MeeWha Alana Lee (born December 31, 1958) is a Korean American actor and visual artist. She is best known for her roles in The Chair (2021 TV series)[1] and Umma (2022 film).[2]
MeeWha Alana Lee | |
|---|---|
 Lee at home in New York City | |
| Born | 이미화 (MeeWha Lee) December 31, 1958 |
| Alma mater |
|
| Occupation(s) | Actor, designer, painter |
| Years active | 2017–present |
Early life
editLee was born in Masan, South Korea. She received her BFA degree from Seoul National University. She moved to the United States in 1982, receiving her MFA degree in Design and Drawing from the University of Iowa.[3]
Art and design
editLee was a college graphic design professor[4] and a brand design strategy executive for three global corporations.[5] Her background in industrial and graphic design allowed her to participate in product and packaging development, which led to many US and global patents.[6]
During and after her time in these careers, she has exhibited her design and studio art internationally. She curated an exhibition of Korean poster design that brought the works of 19 of Korea's leading graphic designers to a global audience[4][7] and also exhibited and lectured on her own work in brand design.[5][8] Her paintings have been shown in solo and group exhibitions around the United States and abroad.[9][10][11] In 2021, she won the Butler Institute of American Art Award for her oil painting.[12]
Acting career
editLee came to acting late, as a way to honor the memory of her younger son, Alan, a film student who died in 2014.[13][14]
She gained attention in movies such as Five Stars[15] and on the stage.[16] Her performance as a loving but stern grandmother in Parked in America garnered praise for her portrayal of a "wise advisor" to the main character.[17]
In 2021, she appeared in the Netflix series, The Chair with Sandra Oh, harkening back to her academic career. According to Lee, she was cast in part because Oh wanted her to help "tell the story of academia, immigrants, women and especially women of color.”[1]
In 2022, she played the title role in the Sam Raimi film, Umma opposite Sandra Oh and Fivel Stewart.[2] While her performance was lauded,[18][19] the film was met with mixed reviews, many of which criticized the use of Korean imagery as "other".[20][21]
Personal life
editHaving lived in Iowa and Wisconsin for many years, she now resides in New York with her husband, Richard Masters, a coin designer for the US Mint.[14][22][23][24]
Theater
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Twelve Angry Women | Juror #8/Lead | Off-Broadway |
| 2018 | Casual Carpool | Grace/Lead | 2018 Take Ten Short Play Festival NYC (world premiere) |
| 2020 | Shared Ignorance | Sign Changer Bill | |
| 2021 | Miguk Saram | HeeWon Kang |
Filmography
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Queering | Angela | Episode 2x03: Long Night |
| 2019 | Tips | Susan | Television pilot |
| 2019 | Awkwafina is Nora from Queens | Korean Grandma #1 | Episode 1x02: Atlantic City[25] |
| 2019 | The Blessing | Auntie Ruby | Episode 2: "The Aunties" |
| 2020 | Ramy | New citizen #2 | Episode 2x05: "They" |
| 2020 | Parked in America | Halmoni | Television film[17] |
| 2021 | The Chair | Grandma 1 | Episode 5: "The Last Bus in Town"[1] |
| 2023 | A Murder at the End of the World | Ethel | Episode 1x02: "The Silver Doe" |
Film
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Nettles | Hannah | Lead |
| 2018 | Don't Kill My Babies! | Acting class patron | |
| 2018 | Equal Standard | Officer Lee | |
| 2018 | The Butcher[26] | Landlady | |
| 2018 | Five Stars | The Korean Woman | Lead[15] |
| 2019 | Mirror[27] | Mrs. Cho | |
| 2020 | Project Pay Day[28] | Restaurant owner | as MeeWha Lee |
| 2021 | Good Egg | Card dealer #2 | |
| 2022 | All I Want Is Everything | Mrs. Kim | |
| 2022 | Umma | Umma | Title character |
| 2021 | Good Egg | Card dealer #2 | |
| 2023 | A Great Divide | Grandma Shim (Halmoni) | |
| TBA | G20 | TBA | Post-production |
| TBA | The Truth in Advertising | Shirley Lin | Post-production |
Music videos
edit| Year | Title | Role | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Got Damn | MeeWha | Yyou |
| 2019 | Old Mama[29] | Old Mama | Morgane Rondot |
| 2024 | Please, Please, Please[30] | Arcade Boss | Sabrina Carpenter |
References
edit- ^ a b c Nyman, Shane (September 8, 2021). "Familiar face in 'The Chair': Netflix series features former UWO professor". University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Renner, Brian D. (February 21, 2022). "Umma Movie". Movie Insider. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ "MeeWha Lee". American Society of Botanical Artists. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Korean Poster Design". Paul Robeson Galleries. September 1996. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ a b "'Whole Brain Thinking' with MeeWha Lee, Kraft Foods". The Wharton Club of Northern California. October 6, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ "WIPO IP Portal Patentscope". World Intellectual Property Organization. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
- ^ Cloughley, David (June 4, 1997). "Olympic spirit captured in art". The East Carolinian. p. 4. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Design Management 101/MeeWha Lee". Delineation of Design. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ "Sylvia Wald and Po Kim Gallery". flickr. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ "2010 fall art calendar". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. September 18, 2010. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Edward Hopper House Happenings, November-December 2015". NYACK. November 1, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "108th Annual Exhibition Award Winners". Allied Artist of America. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ "Miguk Saram Playbill". Local Theater Company. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ a b Nyman, Shane (August 7, 2020). "UWO professor emeritus artist plenty inspired by NYC—pandemic and all". UW Oshkosh Today. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ a b "Five Stars". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
- ^ "MeeWha Alana Lee". Backstage. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ a b "Kayla Yumi Lewis's 'Parked In America' is the YA show for Asian teens". geek gals. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ Adams, Jason (March 18, 2022). "A Terrific Sandra Oh Elevates 'Umma' To Almost 'Elevated Horror' But The 'Horror' Part Keeps Dragging It Down". Pajiba. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
- ^ Chang, Tom (March 19, 2022). "Umma Review: Sandra Oh Shines in Generational Horror Classic". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
- ^ Power, Tom (June 3, 2022). "Umma review: A film about the 'horrors of assimilation'". CBCListen. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
- ^ [영화 엄마 UMMA / 배우 인터뷰] 이제는 K-샤머니즘 / 미국 한인 이민자 가족이 숨겨왔던 어두운 비밀! / 이미화 배우 2부 | 무비프레스 2.0, retrieved 2022-07-07
- ^ "About". MeeWha Lee. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ "Artist Bio". RaM Studio and Gallery. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ "Richard Masters, AIP Designer". United States Mint. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Lucas, Luke (January 31, 2020). "Awkwafina is Nora from Queens season 1, episode 2 recap: Atlantic City". Fansided. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
- ^ "The Butcher". California Film Festival. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
- ^ "Mirror". Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
- ^ "Watch Project Pay Day, a new family feature film!". Crossbow Studio. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
- ^ "Dernières mise en ligne: Sortie du clip Old Mama par la jeune réalisatrice Morgane Rondot", webdocumentaire, October 11, 2019, retrieved June 7, 2022
- ^ SabrinaCarpenterVEVO (2024-06-06). Sabrina Carpenter - Please Please Please (Official Video). Retrieved 2024-06-08 – via YouTube.
