongside Robicheaux while defending the town. With stellar performances playing bad-guy roles, Lee Byung-hun’s Hwang In-ho was one of Squid Game season 2 top characters.
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