Lee Eon (; 5 February 1981 – 21 August 2008) was a South Korean actor and model best known for his performance in the Korean television series Coffee Prince.
Early life and career Lee Eon was born Park Sang-min on 5 February 1981. Lee began practicing ssireum while in elementary school, going on to win gold medals at Korean national ssireum competitions in 1997 and 1998. As a freshman at university, he was inspired by Cha Seung-won to become a model, and after losing made his debut at a fashion show in Busan in 1999. His later fashion show appearances included the Seoul Fashion Artists Association Collection.Garcia, Cathy Rose A. "Actor Dies in Motorbike Accident ". The Korea Times, 21 August 2008. Retrieved on 19 November 2008.
Lee branched out into acting, making his film debut in 2006;"BRIEFLY: Model-turned-actor Lee Eon dies ". Hancinema, 22 August 2008; originally published by The Korea Herald. Retrieved on 19 November 2008. he played a ssireum wrestler in Like a Virgin, putting his skills to good use and helping lead actor Ryu Deok-hwan learn the moves."Ryu: 'No answer to understanding how women think'". Korea JoongAng Daily, 21 August 2006. Retrieved on 19 November 2008. He later appeared in the 2007 hit drama series Coffee Prince, and made his final appearance in KBS period drama Strongest Chil Woo.
Death and commemorations Lee died in a motorcycle accident on 21 August 2008. He had been riding home from a party celebrating the airing of the last episode of Strongest Chil Woo, when his motorcycle hit the guardrail of an overpass in Hannam-dong, Seoul, at around 2 a.m. He died at the scene from a broken neck and was taken to the nearby Soonchunhyang University Hospital. Many of his colleagues attended his funeral, including Gong Yoo, his co-star in Coffee Prince, who took leave from his military service to hold Lee's memorial tablet in the procession to the grave site."Stars show up at Lee Eon's funeral ". Hancinema, 23 August 2008. Retrieved on 19 November 2008.
Filmography Year Title Role 2006 Like a Virgin Park Joon-woo 2007 When Spring Comes (TV) Gi-dong Coffee Prince (TV) Hwang Min-yeop 2008 Who Are You? (TV) Kwon Yong-deok Strongest Chil Woo (TV) Ja-ja
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result2007 1st Korea Drama Awards Most Popular Actor MBC Drama Awards Best New Actor
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