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Netflix’s popular series Squid Game has lost a beloved actor. Lee Joo Sil, who played Park Mal Soon (mother of undercover detective Hwang Joon-Ho) in the series’ second season, died at the age of 80, according to Variety. Lee reportedly died at St. Mary’s Hospital in Uijeongbu, South Korea, on February 2, following a diagnosis of stomach cancer. She was reportedly laid to rest with a memorial Wednesday, February 5 in Seoul, per The Korea Times.
Per Entertainment Weekly (via newspaper Chosun Ilbo), the veteran actress was diagnosed with breast cancer thirty years ago — and despite being given a roughly yearlong survival rate, she continued to live, and act, for three decades. “Everyone becomes stronger when faced with a crisis,” she reportedly said. “If you let everything go, you become helpless. When I was contacted by a film company to work with them, I said, ‘I’m sick,’ and they said, ‘That’s an illness, and we’re working.’ I was grateful for that kind of thinking.”
Below, here’s what to know about the remarkable life of mother and actress Lee Joo Sil.
Lee Joo Sil Was a Theater Actress
The actress began her career as a theater actress in 1965. Per Variety, she was featured in live productions of Macbeth and Death of a Salesman, among others. For her talents, she won a won a Baeksang Arts Award for Best Theatre Actress. In addition to her live work, she was also known for roles in 2016 horror flick Train to Busan, in K-drama The Uncanny Counter, The Witch’s Diner, Lady President, and many more.
Her role on Squid Game was her last.
She Was a Mother
It’s unclear how many children she had, but per PEOPLE (via Chosun Ilbo) the actress cited her children as her reason for pushing forward after her original cancer diagnosis thirty years ago. “I found out at the end of stage 3 and it soon became stage 4,” she reportedly said. “I overcame it well because I have children.”
Lee Joo Sil held a Doctorate
Her accomplishments in theater and onscreen are nowhere near her only credentials. She also held a doctorate in public health from Wokwang University, which she obtained in 2010, according to PEOPLE.
