Daniel Dae Kim

Daniel Dae Kim^[1] (born August 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his many roles in network television and theater. In 2025, Time magazine listed him as one of the world's 100 most influential people.^[2]

On television, he portrayed Jin-Soo Kwon in the ABC sci-fi action series Lost (2004–2010) and Chin Ho Kelly in the CBS police procedural Hawaii Five-0 (2010–2017). He has also taken recurring roles in Angel, Star Trek: Enterprise, ER, and 24. On film, he has taken roles in Hellboy (2019), Always Be My Maybe (2019), Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), and Joy Ride (2023). He also played Jack Kang in two of the Divergent films: Insurgent (2015), and Allegiant (2016). He runs production company 3AD, which produced the television series The Good Doctor.

On stage, he starred in the revival of David Henry Hwang's play Yellow Face (2024) for which he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He has also portrayed The King in a revival of The King and I in 2009 at Royal Albert Hall and again in Lincoln Center in 2016.

Early life and education

Kim was born on August 4, 1968, in Busan, South Korea, to mother Jung Kim and father Doo-tae Kim.^[3] He moved to the United States with his family when he was one year old and grew up in New York City, and Easton and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.^[4] He graduated from Freedom High School in Bethlehem in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania.

In 1990, Kim graduated from Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania with double bachelor's degrees in theater and political science. While attending Haverford, he spent the 1989 spring semester studying at the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.^[5] He later earned a Master of Fine Arts from New York University Tisch School of the Arts in 1996.^[1]

Career

After graduation, Kim made a name for himself playing numerous roles in a wide variety of television programs. He appeared in ' as a treasury agent as well as episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Charmed, The Shield, Seinfeld, NYPD Blue, and ER. He was a regular on the short-lived Babylon 5 spin-off Crusade and had recurring roles on Angel and 24. He also portrayed Dr. Tsi Chou in a 2008 miniseries based on the acclaimed Michael Crichton novel The Andromeda Strain.^[6]

Kim's film credits include a Shaolin monk in American Shaolin (1992), which enabled him to showcase his skills in taekwondo. Then came a small part in Spider-Man 2 (2004) as a scientist working in Doctor Octavius' laboratory, and the drama Crash (2004). He also had minor roles in films such as The Jackal (1997), For Love of the Game (1999), Hulk (2003), and The Cave (2005).^[7]

2004–2010: Lost and mainstream prominence

From 2004 to 2010, Kim served as a regular cast member on the ABC series Lost, in which he played Jin-Soo Kwon, a lowly Korean fisherman-turned-hitman who crashes onto a mysterious island with his wife, Sun-Hwa Kwon (Yunjin Kim). Since the role required him to speak exclusively in Korean, Kim was forced to quickly relearn the language, which he had not spoken with any great frequency since high school.^[8] Kim portrayed Jin-Soo until the 2010 series finale.

Throughout the show's run, Kim and fellow cast members received numerous accolades, including a 2006 Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble. He was individually honored with an AZN Asian Excellence Award, a Multicultural Prism Award, and a Vanguard Award from the Korean American Coalition, all for Outstanding Performance by an Actor.^[9] Kim was named one of People Magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive" in 2005.^[10]

Kim provided the voice of the character Johnny Gat for the Saints Row video game series, which debuted in 2006.^[11][12] That same year, Kim provided the voice for Metron in the final two episodes of Justice League Unlimited.^[13]

Kim played the King of Siam in Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I from June 12 to 28, 2009 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.^[14]

In January 2016, it was announced Kim would make his Broadway debut as the King of Siam in Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I from May 3 – June 26, 2016, at the Lincoln Center Theatre in New York.^[15]

2010–2017: Hawaii Five-0

In February 2010, shortly after Lost's conclusion, it was announced that Kim would join the CBS reboot Hawaii Five-0 as Chin Ho Kelly, originally portrayed by Kam Fong.^[16] He was the first actor to be officially cast on the show.^[16] That series premiered on September 20, 2010, to strong ratings and solid critical acclaim.^[17]

He served as a speaker at the 2014 University of Hawaiʻi commencement ceremony.^[18]

Kim made his directorial debut with the Hawaii Five-0 season five episode "Kuka'awale". He departed the show together with Grace Park, the female lead, in late June 2017 prior to the eighth season due to a salary dispute with CBS. They had been seeking pay equality with co-stars Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan, but CBS would not agree to it.^[19] It was the first time since the reboot started that the show did not feature any Asian actors in the main cast.

Kim co-starred in The Divergent Series: Insurgent, the sequel to 2014's Divergent,^[20] playing Jack Kang, the leader of the Candor faction.^[21]

2018–present: Producing and The Good Doctor

As the founder of the film and television production company 3AD, Kim in January 2014 signed a first-look development deal with CBS Television Studios, the first of its kind with an Asian-American actor.^[22][23] 3AD produced the ABC television series The Good Doctor from 2017 to 2024, based on the 2013 South Korean series of the same name. He was an executive producer on The Good Doctor and joined the show during its second season in the role of chief of surgery, Dr. Jackson Han.^[24]

In 2019, Kim played the role of Ben Daimio in the reboot film Hellboy. He replaced Ed Skrein in the role to avoid a whitewashing controversy, as the character was Asian-American in the original comics.^[25] Kim provides the voice of Chief Benja in the Disney animated film Raya and the Last Dragon, which was released in March 2021.^[26]

In August and September 2023, he portrayed Francis in the Los Angeles production of Peter Pan Goes Wrong.^[27]

Kim played the lead role in the Broadway production of Yellow Face in 2024, becoming the first Asian American actor to be nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.^[28]

In 2025, it was announced that Kim would serve as the host and executive producer of a documentary series on CNN International titled K-Everything, examining how South Korean pop culture spread around the world. It is set to premiere in May 2026.^[29][30]

Activism

Kim has voiced concerns about Asian American discrimination in the United States.^[31] After testing positive for COVID-19, he spoke out against the xenophobia and racism related to the COVID-19 pandemic, stating: "Please, please stop the prejudice and senseless violence against Asian people. ... Yes, I'm Asian. And yes, I have coronavirus. But I did not get it from China, I got it in America. In New York City. Despite what certain political leaders want to call it, I don't consider the place where it's from as important as the people who are sick and dying."^[32]

In January 2017, Kim took a government-sponsored trip to Israel, together with actors Mark Pellegrino, Meagan Good, Sonequa Martin-Green and Kenric Green, as part of an effort to combat the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.^[33] He attended the Anti-Defamation League's Never Is Now conference in 2021.^[34]

Personal life

On June 12, 1993, Kim married Mia Rhee.^[35] They have two sons who were born in 1996 and 2002.^[36][37]

During production of Lost, Kim and his family split their residency between Los Angeles and Hawaii. He continued his residency in Hawaii after being cast in Hawaii Five-0.^[38]

Kim is an avid collector of fine vintage watches. Some of his watches from his personal collection have been featured in some of his films.^[39]

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theater

Video games

Podcasts

Documentary

Awards and nominations

References

1. ^ "Daniel Dae Kim Biography". TVGuide.com. Archived July 23, 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
2. ^ "Daniel Dae Kim: The 100 Most Influential People of 2025". TIME. April 16, 2025. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
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4. ^ "Daniel Dae Kim Biography ((?)-)". FilmReference.com. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
5. ^ "An Actor-Activist in Hollywood". www.haverford.edu. January 10, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
6. ^ "Ridley Scott Brings The Andromeda Strain to TV". IGN. July 13, 2007. Archived November 2, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
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8. ^ "Before They Were Lost". Lost: The Complete First Season, Buena Vista Home Entertainment. September 6, 2005. Featurette, disc 7.
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12. ^ Foster, George (August 26, 2021). "Johnny Gat Won't Be In The Saints Row Reboot". TheGamer. Archived April 17, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
13. ^ Marnell, Blair (May 4, 2010). "'Lost' Star Daniel Dae Kim Wants To Play Namor In A Marvel Movie". MTV. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
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17. ^ "Hawaii Five-0". Metacritic
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33. ^ Zohar, Itamar (January 3, 2017). "Almost Famous: Israel Recruits D-list Celebrities to Counter BDS". Haaretz
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50. ^ Rose, Michelle (December 20, 2025). "Busan Bound: Daniel Dae Kim to lead CNN travel series". Concord Monitor. – via newspapers.com
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External links

• Daniel Dae Kim at IMDb
• Daniel Dae Kim interview with Patrol magazine