Oleg Li
KazakhstanBiography of Oleg Lee
Oleg Lee is a popular Kazakhstani actor and director known for his roles in Soviet cinema. He portrayed Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipino, and Korean characters, most of whom played negative roles in the plots. Some of his notable films include "Men in the Ocean," "Trans-Siberian Express," and "Lost in Siberia."
Oleg Lee was born in Namangan, Uzbek SSR. He never aspired to be part of the theater or film industry. After graduating from an electro-mechanical technical school in Tashkent, he enthusiastically joined the fleet and spent four years on a submarine in Kronstadt. Upon returning to Tashkent, he enrolled in an energy institute and started working as an electrical engineer at a research institute. He even began writing a doctoral dissertation. However, his life took a turn when he visited his brother in Alma-Ata, who was working in a Korean musical ensemble. At that time, the Korean studio at the Kazakh State Conservatory was recruiting new actors. Impressed by Oleg's height and physique, the theater artists advised him to try his hand in this new field. Surprisingly, he was accepted and became so engrossed in theater that he decided to change his life completely, despite the advice of his former colleagues in the energy industry.
In 1972, a film crew from "Mosfilm" led by director Irina Poplavskaya arrived in Alma-Ata. They were looking for young performers for their film "I-Tien-Shan," which was being shot in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan based on Chingiz Aitmatov's novella "My Poplar in a Red Kerchief." Oleg was given the opportunity to play a small role as a Kirghiz boy-driver. The filming did not leave a lasting impression on him, and he concluded that cinema was not for him. However, a few years later, Eldar Urazbayev, while preparing for the shooting of "Trans-Siberian Express," convinced Oleg to try playing the role of Isido, a Japanese resident. With Urazbayev's support, Oleg Lee entered the world of mainstream cinema. In the 1980s, he appeared in two to three films annually, mainly in Russia, portraying "Asian" characters. These roles included spies, saboteurs, pirates, and bodyguards, characters not associated with virtuous qualities. However, there are a few films in his biography that the actor fondly recalls. One of them is "Men in the Ocean," in which Lee played the role of Chinese sailor Wan. He, along with director Pavel Chukhrai and Vadim Spiridonov, received the KGB USSR Award for his performance. In Alexander Mitta's film "Lost in Siberia," he portrayed the tragic role of a captive Japanese general. The character's intelligence, authority, and understanding of the disastrous mistake of the war were evident in several scenes. In Ermeke Shinarbayev's film "Revenge," Oleg Lee played two roles - a monk and a king. The film won nine international awards at various film festivals.
In the early 1990s, Oleg Lee had to leave his native theater and even worked as a taxi driver in Alma-Ata for a while to support his family. However, in 1994, he was offered the opportunity to lead a new theater, the Theater of Nations, and in 1996, he returned to his theater as the chief director. Currently, the Korean Theater of Musical Comedy is one of the most interesting and unique theaters in Kazakhstan. In recent years, Oleg has been so passionate about his work in the theater that he has turned down all offers in the film industry. Perhaps he considers this a mistake. However, recently he appeared in a new TV series, "Wealth," directed by Eldar Urazbayev, where he played the role of a Japanese soldier-defector who informed the Kamchatka authorities about the landing of Japanese soldiers. The events of the film take place in 1903-1904. Finally, he had the opportunity to play a positive role in Russian cinema.
Among other films in which Oleg Lee appeared are "Right to Shoot," "The Last Hunt," "The Bartender from the Golden Anchor," "Gangsters in the Ocean," "Urgently... Secretly... Sponge," "Seven Forty," "Madam Wong's Secrets," and "Manchurian Variant." In 1998, a documentary film dedicated to Oleg Lee's work was released on the "Kazakhstan" TV channel. It featured interviews with Asanali Ashimov, Anatoly Kim, and Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, who spoke about their collaborations with the actor.
Oleg Lee is an Honored Artist of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He graduated from the Tashkent Energy Institute in 1969 and then from the Acting Department of the Kazakh State Conservatory, becoming an actor at the Alma-Ata Korean Theater of Musical Comedy. Since 1996, he has been the chief director of this theater.
