South Korean actor Ma Dong-seok, also referred to as Don Lee, has turn into one of the vital beloved actors of his technology, changing into a really recognizable character actor. Audiences might first acknowledge him in a film like Train to Busan, through which he co-starred with Gong Yoo, Choi Woo-sik, and plenty of others to create fairly a memorable zombie film. That was his first main look internationally, however Ma has been energetic in Korean leisure for years earlier than that. Born in South Korea and educated within the United States, Ma returned to South Korea to pursue a profession in appearing after attending college within the United States.
Ma’s movie debut got here in 2005, nevertheless it took a number of years for him to construct up a profession in leisure. His breakthrough got here in 2016, eleven years later, in Train to Busan, however by then he already was fairly established. Ma is commonly recognized for his robust man characters, those who typically depend on brute drive to attain their objectives. He appeared as the primary character within the widespread Korean movie collection Crime City, made his Hollywood debut with a Marvel film, Eternals, and even has turn into recognized for his tv appearances as nicely. He presently has many tasks within the works, however till then, these are his greatest motion pictures and tv exhibits to this point.
12 Sense8
Sense8 was an American tv present created by the Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski. The present initially aired on streaming for Netflix and featured a global forged. Each character lives in a special a part of the world, and in a single plot level, one of many characters, portrayed by Bae Doona, lives in Seoul, South Korea. The daughter of a robust businessman and a promising kickboxer, she finds herself linked to the others as a result of circumstances that arrange the present’s premise: they’re all emotionally and mentally linked. Ma makes a quick look within the present as a bodyguard inside a membership.
11 Flower Band
2012’s Flower Band was a staple within the early-2010s when it got here to the Korean drama world, and it starred the likes of Sung Joon, Kim Myung-soo, Lee Min-ki, Jo Bo-ah, and plenty of others. A coming-of-age story, the present focuses on a excessive schooler who decides to make a band with a number of of his classmates. When their faculty is closed down, they’re pressured to resolve whether or not they need to return to highschool or give attention to their band. But when a brand new band kicks up a feud with them, they resolve to attend faculty to show they’re the highest rockers on the town.
10 Squad 38
Squad 38 has three foremost leads who’re all now outstanding: Seo In-guk, Ma Dong-seok, and idol Choi Soo-young. Released in 2016, Ma stars because the supervisor of a tax assortment division that exists throughout the South Korean authorities. He leads the crew of their every day duties of making certain that everybody within the nation pays their taxes correctly, however not everybody is an efficient citizen within the eye of the regulation. To catch those that is perhaps flying underneath their radar, Ma’s character groups up with an expert swindler (Seo) to search out any excellent criminals.
9 Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds
A extremely popular film when it first got here out, Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds is a movie adaptation of a webtoon collection that was obtainable in South Korea. Along with the Gods: Two Worlds is barely the primary a part of the collection, as a sequel to the film was launched not lengthy after the primary one debuted. A firefighter dies whereas doing his job, and when he emerges within the afterlife, he finds himself escorted by three guardians. They inform him he has to undergo seven trials inside forty-nine days, and if he succeeds in his journey, he’ll have the ability to reincarnate. The movie follows his journey to get via all of the trials awaiting him.
8 Deep Trap
Ma Dong-seok leads the indie film Deep Trap, which discovered its manner into theaters and movie festivals in 2015. Kwon Hyun-jin directs, and Jo Han-sun co-stars with Ma. In the film, a pair takes a trip to an remoted island, however issues go improper in a short time. They discover out they don’t seem to be alone on the island, and their companion is a psychopath trying to hunt them down and hurt them. When the girl particularly turns into their goal, they should learn the way to outlive or probably get assist in the times to come back. The film was impressed by an precise crime that occurred.
7 Unstoppable
In Unstoppable, Ma Dong-seok portrays a person on a mission. He is Dong-chul, a seafood distributor who has discovered average success in his enterprise. When the money circulate dries up and he finds himself flailing for cash, his spouse, Ji-soo (Song Ji-hyo), suggests opening a restaurant. But when he will get into an accident with a human trafficker, his spouse is kidnapped in alternate for cash. Suddenly the meek businessman has a previous the place he was a gangster and fighter, and he’s prepared to revive these abilities he put right down to get his spouse again.
6 Ashfall
In 2019’s Ashfall, a volcano alongside the North Korean and Chinese border erupts, inflicting chaos when it triggers earthquakes in each North and South Korea. One plotline includes attempting to determine what’s inflicting the eruptions and predicting them, and a particular forces operation crew is introduced collectively to try to make that analysis occur. They head to North Korea, however because the film’s plot progresses, it turns into a race in opposition to not solely environmental hazards however political ones as nicely. Lee Byung-hun, Bae Suzy, Ma Dong-seok, Ha Jung-woo, and Jeon Hye-jin all star within the film.
5 Derailed
Choi Min-ho and Ma Dong-seok spearheaded 2016’s Derailed, which made its premiere on the Busan International Film Festival that 12 months. Choi portrays the chief of a small gang of younger folks, and once they cross paths with the improper man (Ma), they find yourself being kidnapped by him. They find yourself changing into contracted to work for the person, however this won’t come with out penalties; when the police find yourself changing into concerned with the state of affairs, issues will turn into even stickier for the protagonists.
4 The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil
The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil is about an unlikely alliance: the cop and the gangster within the title, portrayed by Kim Mu-yeol and Ma Dong-seok, be a part of forces to cease a serial killer that’s on the unfastened (Kim Sung-kyu). The gangster particularly was virtually one of many killer’s victims after they obtained right into a automotive accident, leaving him with a style for revenge. The officer is satisfied a serial killer is on the market, however his superiors don’t imagine him, so if they’re to catch the killer, they will save fairly just a few lives. The movie was initially screened at Cannes Film Festival and Fantasia.
3 Bad Guys
Bad Guys is one in every of Ma’s most outstanding Korean drama appearances, and it was launched first in 2014. The present solely consists of 11 episodes, which is rare for a lot of Korean tv collection. In Bad Guys, a detective will use drive if it means catching his suspects, however his strategies aren’t agreed upon by his supervisors. He finally ends up being suspended from the drive, and when that occurs, he decides to make his crew consisting of criminals work on circumstances. Together, they’re going to behave as regulation enforcement.
2 Train to Busan
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The Korean zombie film that attained worldwide reputation, Train to Busan is to not be missed on anybody’s to-watch checklist — until they don’t have a abdomen for horror or zombies. Gong Yoo portrays a father who’s taking his daughter right down to Busan for her birthday, as she needs to see her mom. When a zombie outbreak occurs on the practice and within the exterior world, they have to transfer from every automotive to outlive. Along the way in which, he meets all kinds of characters with various motives and backgrounds who’re additionally simply attempting to maintain residing.
1 Crime City Series
One of Ma Dong-seok’s most iconic roles, the Crime City collection has been persistently one of many hottest film collection in South Korea. Ma first originated the position of Ma Seok-do, a detective who hunts down criminals, in 2017 within the collection’ first film, The Outlaws. He reprised the position in The Roundup in 2022 and can seem once more within the third film, The Roundup: No Way Out. Throughout every film, Ma Seok-do is prepared to get his fists soiled to catch the film’s foremost legal, even when it means sacrificing himself typically.