Sook-Yin Lee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sook-Yin Lee 李素英
Lee at the Odesa International Film Festival in 2010.
Background information
Born	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation(s)	Musician, actress, filmmaker, broadcaster, multimedia artist
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Zulu, Mint Records

Sook-Yin Lee is a talented Canadian artist. She is known for many things, including being a broadcaster, musician, film director, and actress. You might remember her as a VJ (video jockey) on MuchMusic or a radio host on CBC Radio. She has also appeared in several movies.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Growing Up in Vancouver

Sook-Yin Lee was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Her father was from Hong Kong, and her mother was from Mainland China. She grew up in a family that faced some challenges. When she was 15, she left home and lived with a group of artists for a while.

Starting in Music

In the mid-1980s, Sook-Yin Lee became the lead singer for a Vancouver alternative rock band called Bob's Your Uncle. She often added unique performance art to their music. After that band, she started her own music career. She released several solo albums and also acted in plays, movies, and TV shows. She was also the lead singer for another band called Slan.

Collaborations and Relationships

Sook-Yin Lee was in a relationship with comic artist Chester Brown for a few years. He even drew the cover for her 1996 album, Wigs 'n Guns. They remained good friends and worked together on projects later.

Later, she was in a relationship with writer and musician Adam Litovitz. They often worked together on artistic projects. They formed a band called Jooj, which released its first album in 2015. Another album of their music, jooj two, was released in 2021. Sook-Yin Lee lives in Toronto today.

Career Highlights

Broadcasting Career

Sook-Yin Lee became a VJ for MuchMusic in 1995. She hosted a show called The Wedge, which featured alternative music.

In 2001, she left MuchMusic. In 2002, she became the host of CBC Radio One's Definitely Not the Opera, a popular show about pop culture. This show ran until 2016.

She also hosted a documentary about Terry Fox for the CBC Television series The Greatest Canadian in 2004. In 2008, she was part of the CBC team covering the Beijing Olympics. From 2016 to 2018, she hosted a summer series and podcast called Sleepover for CBC Radio. In 2020, she hosted Landscape Artist of the Year Canada.

Film Work and Directing

Sook-Yin Lee is also a filmmaker who often works on movies that explore important social issues. Her first film as a director was Escapades of One Particular Mr. Noodle (1990).

She played the main character, Alessa Woo, in the 2001 film The Art of Woo. She also had a smaller role in the film Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

In 2003, she was cast in the film Shortbus. There was some discussion because the film explored mature themes. However, many people, including famous artists and the CBC audience, supported her. The movie premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. She also acted in 3 Needles (2005), a film about HIV and AIDS awareness around the world.

In 2012, she was chosen to play Olivia Chow in the TV movie Jack. This film was about Canadian politician Jack Layton. The movie aired in 2013, and Sook-Yin Lee won a Canadian Screen Award for her performance in 2014.

She wrote and directed a segment called The Brazilian for the 2008 film Toronto Stories. Her first full-length movie as a director was Year of the Carnivore, which premiered in 2009. She also helped create the film's soundtrack, which was nominated for an award. Her second feature film as a director, Octavio Is Dead!, came out in 2018 and received several award nominations.

Theatrical Performances

Sook-Yin Lee has also created and performed in theatrical shows. In 2013, she wrote and starred in How Can I Forget? She also worked with Adam Litovitz on a performance called Morrice Fled: Two Paintings Talk to Each Other at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

From 2015 to 2017, she created and directed Sphere of Banished Suffering with dancers. In 2019, she wrote and appeared in Unsafe, a play about censorship.

Discography

• 1994 – Lavinia's Tongue (Zulu Records)
• 1996 – Wigs 'n' Guns (Zulu Records)
• 2003 – Electric Blues (with Slan, Last Gang Records)
• 2010 – Original Music from and Inspired by the Movie Year of the Carnivore (with Buck 65 and Adam Litovitz, Last Gang Records)
• 2015 – JOOJ (with Adam Litovitz, Last Gang Records)
• 2018 – Octavio is Dead! (Original Soundtrack for the Film with Alia O'Brien, and Adam Litovitz, Last Gang Records)
• 2021 – jooj two (with Adam Litovitz, Mint Records)

Filmography

• Five Feminist Minutes (1990) (segment "Escapades of One Particular Mr. Noodle")
• Green Dolphin Beat (1994)
• Bad Company (1995)
• Sliders (1995, TV series)
• Boy Meets Girl (1998)
• Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
• The Art of Woo (2001)
• 3 Needles (2005)
• Shortbus (2006)
• Toronto Stories (2008)
• Year of the Carnivore (2009)
• Jack (2013)
• Octavio Is Dead! (2018)
• Death and Sickness (2020)
• Darkest Miriam (2024)

See also

In Spanish: Sook-Yin Lee para niños