Clara Lee (Korean: 클라라 리; born Lee Sung-min (Korean: 이성민) on 14[1] January 1985), better known by her mononym Clara, is an actress and model based in South Korea.[2]
Clara | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lee in 2017. | |
| Born | Lee Sung-min 15 January 1985 Switzerland |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | El Camino College |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Agent | CL ENM |
| Spouse |
Samuel Hwang (m. 2019) |
| Parent | Lee Seung-kyu (father) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 클라라 |
| Revised Romanization | Keulrara |
| McCune–Reischauer | K'ŭllara |
| Birth name | |
| Hangul | 이성민 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | I Seong-min |
| McCune–Reischauer | I Sŏngmin |
Career
editClara (born Lee Sung-Min，이성민, 李成敏) made her entertainment debut under her birth name in 2005 and starred in her first film in 2009, Five Senses of Eros. In January 2012, she adopted Clara as her stage name, which was announced at a press conference for the drama series, Take Care of Us, Captain. Reasons given for the name change included that her birth name, Sung-min, was "male-sounding" and that her English name had always been Clara.[3]
_in_Oct_2013_from_acrofan_(2).jpg)
In May 2013, Clara became an overnight sensation online after throwing a ceremonial first pitch in a professional baseball game dressed in form-fitting leggings.[4] She has since been hailed as an up-and-coming star and a sex symbol.[5][6] In September 2013, Clara drew criticism from South Korean netizens for apparently contradicting herself on television by saying she liked to eat chicken and drink beer in one program and stating the contrary in another. Consequently, she closed down her Twitter and Facebook accounts.[7][8] Afterwards, she again played supporting roles in the television series Goddess of Marriage (2013) and Emergency Couple (2014), followed by a leading role in the sex comedy film Casa Amor: Exclusive for Ladies (2015).[9][10][11][12]
In December 2014, she filed a lawsuit against her agency Polaris Entertainment to nullify her contract on the grounds of being sexually harassed by its president Lee Kyu-tae; Polaris denied those allegations and countered that Clara had been blackmailing the agency to end her contract which is due to expire in 2018.[13] In July 2015, prosecutors cleared Clara of the blackmail allegations and indicted Lee for making threats against her that implied physical violence.[14][15][16][17]
On 18 September 2015 Clara dropped her suit against Polaris Entertainment, bringing their legal battle to an end.[18]
Personal life
editClara is the daughter of singer Lee Seung-kyu, a former member of the bilingual band, Koreana.[19] She was born in Switzerland, educated in the United States, and now based in South Korea.[2] Clara is a British citizen.[2]
In January 2019, she announced her marriage to a Korean-American businessman.[20][21]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Five Senses of Eros | Lee Yoon-jung (segment "Believe in the Moment") |
| 2013 | Ask This of Rikyu | Joseon noblewoman |
| 2015 | Casa Amor: Exclusive for Ladies | Oh Nan-hee |
| 2016 | Line Walker | Assassin |
| Some Like It Hot | Yoyo | |
| 2017 | The Jade Pendant[22] | Peony |
| 2018 | Fat Buddies | Chinese immigrant's wife |
| Love Illusion | ||
| Killing Mobile | Webcam model | |
| 2019 | Bodies at Rest | Ankie Cheng |
| Shenzhen Love | ||
| Jump Out of Primitive Tribe | ||
| Space Intellectual | ||
| Run Amuck | AK Queen | |
| 2021 | Kill the Monster | |
| Big Red Envelope | Ellie | |
| Empathic Master | ||
| Double Patty | Foreign journalist | |
| Detective Chinatown 3 | Photo-taking girl | |
| Some Like It Hot 2 | ||
| 2023 | The Wandering Earth 2 | Space-elevator attacker |
Television series
edit| Year | Title | Network | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Invisible Man, Choi Jang-soo | KBS2 | Cha Hye-jin |
| 2006-2007 | High Kick! | MBC | Kim Yoon-joo (ep.64) |
| 2009 | Hilarious Housewives | Lee Sung-min | |
| Creating Destiny | Shin Jin-hee | ||
| 2010 | Happiness in the Wind | KBS1 | Choi Mi-ran |
| 2011 | Baby Faced Beauty | KBS2 | Chae Seul-ah |
| 2012 | Take Care of Us, Captain | SBS | Hong Mi-joo |
| Tasty Life | Min Young-woo | ||
| 2013 | Goddess of Marriage | Cynthia Jung | |
| Reckless Family 3 | MBC Every 1 | Clara Park | |
| Love For Ten - Generation of Youth | Mobile drama[23] | Kim Yang | |
| 2014 | Emergency Couple | tvN | Han Ah-reum |
| You Are My Destiny | MBC | Hye-jin (ep.1) | |
| America's Next Top Model | The CW | Herself (season 21 ep.14) | |
| 2016 | Entourage | tvN | Herself (ep.2) |
| 2017 | Strong Girl Bong-soon | JTBC | Lee Bong-soon/Dental Hygienist (ep.16) |
| Meloholic | OCN | Yun Kyung-ae | |
| 2018 | Happiness Chocolate | Mango TV | |
| The City of Chaos | iQIYI | Zheng Mengqi | |
| 2020 | Detective Chinatown | beauty in S1E9 |
Variety show
edit| Year | Title | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
2013
|
Saturday Night Live Korea - Season 4 | tvN | Cast (episode 20-38) |
2014
|
Fashion King Korea - Season 2 | SBS | Cast |
2017
|
The Taming of the Shrew 2[24] | JTBC2 |
Music video
edit| Year | Song Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Same Pillow"[25] | Tei |
| "Love Song" | ||
| 2009 | "Empty Bet" | Kim Joon |
| "Toy"[26] | Moon Hee-joon | |
| 2010 | "Nothing to Lose"[27] | Juno |
| "Shout to the World" | December | |
| "Dazzling Tears"[28] | ||
| "오고있나요"[29] | ||
| 2013 | "Joah" | Jay Park |
| "Invitation"[30] | House Rulez | |
| 2014 | "Gwiyomi Song 2"[31] | Clara |
| "Fear"[32] | Clara ft. Yasu | |
| 2017 | "Hitchhiking"[33] | Clara |
| "I Am Clara" (Chinese ver of Hitchhiking)[34] |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 1st Foce Digital Ulzzang Photo Contest | — | — | Won |
| 2013 | Men's Health Cool Guy Contest | Vital Woman Award[37] | — | Won |
| 6th Style Icon Awards | Chevrolet Find New Star Award | — | Won | |
| 6th Korea Drama Awards | Hot Star Award | Goddess of Marriage | Won |
References
edit- ^ Lee, Clara [@actressclara] (14 January 2020). "명상은 "나는 누구인가?" 로 시작합니다. 오늘은 저의 생일이자, 저를 돌아보는 시간이기도 합니다. 명상으로 제 마음을 비우며 또 하루를 시작합니다" [Meditation is “Who am I?” starts with. Today is my birthday, It is also a time to reflect on me. I start another day by emptying my mind with meditation.] (in Korean). Retrieved 7 December 2021 – via Instagram.
- ^ a b c Ock, Hyun-ju (13 January 2014). "Is Clara turning into a Korean sex symbol?". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
- ^ 클라라, 개명이유 "본명 이성민, 남자가 너무 많아". My Daily (in Korean). 3 January 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ "Pororo Beats Psy and Other Celebrities in Google Search Results". The Chosun Ilbo. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ Ahn, Joo-hee (5 July 2013). "Clara shows off her bikini body for High Cut". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ "Clara Makes Generous Pledge to Breast Cancer Patients". The Chosun Ilbo. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ Im, Woo-jung (11 September 2013). "After series of gaffes, Clara swears off SNS". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ Lee, Sun-min (12 September 2013). "Clara uses Internet to quit Internet". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ Bae, Sun-young (25 June 2013). "PREVIEW: SBS weekend drama Goddess of Marriage". TenAsia. Archived from the original on 15 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ Lee, Sun-min (16 August 2013). "Clara ranks baby-daddies". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ Oh, Jean (21 January 2014). "Clara to show her true self". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
- ^ "Clara Speaks Out About Enduring Harsh Criticism". The Chosun Ilbo. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ Kim, Se-jeong (15 January 2015). "Clara claims sexually harassment by agency owner". The Korea Times. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ Choi, Hee-suk (15 July 2015). "Prosecution clears Clara of blackmailing, indicts Polaris chief". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ "Ilgwang group chairman accused of threatening actress". The Korea Times. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ Jin, Min-ji (16 July 2015). "Court sides with Clara in lawsuit". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ "Actress Cleared of Blackmail". The Chosun Ilbo. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
- ^ "Clara drops her suit against Polaris Entertainment". Allkpop. 21 September 2015.
- ^ Park, Si-soo (7 March 2014). "Stars and outstanding parents". The Korea Times. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "Actress Clara to marry Korean-American fiance in LA". 4 January 2019.
- ^ Han Min-seo (20 February 2019). 클라라 남편, 사무엘황 누구?…'한국계 미국인 사업가' [Clara Husband, who is Samuel Hwang? "Korean American Entrepreneur"]. news.mt.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- ^ Frater, Patrick (18 May 2017). "Cannes: China's 'Jade Pendant' Set for North American Release (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ Kang, Jung-yeon (19 August 2013). "INFINITE Sung Yeol, 4minute Jihyun to Pair Up in Drama". TenAsia. Archived from the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ "[OFFICIAL] 170704 f(Luna) = JTBC 'The Taming of the Shrew' Promo Pics [7P]". FunctionLove.net. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ^ "Same Pillow". YouTube. Clara Lee. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ "Toy". YouTube. Clara Lee. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ "Nothing to Lose". YouTube. Clara Lee. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ "Dazzling Tears". YouTube. Clara Lee. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ "Are you coming with Clara". YouTube. Clara Lee. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ "Invitation". YouTube. Clara Lee. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ "Gwiyomi Song 2". YouTube. Clara Lee. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ "Fear". YouTube. Clara Lee. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ "Hitchhiking". YouTube. Clara Lee. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ "I Am Clara". YouTube. Clara Lee. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ Clara Lee at hkmdb.com
- ^ "⓿⓿ Clara Lee - Actress - Filmography - TV Drama Series - Chinese Movies". chinesemov.com.
- ^ Ahn, Joo-hee (2 July 2013). "Clara wins awards, reps games". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
