Born as Kim Hyung-soo, he began his career in entertainment after starring in a
music video alongside older sister, actress
Kim Tae-hee. Using the
stage name Lee Wan, he made his acting debut in 2003. He first drew notice in a supporting role in the
television drama Stairway to Heaven, followed by leading roles in romantic comedies
Snow White: Taste Sweet Love and ''Let's Go to the Beach
. He reunited with Stairway to Heaven
costar Park Shin-hye in 2006 in the melodrama Tree of Heaven'' which was a joint Korean-Japanese production. Lee also contributed the song "Where Farewells Don't Exist" to the drama's
soundtrack. He also played the leading role opposite
Ami Suzuki in the 2007
Japanese television drama Magnolia no Hana no Shita de ("Under the Magnolia"), which portrayed a romance between a Korean man and a Japanese woman who meet while studying in
New York City. Afterwards, he returned to Korean television with a supporting role in
In-soon Is Pretty, as the protagonist's younger brother. In 2008, Lee starred in the
Korean War film
Once Upon a Time in Seoul. He next played a villain in the gambling-themed series
Swallow the Sun in 2009. Lee enlisted for
mandatory military service on 12 July 2010, and was part of the entertainment soldiers unit of the Defense Media Agency under the
Ministry of National Defense. He was discharged on 23 April 2012. As his first post-army project, Lee appeared in the 2013 online drama ''It's Not Over Yet
; it aired in 6-part 10-minute installments on social networking sites. In 2015, he starred in Northern Limit Line'', a naval thriller about the
Second Battle of Yeonpyeong. == Personal life ==