Lee Ji-ah

Kim Sang-eun (; born August 6, 1978), known professionally as Lee Ji-ah, is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame with her role in the television drama The Legend (2007), and has since further participated in Beethoven Virus (2008), Athena: Goddess of War (2010), Me Too, Flower! (2011), Thrice Married Woman (2013), My Mister (2018), and The Penthouse: War in Life (2020–2021). Early life Lee was born as Kim Sang-eun on August 6, 1978, in South Korea. Her grandfather is educator (His pro Japanese activities during the 1940s are controversial), one of the patrons for the creation Seoul Arts High School, and was chairman of Kyunggi High School. Her father was a businessman. She was in the sixth grade when her family moved to the U.S. and stayed there for 10 years. She majored in graphic design at the Pasadena Art Center College of Design. During a brief visit to Korea in 2004, she made her entertainment debut by appearing in an LG Telecom TV commercial with actor Bae Yong-joon. She left the U.S. and returned to Korea in early 2005 and legally changed her name from Kim Sang-eun to Kim Ji-ah and adopted the stage name Lee Ji-ah.