The young star who captivated living room audiences in the 1990s, the late Lee Ji-eun, has quietly reached the fifth anniversary of her passing. She was a late figure who was ahead of her time with a distinctive look and bold acting.
The late Lee Ji-eun was found dead at her home in Jung-gu, Seoul, at around 8 p.m. on March 8, 2021, delivering a huge shock to the entertainment industry. At the time, she had been living alone after her son enlisted in the military, and she was found by police who responded to a report from an acquaintance that they could not reach her. At the time of discovery there were no signs of external intrusion or trauma, and no suicide note was found either, so an autopsy was carried out to determine the exact cause of death.
Lee Ji-eun made a glamorous debut in 1994 as a model on SBS' Good Morning and took her first steps as an actress the same year through the drama Feeling. She boasted an intellectual background as a graduate of Hosei University's Japanese language department and a Western beauty that created a mysterious aura so much so that she was often mistaken for a Japanese actress.
The work that was the turning point in her acting career was undoubtedly the 1995 KBS2 series Young People of the Sunny Place. Playing a cross-dressing female pickpocket with rough charm, she shot to prominence as a '1990s icon' in an instant. She went on to appear in the dramas Daughter-in-law trilogy, Color, and The King and the Queen, among others, actively working as a leading figure on the small screen.
Her moves on the big screen were also exceptional. With her debut film Geum-hong, Geum-hong she swept the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Grand Bell Awards' best new actress prizes and received critical acclaim; she later appeared in director Kim Ki-duk's The Blue Door and director Song Neung-han's End of the Century, showing a sensuality that broke through the limits of an actress and deeply nuanced inner acting.
However, after marrying a businessman in 2000, she gradually became less visible. She briefly ran a hair salon in 2003, but after a short appearance in the 2004 drama Hae-shin, she dedicated herself to raising her child and her personal life and effectively retired from the entertainment industry. Because she chose an ordinary life behind the glamorous lights, the news that came after a long silence reached the public with even greater sorrow.
[Photo] film, drama stills
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