Paul Sun-Hyung Lee

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is a Korean Canadian actor and playwright. He is best known for starring as Randy Ko on the series Train 48 and for portraying the character Kim Sang-il, known as Appa, in the play Kim's Convenience and its television adaptation.

Born in Daejeon, Chungnam, South Korea, Lee moved with his parents to Canada at three months of age. His family lived in London, Toronto, and Calgary. In 1990, he returned to Ontario to study drama at University College within the University of Toronto.

Lee made his acting debut in 1989 on the television series Gideon Oliver. He later appeared in films such as Ice Princess, P2, and The Echo, and voiced Jung Park in the video games Rainbow Six: Vegas and Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. Between 2003 and 2005, he was part of the main cast of the daily improvised soap opera Train 48. Beyond acting, Lee authored the play Dangling, which premiered at Toronto's fu-GEN theatre festival in 2010.

His prominent role as Appa in Kim's Convenience began on stage in 2011, leading to performances across Toronto, a national tour with Soulpepper, and an Off-Broadway run. Lee brought the character to television from 2016 to 2021, performing the role until the show concluded after five seasons due to the departure of its showrunners.

Lee's television work expanded into major franchises. Starting in 2020, he played New Republic X-wing pilot Captain Carson Teva in The Mandalorian, reprising the role in The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and the upcoming film The Mandalorian and Grogu. In 2024, he played Uncle Iroh in the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender and joined Murdoch Mysteries as Inspector Albert Choi.

Additionally, Lee hosted Canada's Smartest Person Junior and the factual series Fandemonium, appeared on This Hour Has 22 Minutes and the 2022 revival of The Kids in the Hall, and participated as a panelist on Canada Reads in 2021. His stage credits also include Chimerica in 2016.

Lee has received multiple honors, including four Canadian Screen Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for Kim's Convenience. He won a Toronto Theatre Critics' Award, earned two Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations, and received the National Arts Centre Award at the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards in 2023.