Born Lee Eun-rae in Cheongwon County, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea[1]), her family moved to Seoul when she was 9 years old.

[citation needed] Lee made her acting debut in 2008 in a guest appearance on season 3 of the Super Action TV procedural Urban Legends Deja Vu, followed by the historical drama "The Kingdom of The Winds".

In the smash hit Boys Over Flowers,[3] Lee played the character of Sakurako Sanjo in the source manga Hana Yori Dango, who was mercilessly teased for being homely as a young girl, then undergoes extensive plastic surgery and becomes a backstabbing frenemy to win the heart of her tormentor.

[6] In the comedy Descendants of Hong Gil-dong (also known as The Righteous Thief), Lee played the love interest of Lee Beom-soo, whose character is the 18th descendant of Hong Gil-dong, a Joseon-era Robin Hood whose family for generations has passed down the tradition of stealing only from the rich and giving to the poor while keeping their actions secret.

[10][11] Then in Birth of the Rich (also known as Becoming a Billionaire),[12] Lee was the standout in the cast and was praised for her portrayal of a spoiled, Paris Hilton-esque chaebol heiress, despite mixed reviews for the series itself.

[9] Lee played her first big screen leading role in the screwball romantic comedy Meet the In-Laws, which portrays the struggles of a comic book writer (played by Song Sae-byeok) to tie the knot with his girlfriend (Lee) over the strong disapproval of their families, as they come from different regions with a long history of antagonism toward each other (the Korean title literally translates to "Dangerous Formal Greeting Between Families of the Bride and Bridegroom").

[16] Lee's follow-up was the ensemble romantic comedy/caper film Couples, where she again displayed her gift for physical comedy as a shameless gold digger.

[27] Lee returned to the romantic comedy genre in 2013 with How to Use Guys with Secret Tips, playing an overworked and undervalued assistant director who one day buys an inspirational video, "Instructions on How to Use Men," and reluctantly follows its guidelines.

The film received strong word of mouth for its comic timing and witty gags, the charismatic performances of its leads and its tackling of gender equality issues.

[28][29] She then headlined the horror film Killer Toon, playing a writer of webcomics (called "webtoon" in Korea) who becomes the number one suspect after a series of murders are committed that mimic her famous comics.

Killer Toon attracted more than 1 million viewers, only the third Korean horror film to do so after A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) and Death Bell (2008).

[35][36] Lee next played a detective in the 2015 suspense thriller series My Beautiful Bride on cable channel OCN, about a man searching for his fiancée who mysteriously disappears.

[38][39] In 2018, Lee returned to the small-screen after her marriage and childbirth with the medical drama Risky Romance, reuniting with Becoming a Billionaire co-star Ji Hyun-woo.

And after she sang two tracks on Honey Family's fifth album Resurrection in 2010, band member Park Myung-ho praised Lee for her vocal talent.

She is tall and has long arms, a very good body for boxing," while coach Baek Seung-won said she has "the fire and the perfect physique" to become a professional boxer, but added, "She is a bit old (to turn pro now).

"[81] In her second bid to represent Korea at an international multi-sport event, Lee began preparing in 2015 for the first round tryouts for the national boxing team that will compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.