You probably know him as the guy who spent three movies sprinting through a giant, shifting concrete labyrinth while wearing a backpack that looks way too heavy for a cardio session. Ki Hong Lee. To a lot of people, he is Minho, the stoic heart of the Maze Runner franchise. But if you’ve only seen him running from Grievers, you’re kinda missing out on one of the most versatile careers in the business.
He didn't just stumble into Hollywood. Honestly, his story is the classic "parents wanted me to be a teacher" trope until he saw Aaron Yoo in Disturbia and realized, hey, maybe I can do that too. From working at his family's tofu restaurant in Little Tokyo to becoming a staple of 2010s YouTube culture with Wong Fu Productions, he built a foundation that most actors would kill for.
The Maze Runner Trilogy: The Minho Era
Let’s be real. When we talk about ki hong lee movies, the conversation begins and ends with The Maze Runner for most casual fans.
Minho wasn't just a sidekick. He was the Lead Runner. In a genre that often relegated Asian actors to the "tech guy" or the "martial arts expert," Lee played a jock. A leader. Someone Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) actually looked up to.
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It started in 2014 with the first film, where he basically established the blueprint for the character: sarcastic, insanely brave, and possessor of the best hair in the post-apocalypse. By the time The Scorch Trials (2015) and The Death Cure (2018) rolled around, he had become the emotional stakes of the entire series. Remember the scene where he gets captured by WCKD? People were legitimately stressed.
Hidden Gems and Indie Flexes
If you want to see what he can do when he's not sweating in a desert, you have to look at his indie work. The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015) is a brutal watch. He plays Gavin Chan, and the movie is basically a psychological horror show based on the real 1971 study. It’s light years away from the YA action of his blockbusters.
Then there’s Everything Before Us (2015).
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This one came from his long-time collaborators at Wong Fu Productions. It’s a weird, high-concept drama where your "relationship score" dictates your life—kinda like Black Mirror but with more feelings and less tech-dystopia. It showed he could carry a romance, something he also got to flex as Dong Nguyen in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Yeah, I know that’s TV, but the chemistry he had with Ellie Kemper was so good it felt like its own rom-com movie.
Breaking Down the Filmography
Most people forget he was a Cambridge student in The Social Network (2010). Blink and you’ll miss him, but he’s there. Since then, his choice of ki hong lee movies has been a bit of a rollercoaster:
- The Mayor (2017): This was a huge move for him. He went to South Korea to play Steve, the son of a powerful politician. It’s a political legal drama, and seeing him act in a different market showed his range wasn't limited to American productions.
- Wish Upon (2017): Okay, this horror flick was... well, it’s a horror movie. He plays Ryan Hui. It’s a fun, creepy popcorn flick if you like cursed music boxes and high school drama.
- Looks That Kill (2020): This is a weirdly charming dark comedy about a kid whose face is literally lethal to look at. Lee plays Dan, the best friend. It’s quirky, indie, and definitely deserves more eyes on it than it got during the pandemic.
What’s He Doing Now?
As of 2025 and 2026, he hasn't just been sitting around. He’s been leaning heavily into voice work, which is a smart move for any veteran actor. He took over the voice of Chane Wassanasong in the King of the Hill revival, which is a hilarious full-circle moment if you grew up watching the original series.
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He's also stayed active in the streaming world. You might have spotted him in The Irrational or the K-drama Grid. He’s basically become this reliable "actor’s actor" who can jump between a gritty Korean thriller and a goofy American sitcom without breaking a sweat.
Why He Actually Matters
The reason people still search for ki hong lee movies isn't just nostalgia for 2014. It’s because he was part of a specific wave of actors who changed the "face" of what a leading man looks like.
He didn't play stereotypes. He played the athlete, the love interest, the corrupt politician's son, and the voice of a classic animated bully. That's the real legacy here.
If you’re looking to binge his work this weekend, start with the first Maze Runner for the vibes, then pivot to The Stanford Prison Experiment to see his actual acting chops. If you want something light, hunt down the old Wong Fu shorts on YouTube like Asian Bachelorette. They're relics of a specific era of the internet, but they’re still genuinely funny.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Watch the 2014 "Maze Runner" first to understand why he became a household name.
- Seek out "The Stanford Prison Experiment" on streaming if you want to see his most challenging dramatic performance.
- Check out his voice work in the "King of the Hill" reboot to see how he handles comedy in 2026.