Lee Eun-ju

Lee Eun-ju (22 December 1980 – February 22, 2005) was a South Korean actress. She was the star of hit films including Taegukgi and The Scarlet Letter. She died by suicide at age 24.[1]

Lee Eun-ju
Lee Eun-ju in 2004
Born(1980-12-22)December 22, 1980
DiedFebruary 22, 2005(2005-02-22) (aged 24)
Bundang, Seongnam, South Korea
Cause of deathSuicide by hanging
Resting placeGoyang, South Korea
NationalitySouth Korean
Other namesLee Eun-joo
OccupationActress
Years active1997–2005
AgentNamoo Actors (2005)
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationI Eun-ju
McCune–ReischauerRi Ŭn-ju

Life and career

Born in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea, Lee studied piano for much of her youth, without giving much thought to becoming an actress. She moved to Seoul after graduating high school and was first noticed in the mid-1990s as a model for school uniforms.[2] After finding work as a model, she began to be offered roles in various TV dramas, including Start and KAIST. Her film debut came in 1999, when she played the younger sister in Park Chong-wan's award-winning feature Rainbow Trout.[3] Her first lead role came as the title character in acclaimed director Hong Sang-soo's Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors (2000), where she gave one of the most memorable performances in all of Hong's films. Following this, she teamed with actor Lee Byung-hun in the 2001 hit film Bungee Jumping of Their Own, and also scored a hit opposite Cha Tae-hyun in the melodrama Lovers' Concerto.[4]

Lee's later career was marked by several turns in films that failed at the box-office, plus a key role in the record-breaking Korean War film Taegukgi.[5] In 2004 she appeared in the very popular Korean drama, Phoenix, and later that year she starred in her last feature, Daniel H. Byun's The Scarlet Letter which screened as the Closing Film at the 2004 Pusan International Film Festival.[4][6]

"I'm called a new generation star, but I don't want to be the kind of person who achieves instant fame and then is quickly forgotten. I want to learn step-by-step how to become a good actress, and gradually work my way up. A star achieves brilliance, but is soon forgotten; to become an actress takes more time." [Interview Excerpt: Kino, #60, February 2000][4]

Death and subsequent tributes

On the night of February 22, 2005, only a few days after her graduation from Dankook University, Lee died by suicide at her apartment in Bundang, Seongnam, after slitting her wrists and hanging herself. She was 24 years old. The family blamed the suicide on severe bouts of depression and mental illness and said she had been suffering from insomnia due to the nude scenes she had done in The Scarlet Letter.

She left a suicide note scrawled in blood, in which she wrote, "Mom, I am sorry and I love you." A separate note said, "I wanted to do too much. Even though I live, I'm not really alive. I don't want anyone to be disappointed. It's nice having money... I wanted to make money."[2][7][8]

The news of her death prompted a massive outpouring of grief from fellow actors and filmmakers and fans. Lee Eun-ju was cremated and enshrined in a crypt at Goyang. Hundreds of her fellow actors and entertainers attended her funeral. Vocalist Bada sang "You Were Born to be Loved", and friends spoke in her memory.[9][10][11][12]

Her friends and colleagues have held memorials for Lee every year since her death. The 2007 event was marked by a music CD released in her name, featuring remastered versions of her cover performance of The Corrs' "Only When I Sleep" from The Scarlet Letter, as well as tribute performances by her friends in the entertainment industry.

Filmography

Film

YearEnglish TitleHangulRomanizationRoleNotes
1999Rainbow Trout송어Song-eoSe-hwa
2000Yeca예카YekaInternet short film
Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors오! 수정Oh! Su-jeongYang Su-jeong
Bloody Beach해변으로 가다Haebyeoneuro gadaPC 통신하는 여자Cameo appearance
2001Bungee Jumping of Their Own번지 점프를 하다Beonjijeompeureul hadaIn Tae-hee
Ahmijimong아미지몽AhmijimongAh-miInternet short film
2002Lovers' Concerto연애소설Yeonae soseolKim Gyung-hee
Unborn But Forgotten하얀방HayanbangHan Su-jin
2003Garden of Heaven하늘정원Haneul jeongwonKim Young-ju
2004Au Revoir, UFO안녕! 유에프오Annyeong UFOChoi Kyeong-woo
Taegukgi태극기 휘날리며Taegukgi HwinalrimyeoKim Young-shin
The Scarlet Letter주홍글씨Juhong geulshiChoi Ga-hee

Television series

YearEnglish TitleHangulRomanizationRoleNetworkNotes
1997Start스타트Jeong Nam-youngKBS2
1998납량특선 8부작Park Seong-juSBSAppeared in episode 어느날 갑자기.
White Nights 3.98백야 3.98Baekya 3.98young AnastasiaSBS
1999KAIST카이스트KaiseuteuGu Ji-wonSBS
2000Look Back in Anger성난 얼굴로 돌아보라Seongnan Eolgulro DoraboraJeong Su-jinKBS2
2004Phoenix불새BulsaeLee Ji-eunMBC

Music video

YearSong TitleHangulArtist
1998"Even After 10 Years"십년이 지나도Park Jin-young
1999"Sad Gift"슬픈 선물Kim Jang-hoon
2000"Desire"소망Joo Young-hoon
"Late Regrets"늦은 후회BoBo
2004"I Was Thankful..."고마웠다고...Tim

Discography

YearTitleHangulNotes
2001End Title: Oh! You Are a Beautiful Woman (Variation) - NarrationEnd Title 오 그대는 아름다운 여인 - 에 내레이션 참여from Bungee Jumping of Their Own OST
2002Lovers' Concerto Main Theme: Piano performance연애소설 Main Theme: 피아노 연주from Lovers' Concerto OST
Hi Ji-hwan, I'm Gyung-hee - Narration지환아 안녕 나 경희야 - 내레이션
2004Only When I SleepN/Afrom The Scarlet Letter OST
2007Lee Eun-ju: Only One이은주 Only OneLee Eun-joo tribute album

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult
1996Sunkyung Smart Student Uniform Model ContestSilver AwardN/AWon
200021st Blue Dragon Film AwardsBest New ActressVirgin Stripped Bare by Her BachelorsNominated
200138th Grand Bell AwardsBest New ActressVirgin Stripped Bare by Her BachelorsWon
200223rd Blue Dragon Film AwardsBest ActressLovers' ConcertoNominated
200425th Blue Dragon Film AwardsBest ActressThe Scarlet LetterNominated
MBC Drama AwardsBest Couple Award with Lee Seo-jinPhoenixWon
Top Excellence Award, ActressWon
200541st Baeksang Arts AwardsBest Actress (Film)The Scarlet LetterNominated
42nd Grand Bell AwardsBest ActressThe Scarlet LetterNominated
Korea Broadcasting AwardsPerson of the Year in Broadcasting
(TV Actress category)
PhoenixNominated
8th Director's Cut AwardsSpecial Acting AwardN/AWon

See also

References

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