# Ma Dong-seok (마동석)
**Ma Dong-seok** (마동석; born Lee Dong-seok, 이동석, in 1971), known internationally as **Don Lee**, is a South Korean and American actor, screenwriter, and producer who has been described as one of Korean cinema's most reliable box-office draws through the zombie film *Train to Busan* (2016) and the *The Roundup* (범죄도시) franchise.[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2017012925.html) • [2](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb17885050x) His stage name is not a chosen alias but an elementary-school nickname, a shortening of "악마 동석" (devil Dong-seok), which he kept as his professional name.[3](https://www.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=1716106614)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Names | Stage name Ma Dong-seok (마동석, Don Lee); birth name Lee Dong-seok (이동석); born 1971[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2017012925.html) • [3](https://www.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=1716106614) |
| Breakthrough | *Train to Busan* (2016), about 11.57 million admissions; he also had leading roles in *Norigae* (2012) and *Murderer* (2013) before starring in *The Outlaws* (2017), which achieved 6.88 million admissions despite an R rating[4](https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202306170022) • [11](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10021341) |
| Franchise record | *The Roundup* 12.69 million and *The Roundup: No Way Out* 10.68 million admissions; *범죄도시4* passed 10 million, making the series the first Korean franchise with three of four entries above 10 million[5](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20240422_0002708981) • [3](https://www.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=1716106614) |
| Hollywood | Gilgamesh in Marvel's *Eternals* (2021), billed as Don Lee, under a three-picture contract with Marvel Studios[6](https://rki.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_seq=440646&id=&lang=f&menu_cate=moviedrama) • [4](https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202306170022) |
| Behind the camera | Producer on eight films and adaptation (각색) writer on five, including *범죄도시4* and *황야*; 71 acting credits[7](https://www.kmdb.or.kr/db/per/00044619/filmo) |
| Awards | Baeksang Arts Awards Best Supporting Actor (2013); Best Leading Actor at the 9th Korean Association of Film Producers Awards for *범죄도시2* (2022)[8](https://www.kmdb.or.kr/db/per/00044619) |
## Early life and education
Ma was born in Seoul in 1971. At 18, in 1989, he emigrated with his family to the United States and later acquired US citizenship; [KBS World](https://www.edgepedia.org/kbs-world) reports he holds both American and Korean citizenship.[9](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=48308) • [6](https://rki.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_seq=440646&id=&lang=f&menu_cate=moviedrama) He graduated from the physical education department of [Columbus State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbus-state-university) in Georgia, where he learned wrestling, and worked as a personal trainer and professional martial-arts trainer, including for the fighters [Mark Coleman](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-coleman) and Kevin Randleman.[3](https://www.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=1716106614) • [6](https://rki.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_seq=440646&id=&lang=f&menu_cate=moviedrama) In 2018 that wrestling background led to his election as president of the Korean wrestling federation.[6](https://rki.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_seq=440646&id=&lang=f&menu_cate=moviedrama)
## Career beginnings and breakthrough
He passed an audition for the 2002 film *천군* and debuted on screen with a small role in *바람의 전설* (2004) and a supporting role in *천군* (2005).[9](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=48308) • [3](https://www.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=1716106614) His breakout came as a ruthless Gangnam loan shark in *비스티 보이즈* (2008), followed by tough-guy parts in *부당거래*, *범죄와의 전쟁*, and *이웃사람*.[9](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=48308) In 2009 a set collapse during filming of the drama *태양을 삼켜라* dropped him six meters, fracturing his spine and sternum and dislocating a shoulder.[3](https://www.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=1716106614)
**The 2016 turning point.** After a special appearance in *베테랑* (2015), *Train to Busan* (부산행, 2016) made him a star.[9](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=48308) The film drew about 11.57 million cumulative admissions, and his role as the soft-hearted strongman Sang-hwa, fighting through a train while crawling over the luggage racks with his roughly 90-kilogram frame, earned him the fan nickname "마블리" (Ma + lovely).[4](https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202306170022) • [6](https://rki.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_seq=440646&id=&lang=f&menu_cate=moviedrama) After taking his first lead in *Norigae* (2012) and starring in *Murderer* (2013), he headlined *[The Outlaws](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-outlaws-2017-film)* (범죄도시, 2017), an R-rated film released over the Chuseok holiday that drew an unusual 6.88 million admissions and established detective Ma Seok-do as his signature character.[4](https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202306170022) • [11](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10021341)
## Star persona
His screen image rests on a physique-driven comic tough-guy: an enormous frame paired with deadpan warmth and sudden, blunt violence. The cheek-slap he used in *Train to Busan* became his signature move and carried over into *Eternals*.[4](https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202306170022) The detective Ma Seok-do of the *Roundup* films is named from an acronym of his own name, and KBS World describes him as South Korean cinema's main box-office draw, comparing his persona to [Vin Diesel](https://www.edgepedia.org/vin-diesel) and [Sylvester Stallone](https://www.edgepedia.org/sylvester-stallone).[6](https://rki.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_seq=440646&id=&lang=f&menu_cate=moviedrama) The persona has limits: his one attempt at a comedy lead, *Plastic Man* (2022), failed commercially.[6](https://rki.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_seq=440646&id=&lang=f&menu_cate=moviedrama)
## Major films and box office
Ma has appeared in six films that passed 10 million admissions, including *Train to Busan* and the two *신과 함께* (*Along with the Gods*) films, across roughly 50 dramas and films.[3](https://www.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=1716106614) The *Roundup* series is the core of that record. In an April 2024 interview he gave the figures directly: *The Roundup* (2022) drew 12.69 million admissions and *The Roundup: No Way Out* (2023) drew 10.68 million.[5](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20240422_0002708981) *범죄도시4* (2024), which he also produced, then passed 10 million admissions, making the series the first Korean film franchise in which three of four entries crossed the 10-million mark, a record Korean press called "트리플 천만" (triple ten-million).[3](https://www.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=1716106614)
**By the numbers.** Ma treats the franchise as a business with a defined horizon. He described films 1 through 4 as "part one" and named the break-even point as the decisive factor in whether the series continues; five *Roundup* films are planned, which KBS World calls the only national blockbuster franchise in Korean cinema.[5](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20240422_0002708981) • [6](https://rki.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_seq=440646&id=&lang=f&menu_cate=moviedrama) KMDb credits him with 71 acting roles to date.[7](https://www.kmdb.or.kr/db/per/00044619/filmo)
## Producer and writer
Since the *Roundup* films Ma has shaped his filmography from behind the camera. KMDb credits him as producer (제작자) on eight films, including *범죄도시4* and *황야*, and as adaptation writer (각색) on five: *범죄도시2* (2022), *범죄도시3* (2022), *압꾸정* (2022), *황야* (2023), and *범죄도시4* (2024).[7](https://www.kmdb.or.kr/db/per/00044619/filmo) The National Library of Korea authority record lists his affiliation as the agency 데이드림엔터테인먼트 (Daydream [Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment)).[10](http://lod.nl.go.kr/page/KAC201816293)
## International career and projects since 2023
In *[Eternals](https://www.edgepedia.org/eternals-film)* (2021), directed by Chloé Zhao for Marvel Studios and [Walt Disney](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney), he appeared under his English name Don Lee as the hero Gilgamesh, and he signed a three-picture contract with [Marvel Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-studios) that includes *Eternals*; in a 2023 interview he said the remaining two projects were still undecided.[6](https://rki.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_seq=440646&id=&lang=f&menu_cate=moviedrama) • [4](https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202306170022)
His 2024 slate was dense: the Netflix film *황야* (*Badland Hunters*), in which he played the villain hunter Namsan in a post-earthquake Seoul, released in January 2024 according to KBS, though KMDb's filmography dates the film to 2023; *범죄도시4* in April 2024, returning as Ma Seok-do; and *통제불가* (2024), in which he played Shungdari.[9](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=48308) • [7](https://www.kmdb.or.kr/db/per/00044619/filmo) KMDb also lists an voice role as Guken (고우켄) in *Street Fighter* (키타오 사쿠라이, 2026).[7](https://www.kmdb.or.kr/db/per/00044619/filmo)
## Awards and recognition
KMDb records three career-marking awards: Best Supporting Actor for *이웃사람* (*The Neighbors*) at the 49th Baeksang Arts Awards in 2013; Best Supporting Actor for *부산행* at the 8th 올해의 영화상 (Film of the Year Awards) in 2017; and Best Leading Actor for *범죄도시2* at the 9th 한국영화제작가협회상 (Korean Association of Film Producers Awards) in 2022.[8](https://www.kmdb.or.kr/db/per/00044619) The 2013 Baeksang award predates his stardom by three years.
## References
1. [Library of Congress Name Authority: Ma, Tong-sŏk, 1971-](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2017012925.html)
2. [BnF: Notice de personne "Ma, Dong-seok (1971-....)"](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb17885050x)
3. [국민일보: 성극하던 소년이 품은 꿈 '서민 히어로' 연기로 활짝](https://www.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=1716106614)
4. [일간스포츠: [히스토리] 마동석, 30살 늦깎이 배우가 韓대표 액션 스타 되기까지②](https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202306170022)
5. [뉴시스 인터뷰: 마동석 "난 엔터테이너…재밌는 게 가장 중요"](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20240422_0002708981)
6. [KBS World: Ma Dong-seok, super héros ?](https://rki.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_seq=440646&id=&lang=f&menu_cate=moviedrama)
7. [KMDb filmography: 마동석](https://www.kmdb.or.kr/db/per/00044619/filmo)
8. [KMDb – 한국영화데이터베이스: 마동석 Don Lee](https://www.kmdb.or.kr/db/per/00044619)
9. [KBS 스타박스: 마동석 영화배우](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=48308)
10. [국립중앙도서관 LOD: 마동석](http://lod.nl.go.kr/page/KAC201816293)
11. [Don LEE](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10021341)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of East and Southeast Asia › South Korean actors, 2000s onward › Surnames M to S*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license