Wow!!! I can't believe there isn't an entry for good ole Xue Rengui!!! I was perusing the "actors" forum and noticed that most, but not all of our entries are for hotties. We've got a couple good entries for the older gentlemen... but no Xue Rengui! I'm shocked. Surely he's won a place in our hearts in Dae Jo Yeong. I just love him personally. I'm so glad to see that he's a major player in Empress Chun Chu. I really fell for him in the scene between himself and Dae Jungsang when Jungsang was pleading for Jo Yeong's life. He has the rare capacity for playing the clown but also is able to give a character depth.

Does anyone else love him too???

Here's a few photos of Lee Deok Hwa/Lee Duk Hwa (이덕화). I'll get around to his Wikipedia page next. Lee Deok Hwa on Wikipedia. If anyone wants to help, you don't have to be a registered Wikipedia user to edit. Anyone can contribute.

   
 


Costume from Empress Chun Chu:
   
 
Dig this jazzy helmet from ECC.

And my favorite: Xue Rengui!
   
 
 
 
 

Thanks for this!

It took me a while to appreciate LDH as Xue Rengui. A loveable scene-stealing ham with a
lot of actor's tricks up his big sleeves, like announcing his arrival in a scene by clearing his
throat off-camera. I got to love him and his dopey sidekick Hongpei---though I have to admit
I fast-forward through some of that now when I rerun the episodes.
(In a hurry to get to Geomi's next crying scene.)

I agree there should be more topic threads for the character actors.

ffw through his scenes???!!! they're some of the best in the series. do you remember the scene between him and dae jungsang when they were both crying? omg!!! i was WEEPING like a fool...

Xue Rengui?
You mean the DJY villain that we all loved to hate?

Three of my favorite DJY moments ~

#1. Hiding behind some trees and rocks with the Khan of Kitean,
as General Namseng (I think it was) approached the ambush location........
XR: "Walk into the mouth of the tiger, OH men of Goguryeo. HEH, HEH, HEH."

#2. Good 'ole Hongpei: "General, we have just suffered a horrible defeat in the big battle."
XR: "That's terrible.....I need some steamed buns." (Stuffs face with monster-sized marshmallows.)

#3. As the lady warrior (name?) played the worst music ever heard on that "floor-harp thing"
XR said something like: "Ahhhhh, such lovely music calms my soul." And said it with a straight face.


This great actor is one of the few people who can convincingly pull off......."HEH, HEH, HEH!"


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wait, you forgot the scene when he a Hongpei are fighting about Hongpei wearing his dashing cape... Hongpei stole the scene there, but Xue Rengui's reaction was priceless!!!

and remember the scene when Xue Rengui put Hongpei in a cage because he had diarrhea?!?! the normally dignified Xue Rengui was reduced to toilet humor. one of the funniest moments in DJY, IMHO...

waxing nostalgic....

Was that when the English translators (always perfectly accurate)

had XR say: "Hongpei, you stupid twerp."
_____________________________________________

On a serious note........when Xui Rengui had to sign some important document,
(I think it was a message to the ever-lovely and charming Empress of China)
and he took a knife, sliced the palm of his hand, and left a bloody handprint on the paper.
One DJY scene that I'll never forget......................


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Lee Duk-hwa is probably most fondly known for his terrific portrayal of Yi Ui-min (AKA “The Archfiend”) in the KBS historical drama “Age of Warriors.”

 

I’ve been using the above image (The Archfiend with his notorious battleaxe)as my avatar on the Chicago board for as long as I can remember.

But another memorable role for LDH was as Gen. Chun Doo-hwan in the MBC drama series “5th Republic,” a modern-day historical drama of Gen. Chun’s military dictatorship (1980-1988). Sorry to say that series was never English subbed, but the episodes covering the “Gwangju Massacre” (where Gen. Chun ordered his troops to shoot civilian protesters) was pretty horrifying.

 

 

Low note was, perhaps, his role as a kind-hearted father figure in the gawd-awful KBS daily drama “My Precious Child.” Even LDH couldn’t salvage that turkey of a drama show.

 

And here’s some shots of LDH as a young Korean heartthrob.

 

 

OMG Mikey!!! Karma for this. I had no idea he was so seriously hot when he was younger. I can't get past seeing him as Xue Rengui! And he looks positively terrifiying as a dictator. WOW!!! Awesomeness. Thank you!

Thanks for this, Joy. I'm so glad you included a picture with the feather duster....

mikey wrote:

Lee Duk-hwa is probably most fondly known for his terrific portrayal of Yi Ui-min (AKA “The Archfiend”) in the KBS historical drama “Age of Warriors.”   I’ve been using the above image (The Archfiend with his notorious battleaxe)as my avatar on the Chicago board for as long as I can remember. Quote: But another memorable role for LDH was as Gen. Chun Doo-hwan in the MBC drama series “5th Republic,” a modern-day historical drama of Gen. Chun’s military dictatorship (1980-1988). Sorry to say that series was never English subbed, but the episodes covering the “Gwangju Massacre” (where Gen. Chun ordered his troops to shoot civilian protesters) was pretty horrifying.     Quote: Low note was, perhaps, his role as a kind-hearted father figure in the gawd-awful KBS daily drama “My Precious Child.” Even LDH couldn’t salvage that turkey of a drama show.   And here’s some shots of LDH as a young Korean heartthrob.

If you want to see another drama (with E subs), watch Sandglass. Netflix has it. It is IMHO one of the few "gold standard" dramas. Made in 1995. General Chun's family owns H Mart stores in the US, per Wikipedia. Nothing beats YAMD as an all-time low in the Kdrama world - nothing worked in that one. I think that MPC suffered from poor writing and staying too long at the fair, but at least had a decent beginning.

I was doing more research about Lee Deok Hwa for my Wikipedia page tonight and came across a filmography which has his character in DJY listed as "Seol In-gui" and I was like what the heck??? and then I realized that it's Korean for the Chinese Xue Rengui.

I think we had passing mention of this before when talking about how the dramas are subbed... but I don't remember what the reason was... I remember us talking about it with reference to Li Wen/Li Moon... Why are they subbing some of the names in Chinese instead of Korean?