With the popularity and success of the revived/reboot Quantum Leap, actor Raymond Lee is finally getting the attention he truly deserves. Although he began his career in the late 2000s, his most notable roles emerged a decade later. As a multi-talented actor, Raymond Lee has worked as a stage, film, and television actor.
Playing Dr. Ben Song in Quantum Leap is Raymond Lee’s first lead role as an actor. With rising credits as a supporting actor, it’s no surprise Lee was more than ready to lead the cast in one of Hollywood’s biggest reboots of the early 2020s. For more about the actor, here are 8 things you didn’t know about the Quantum Leap actor Raymond Lee.
Raymond Lee Was Raised By A Single Mother
Anyone who knows Raymond Lee intimately knows he has a close relationship with his mother. Their bond goes beyond the intricacies of the Oedipus complex but from the dedication and care his mother put into his upbringing and success. Lee’s mother is from South Korea. Having moved to the United States, she gave birth to Raymond Lee in the Queens borough of New York City. His mother later moved to San Diego to be with her best friend, who also had a son about the same age as Raymond Lee.
He Initially Enrolled To Study Kinesiology In College
Although he had loved and enjoyed the performing arts growing up, Raymond Lee chose a different, unrelated path when it came time for college. Lee enrolled at California State University, Long Beach, to study Kinesiology. However, he later chose to follow a passion he had groomed since he was young. Determined he was fated to be an actor, Lee switched his major from Kinesiology to acting. In retrospect, while it’s uncertain what his life would have been as a kinesiologist, film and television audiences are more than grateful to have had him choose acting.
Raymond Lee’s Mother Was A Korean Actress
Raymond Lee’s mother had a career as an actress before she emigrated from South Korea. Although K-dramas weren’t as popular as they are today, she wasn’t exactly a popular name. However, it was a career she loved and chose. When she arrived in the United States, she gave up her acting career and settled, like many immigrants, on jobs to make a living. Surprisingly, Raymond Lee didn’t know about his mother’s acting career until a few years ago. The actor had no inclination nor idea she ever ventured into the profession.
However, her determination to see him succeed as an actor wasn’t only borne out from a mother’s love for her child’s success but from a shared passion. Lee admits his mother gave him feedback and pointers about his acting several times, which were always good insights. The actor also admits it was his mother who pushed him in the direction of performing arts. Besides encouraging him to join the choir, she would enroll/enlist him in anything that involved performance. Although not to pursue an acting career, Lee’s mother would later move the family from San Diego to Los Angeles.
Raymond Lee’s Early Acting Career
Raymond Lee’s first acting performance was in college. He actively participated in several of the college’s plays. Besides starring in the Ktown Cowboys web series, one of his earliest on-screen roles was his film debut in 2009. He made a brief appearance as the second guy in the college party in the horror film Penance (2009). His next two film appearances were also brief roles, playing Tian in Typhoon 360 (2011) and a Businessman in Supercapitalist (2012). Raymond Lee’s first notable role in a movie was playing Kelvin Kim in the American drama A Leading Man in (2013).
Raymond Lee Has History With the Original Quantum Leap
Like most children, Raymond Lee had spent his early years watching cartoons and animated films. Although he was a toddler when the original Quantum Leap originally aired, he was fortunate enough to watch the rerun when he was in the sixth grade. A friend of his had mentioned and introduced him to it, but he was surprised his friend was even allowed to watch TV. Like many audiences and fans of the show, Lee enjoyed every episode. Little did he know that a few decades into the future, he would play the lead role in the revived/reboot series of Quantum Leap.
His Mother Was The First Person He Called About The Quantum Leap Role
Raymond Lee was the first actor to be cast in the series. After getting off the phone with the producers and being offered the lead role, he put a call across to his mother. Being a fan of the original series, she was in shock and disbelief that her son would be given the opportunity to lead the cast of a reboot series. On the other hand, his wife, who has always been immensely supportive of his career, was more receptive to acknowledging he deserved the role and had been prepared for it.
Raymond Lee’s Highest-Grossing Movie Is Over $1 Billion
Starring in a billion-dollar movie is no small feat in itself. Although cast in a supporting role, Raymond Lee’s highest-grossing movie is the 2022 action drama sequel Top Gun: Maverick. Lee was cast as a F/A-18F pilot and mission candidate, LT Logan “Yale” Lee. For Raymond Lee, the honor wasn’t only for starring alongside some of Hollywood’s top actors but for having the experience of collaborating with the United States Naval officers and aviators. The Tom Cruise-led Top Gun: Maverick grossed $1.496 billion at the Box Office.
Other Raymond Lee’s Starring Roles in Film and Television
2022 was an exceptionally busy year for Raymond Lee. He played a minor role as Officer Gomez in the Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum romantic action-adventure comedy The Lost City (2022). Between playing Danny in a short film, Trying, and the other listed roles, Raymond Lee ended 2022 starring alongside Lily Gladstone in a major supporting role in The Unknown Country (2022).
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