Who is Paul Sun-Hyung Lee?
Paul is a Canadian actor, perhaps best known to the world as Appa in the TV series “Kim’s Convenience” (2016-2021), and as Dr. Han in the film “Kitty Mammas” (2020), in addition to several other notable roles that he’s secured so far in his career.
Don’t worry guys. I’ll age for us all. It’s like a perverse Portrait of Dorian Gray: you all stay young but I age horribly. #okseeyou pic.twitter.com/101gwntqwp
— Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (@bitterasiandude) January 13, 2019
What is Paul Sun-Hyung Lee Doing Now?
Paul is enjoying the best years of his career. He’s just finished shooting of the episode “The Kids in the Hall”, and is set to star in the upcoming TV action adventure-comedy series “Avatar: The Last Airbender”, the adaptation of the popular animated series of the same name. His co-stars are Tamlyn Tomita, Ken Leung, and Daniel Dae Kim.
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee Wiki: Age, Childhood, and Education
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee was born on 16 August 1972, in Daejon, South Korea. When he was just three months old, the family immigrated from South Korea to Canada, living in London and Toronto Ontario before finally settling in Calgary, Alberta. He hasn’t talked much about his upbringing, but has said that he has a sister.
He went to Winston Churchill High School, and after matriculating, enrolled at University College. He studied drama, but didn’t graduate as he left to pursue an acting career.
Career Beginnings
Paul started with a minor role in the TV series “Gideon Oliver” in 1989, which starred Louis Gossett Jr. as the titular character, a professor who solves crime with his daughter Zina, played by Shari Headley.
He returned to acting in 1995 with the part of Gene Kajikawa in the television thriller film “Where’s the Money, Noreen?”, starring Julianne Phillips, A Martinez and Nigel Bennett.
The following year, he appeared in the film “Harriet the Spy”, based on the novel by Louise Fitzhugh, with Michelle Trachtenberg in the titular role. He continued his career with minor on-screen roles in such films and TV series as Asghar Massombagi’s drama film “Khaled” about an abused boy who lives with his drug addict mother, then the critically acclaimed television drama movie “Tagged: Jonathan Wamback Story”, based on actual events about a teenage boy who is attacked by his high school classmates and left to die near his home. The movie starred Yank Azman, Ryan Jefferson Booth, and J. Adam Brown.
From 2003 to 2005, he starred as Randy Ko in the TV comedy-drama series “Train 48” showcasing the lives of passengers of a Toronto commuter train, co-starring Raoul Bhaneja, List Merchant and Joe Dinicol.
For many years, Paul struggled to succeed as an actor on screen, as he only secured minor roles. In the second half of the decade, he appeared in the television movie “Between Truth and Lies” (2006), then he appeared in the award-winning drama film “Nurse.Fighter.Boy” (2008) and the television movie “The Dealership” (2009).
The 2010s
Nothing changed for Paul at the start of the 2010s. He had minor roles in the TV series “Happy Town” (2010) and “The Bridge”, while from 2010 to 2011, he was Juan Tong in six episodes of the popular Canadian teen series “Degrassi: The Next Generation”.
In 2014 he appeared in the sci-fi action crime film “RoboCop”, starring Joel Kinnaman, Garry Oldman and Michael Keaton, and the following year he was Mort in the sci-fi comedy film “End of Days Inc.”, with Mark O’Brien, Paulino Nunes and Carolyne Maraghi in the lead roles.
Rise to Prominence
Paul rose to stardom as the aging patriarch Appa Kim in the TV series “Kim’s Convenience”, which follows the misadventures of the Chinese-Canadian family who runs a convenience store. His co-stars included Jean Yoon, Andrea Bang and Simu Liu among others. Paul received wide praise for his role, and won four Canadian Screen Awards in the category for Best Lead Actor, Comedy.
The series ran from 2016 until 2021, and Paul featured in all 65 episodes of the critically-acclaimed series.
Concurrently, in 2016 he also portrayed Marty Chen in the TV thriller crime-drama series “Shoot the Messenger”, about a young journalist who becomes entwined in a web of urban gangs, politics, polic, and corporate power brokers while investigating her first murder case, starring Elyse Levesque, Lucas Bryant, and Lyriq Bent.
Two years later, he appeared in the crime-drama film “22 Chaser” with Brian J. Smith, Raoul Max Trujillo, and Kaniehtiio Horn in the lead roles. Next, in 2020 he was Dr. Han in the award-winning comedy film “Kitty Mammas”, about a fertility doctor who runs clinical trials during which four women give birth to kittens. The film co-starred Kathryn Kohut, Janet Porter and Vienna Hehir, among others.
To speak further of his accomplishments, Paul appeared in the television romantic fantasy-comedy series “Boyfriends of Christmas Past”, while he joined the cast of the Star Wars-based TV series “The Mandalorian” (2020-present) as Captain Carson Teva, a role he reprised in another series based on the ‘Star Wars franchise, “The Book of Boba Fett” (2022).
Stage Credits
Additional to his on-screen roles, Paul has also appeared in numerous plays over the years. Some of his credits include in “Kim’s Convenience”, “Chimerica”, “Accidental Death of an Anarchist”, “The Monster Under the Bed”, and “Ali & Ali: The Deportation Hearings”, among others.
Net Worth
According to sources, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s wealth is estimated at over $1 million as of late 2022, earned through his acting career.
Personal Life, Married, Wife, Children
Paul is very private about his personal affairs, and rarely talks about them. However, it is known that he’s married to a woman named Anna; the two met through mutual friends over 20 years ago, at a bar. The wedding ceremony was held on 25 August 2001, after which they honeymooned in Orlando, Florida. They have two children together, Noah and Miles.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee has black hair and brown eyes. He stands at a height of 5ft 10ins (1.78m), while he weighs approximately 165kgs (75kgs), with vital statistics of 41-33-14.
