Will Yun Lee's life began in Arlington, Virginia, where he was born to Jung Ja Lee and Soo Won Lee, who had recently emigrated from Korea. His childhood was marked by frequent moves, exposing him to a diverse range of environments, from the tough streets of the Bronx to the idyllic beaches of Hawaii. By his teenage years, he was living in the San Francisco area with his father, a Korean Tae Kwon Do Grandmaster, and was already an accomplished martial artist. He even won an athletic scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley.
During his time at university, Lee worked at the East Bay Asian Youth Centre, where he taught high-risk teens from troubled neighborhoods, including those he had known in the Bronx. This experience sparked a lifelong commitment to helping young people, a passion that has continued to play a significant role in his life.
It was also during his university days that Lee's interest in acting began to grow. He landed a role in the TV series Nash Bridges, which led him to move to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career. He went on to secure guest star roles in several TV shows, including Profiler and Brimstone, before landing a role in the TV movie The Disciples for UPN.
Lee's breakthrough came in 2002, when he was named one of People's "50 Most Beautiful People." This recognition led to high-profile roles in films such as Die Another Day, Torque, and Elektra. He has since appeared in a range of TV shows, including Thief, Fallen, and Bionic Woman, and was even named one of People's "15 Sexiest Men Alive" in 2007.
In recent years, Lee has continued to appear in a variety of projects, including the pilot episode of the hit CBS series Hawaii Five O. In 2010, he starred alongside Miguel Ferrer in the indie thriller Far Away Eyes, which was shot entirely on location in Hong Kong.
