THE KING AND I's Hoon Lee Came Late To Acting But Is Catching Up Fast

The royally received Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I is not the first one to request that Hoon Lee don the majestic robes of Siam's King Mongkut. He had previously turned down an offer to play the role in a tour of China.

"If you're going to cast the King, there's not that wide a range of contenders," he tells The Charlotte Observer. "Given the age appropriateness, I thought it would really be only a matter of time before I was asked. I wanted to wait until the show would be a good fit for me, a production where I'd work with people at the top of their game. And I have a bit of life experience under my belt now."

Lee was on a different career track before turning to acting only 13 years ago. He attended Harvard for visual art and English literature and became a graphic designer/creative director for a Web consultancy firm.

But after a friend asked him to help record a demo CD for a musical he was offered a chance to tour Taiwan in the show. Soon after returning he landed the role of the prime minister in Paper Mill Playhouse's 2002 production of The King and I, and later that year made his Broadway debut as a swing in URINETOWN.

"Coming to acting late in the game forced me to play catch-up and be as resourceful as possible in becoming competitive," he recalls. "I didn't have a lot of acting technique, so I looked for ways to apply what my training had taught me. I'd had to think my way past obstacles. I'd felt very comfortable brainstorming with design teams, and that helped with theater, which is incredibly collaborative."

Though his Broadway credits include FLOWER DRUM SONG and PACIFIC OVERTURES, the industry has also noticed Lee's strengths in roles not written specifically as Asian, such as Rosencrantz in HAMLET at the Delacorte and a French nobleman in David Ives' THE SCHOOL FOR LIES.

"My job is to make people walk away... and say, 'That guy was amazing,' not 'That Asian guy is terrific.' I don't think we're there yet."

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On Tuesday, September 29, immediately upon completion of filming his starring role on the fourth season of the Cinemax series "Banshee," Hoon Lee joined Tony winner Kelli O'Hara and the company, assuming the role of The King, which was originated for this production by Tony Award nominee Ken Watanabe. Lee replaced Jose Llana. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you highlights of Lee in the role below!

THE KING AND I also features Tony winner Ruthie Ann Miles (as Lady Thiang), Ashley Park (as Tuptim), Conrad Ricamora (as Lun Tha), Edward Baker-Duly (as Sir Edward Ramsey), Jon Viktor Corpuz (as Prince Chulalongkorn),Murphy Guyer (as Captain Orton), Jake Lucas (as Louis), Paul Nakauchi (as Kralahome), and Marc Oka (as Phra Alack), and Aaron J. Albano, Adriana Braganza,Amaya Braganza, Billy Bustamante, LaMae Caparas, Hsin-Ping Chang, Andrew Cheng,Lynn Masako Cheng, Olivia Chun, Ali Ewoldt, Ethan Halford Holder, Cole Horibe, MaryAnn Hu,James Ignacio, Misa Iwama, Christie Kim, Kelvin Moon Loh, Sumie Maeda, Paul HeeSang Miller,Betsy Morgan, Rommel Pierre O'Choa, Kristen Faith Oei, Autumn Ogawa, Yuki Ozeki, Stephanie Jae Park,Diane Phelan,Sam Poon, William Poon, Brian Rivera, Bennyroyce Royon, Lainie Sakakura, Ann Sanders, Ian Saraceni, Atsuhisa Shinomiya, Michiko Takemasa, Kei Tsuruharatani, Christopher Vo,Rocco Wu, Xiaochuan Xie, and Timothy Yang.

HOON LEE appeared on Broadway in Pacific Overtures (Roundabout Theatre Company), Flower Drum Song, and Urinetown. His off-Broadway credits include the Public Theater productions of Yellow Face (Theatre World Award, Drama League Award nomination) and Love's Labor's Lost; The School for Lies (Classic Stage Company); and Hamlet (Shakespeare in the Park). Currently a star of the Cinemax TV series "Banshee", his other TV credits include the voice for Master Splinter on the Nickelodeon series "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and guest star roles on "Bosch" "The Blacklist" "Archer" "NYC-22" "Blue Bloods" "White Collar" "Royal Pains" "Law & Order" and "Sex and the City". He has been seen in the films Premium Rush, Exposed, The Oranges, We Own The Night, and Saving Face.

Photo Credit: Paul Kolnik