Lee began his rise to fame with a supporting role in First Wives' Club, a popular drama which aired from 2007 to 2008 with a peak viewership rating of 41.3%.[4][5] For his performance, he received a New Star Award at the SBS Drama Awards.
In 2010, Lee starred with Song Chang-eui in Life Is Beautiful as a gay couple. The drama is one of the few Korean dramas about an openly gay couple in Korean society, which have conservative views on sexuality.[7] Despite the controversy, the show was successful in the ratings,[8] and Lee would later work again with renowned screenwriter Kim Soo-hyun on A Thousand Days' Promise (2011) and Childless Comfort (2012).[9]
After a supporting role in Believe in Love (also known as My Love, My Family, 2011), Lee was once again cast in the leading role in Feast of the Gods (2012).[10][11] He later won the Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Project Drama at the MBC Drama Awards for Feast of the Gods and his supporting role in the period dramaThe King's Doctor.[12]
In 2013, Lee joined the ensemble cast of Goddess of Marriage, followed by the adultery drama One Warm Word.[13][14] Unlike his previous calm and quiet roles, in 2014 he was cast as the leading man in Glorious Day, a peculiar character which Lee said he looked forward to playing since it most resembles his real-life personality.[15]
In 2019, Lee starred in the legal romantic comedy drama Touch Your Heart as an elite prosecutor.[21][22] In the same year, Lee made a special appearance in the KBS drama Mother of Mine. Lee later appeared in the MBC drama The Golden Garden.
Lee married actress Kim So-yeon in June 2017.[26] Their romantic relationship started in 2016. The pair met on the set of MBC's weekend drama Happy Home.
^Park, So-young (March 16, 2023). "배우 이상우·AOA 신지민 한식구 됐다..전격 합병 [공식]" [Actor Lee Sang-woo and AOA Shin Ji-min became Korean family members.. Blitz merger [Official]] (in Korean). OSEN. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 – via Naver.
^Kim Myung-mi (February 25, 2022). "더 호텔' 이상우X신혜정X명세빈 출연확정, 대본 리딩 현장 공개" ['The Hotel' Lee Sang-woo X Shin Hye-jeong X Myung Se-bin confirmed to appear, script reading site released] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kim Na-ra (April 8, 2022). "별똥별', 초특급 카메오의 향연 "박정민X송지효→김동욱X문가영 등 특별출연" [공식]" [Shooting Star', a feast of super special cameos "Park Jung-min X Song Ji-hyo → Kim Dong-wook X Moon Ga-young, etc. Special appearance" [Official]] (in Korean). My Daily. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022 – via Naver.
^Hwag, So-young (August 25, 2022). "서지혜·이성재·홍수현·이상우, 문영남作 '빨간풍선' 출연확정" [Seo Ji-hye, Lee Seong-jae, Hong Su-hyeon, Lee Sang-woo, and Moon Young-nam's 'Red Balloon' confirmed] (in Korean). JTBC. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kim Soo-jin (May 13, 2022). "이상우, 라베 87타 실력자가 돼 컴백 [골프왕3]" [Lee Sang-woo, comeback with 87 strokes of Rabé [Golf King 3]] (in Korean). MT Star News. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022 – via Naver.
^Woo, Bin (January 1, 2019). [2018 KBS 연기대상] 유동근 대상 "장미희 덕분인데 내가 왜..대하드라마 부활 기원" [[2018 KBS Drama Awards] Donggeun Lee Grand Prize "Why am I ... thanks to Jang Mi-hee.]. Ten Asia (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019 – via Naver.
^"2018코리아드라마어워즈 후보 공개". KDFO.org (in Korean). September 22, 2018. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
^Cha, Soo-hyun (December 22, 2016). "〈2016 MBC 연기대상〉 올해를 빛낸 '최고의 커플&드라마'는?" [<2016 MBC Drama Awards> What is the 'best couple & drama' that shined this year?] (in Korean). iMBC. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022 – via Naver.
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