| Daniel Dae Kim | |||||||
| Birth Name: | Kim Dae-hyun | ||||||
| Birth Date: | 4 August 1968 | ||||||
| Birth Place: | Busan, South Korea | ||||||
| Citizenship: | United States | ||||||
| Occupation: | Actor | ||||||
| Years Active: | 1991–present | ||||||
| Children: | 2 | ||||||
| Module: |
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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, , 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.
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.
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 , , 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).
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.[7] 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.[8] Kim was named one of People Magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive" in 2005.[9]
Kim provided the voice of the character Johnny Gat for the Saints Row video game series, which debuted in 2006.[10] [11] That same year, Kim provided the voice for Metron in the final two episodes of Justice League Unlimited.[12]
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.[13]
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.[14]
In February 2010, shortly after Lost
He served as a speaker at the 2014 University of Hawaiʻi commencement ceremony.
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.[17] 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 sequel to 2014's Divergent,[18] playing Jack Kang, the leader of the Candor faction.[19]
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.[20] [21] 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.[22]
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.[23] Kim provides the voice of Chief Benja in the Disney animated film Raya and the Last Dragon, which was released in March 2021.[24]
In August and September 2023, he portrayed Francis in the Los Angeles production of Peter Pan Goes Wrong.[25]
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.[26]
Kim has voiced concerns about Asian American discrimination in the United States.[27] 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."[28]
Prior to the 2022 runoff election in Georgia, Kim tweeted about state laws that make it challenging for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to establish their eligibility to vote, citing VoteRiders as a resource for more information about valid voter ID.[29]
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.[30] He attended the Anti-Defamation League's Never Is Now conference in 2021.[31]
On June 12, 1993, Kim married Mia Rhee.[32] They have two sons who were born in 1996 and 2002.[33] [34]
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.[35]
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.[36]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | American Shaolin | Gao Yun | ||
| 1997 | Addicted to Love | Undergrad Assistant | ||
| Akashi | ||||
| 1998 | No Salida | Hu-jan | ||
| 1999 | For Love of the Game | E.R. Doctor | ||
| 2001 | Looking for Bobby D | Timmy | Short | |
| 2002 | Superman Must Die | Bradley | ||
| 2003 | Cradle 2 the Grave | Visiting Expert | ||
| Hulk | Aide | |||
| Ride or Die | Miyako | Video | ||
| Sin | Lakorn | |||
| 2004 | Spider-Man 2 | Raymond | ||
| Crash | Park | |||
| 2005 | Alex Kim | |||
| 2008 | Ivy Leaguer | |||
| 2011 | Arena | Taiga Mori/White Samurai | ||
| 2015 | Ktown Cowboys | David | ||
| Jack Kang | ||||
| 2016 | Jack Kang | |||
| 2018 | Mirai | Great-Grandfather (voice) | [37] | |
| 2019 | Hellboy | Ben Daimio | ||
| Always Be My Maybe | Brandon Choi | |||
| 2020 | Blast Beat | Dr. Michael Onitsuka | Also executive producer[38] | |
| 2021 | Raya and the Last Dragon | Benja (voice) | ||
| Stowaway | David Kim | [39] | ||
| 2023 | Joy Ride | Dae Han | ||
| 2025 | KPop Demon Hunters | Healer Han (voice) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–1993 | Unsolved Mysteries | Su-Ya's Brother-In-Law | 2 episodes | |
| 1994 | Law & Order | Harry Watanabe | Episode: "Golden Years" | |
| All-American Girl | Stan | Episode: "Ratting on Ruthie" | ||
| 1995 | All My Children | Dr. Kim | Episode #1.6501 | |
| 1997 | Pacific Palisades | Kate's Attorney | Episode: "Sweet Revenge" | |
| Night Man | Roland Yates | Episode: "Pilot: Part 1" | ||
| Beverly Hills, 90210 | Dr. Sturla | Recurring cast: season 8 | ||
| NYPD Blue | Simon Lee | Episode: "It Takes a Village" | ||
| 1998 | Lenny Duc | Episode: "Collateral Damage" | ||
| Seinfeld | Student No. 1 | Episode: "The Burning" | ||
| Brave New World | Ingram | Television film | ||
| Testifying Officer | Episode: "Axe Murderer" | |||
| Ally McBeal | Police Officer | Episode: "The Inmates" | ||
| Fantasy Island | Chip Weston | Episode: "Dreams" | ||
| 1999 | Crusade | Lt. John Matheson | Main cast | |
| Walker, Texas Ranger | Kahn | Episode: "The Lynn Sisters" | ||
| 2000 | Astronaut – Gotana-Retz | Episode: "Blink of an Eye" | ||
| Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For | Everett Jang | Television film | ||
| 2001 | Once and Again | Co-Worker #3 | Episode: "Won't Someone Please Help George Bailey Tonight" | |
| Charmed | Yen Lo | Episode: "Enter the Demon" | ||
| Special Agent Beckman | Episode: "Ellie" | |||
| 2001–2003 | Angel | Gavin Park | Guest: season 2, recurring cast: season 3-4 | |
| 2002 | Any Day Now | Mr. Chung | Episode: "Call Him Macaroni" | |
| 2003 | Street Time | Vo Nguyen | Episode: "Born to Kill" | |
| Miss Match | Clifford Kim | Recurring cast | ||
| Momentum | Agent Frears | Television film | ||
| 2003–2004 | Corporal Chang | Recurring cast: season 3 | ||
| ER | Ken Sung | Recurring cast: season 10 | ||
| 24 | Tom Baker | Recurring cast: season 2-3 | ||
| 2004 | Without a Trace | Mark Hiroshi | Episode: "Exposure" | |
| Thomas Choi | Episode: "Riceburner" | |||
| 2004–2010 | Lost | Jin-Soo Kwon | Main cast | |
| 2006 | General Fong (voice) | Episode: "The Avatar State"[40] | ||
| Justice League Unlimited | Metron (voice) | 2 episodes | ||
| 2007 | AZN Asian Excellence Awards | Himself/Host | Main host | |
| 2007–2008 | Jin-Soo Kwon | Recurring cast | ||
| 2008 | Dr. Tsi Chou | Main cast | ||
| 2009 | Ace of Cakes | Himself | Episode: "Lost in Hawaii" | |
| 2010–2017 | Hawaii Five-0 | Chin Ho Kelly | Main cast: season 1-7 | |
| 2011 | CBS Cares | Himself | Episode: "2011" | |
| Teddy Lee (voice) | Episode: "The Anomaly" | |||
| 2012 | Iron Chef America | Himself | Episode: "Military Grill Battle: Big Eye Tuna" | |
| Chin Ho Kelly | Episode: "Touch of Death" | |||
| 2012–2014 | Hiroshi Sato (voice) | Recurring cast: season 1 & 4 | ||
| 2013 | Hollywood Game Night | Himself/Panelist | Episode: "The One With the Friends" | |
| 2015 | Once Upon a Time | Fast Food Worker (voice) | Episode: "Darkness on the Edge of Town" | |
| 2017 | Big Pacific | Himself/Narrator | Recurring narrator | |
| MacGyver | Chin Ho Kelly | Episode: "Flashlight" | ||
| 2019 | Drop the Mic | Himself | Episode #3.2 | |
| Family Style | Himself | Episode: "Family" | ||
| The Good Doctor | Dr. Jackson Han | Recurring cast: season 2; also executive producer | ||
| 2019–2020 | She-Ra and the Princesses of Power | King Micah (voice) | Guest: season 3, recurring cast: season 4-5 | |
| 2020 | Asian Americans | Himself/Narrator | Recurring narrator | |
| Flack | Gabriel Cole | Recurring cast: season 2 | ||
| 2020–2021 | The Casagrandes | Mr. Hong (voice) | Guest: season 1, recurring cast: season 2 | |
| 2020–2023 | New Amsterdam | Dr. Cassian Shin | Guest: season 2 & 5, recurring cast: season 3 | |
| 2021 | Dramaworld | Doug | Main cast: season 2[41] | |
| The Premise | Daniel Jung | Episode: "Butt Plug" | ||
| The Hot Zone | Matthew Ryker | Main cast: season 2[42] | ||
| 2022 | Roar | Harry | Episode: "The Woman Who Was Kept on a Shelf" | |
| 2022–2023 | Pantheon | David Kim (voice) | Main cast[43] [44] | |
| 2023 | Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. | Max Lee | Episode: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Doctor" | |
| Bichan (voice) | Episode: "Journey to the Dark Head" | |||
| Mech Cadets | General Aiden Park (voice) | Main cast | ||
| 2024–present | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Fire Lord Ozai | Main cast[45] | |
| 2025 | Butterfly | David Jung | Also executive producer[46] | |
| 2026 | K-Everything | Self | Host[47] |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Romeo and Juliet | Paris | New Victory Theater | [48] | |
| 1991 | A Doll's House | Torvald | Pan Asian Repertory Theatre | [49] | |
| 1995 | School for Wives | Horace | Vineyard 26th Street Theatre | [50] | |
| 1996 | The Chang Fragments | Bruce | Joseph Papp Public Theater | [51] [52] | |
| 2000 | Golden Child | Eng Tien-Bin | David Henry Hwang Theater | [53] | |
| 2002 | The Tempest | Prospero | David Henry Hwang Theater | [54] | |
| 2005 | Ivanov | Dr. Lvov | Bernie West Theatre/Baruch Performing Arts Center | [55] | |
| 2009 | The King and I | The King | Royal Albert Hall | [56] [57] [58] | |
| 2016 | The King and I | The King | Vivian Beaumont Theater, Lincoln Center Theater | [59] [60] | |
| 2020 | Belly of the Beast | Alex | New York Theatre Workshop | [61] [62] | |
| 2023 | Peter Pan Goes Wrong | Francis | Ahmanson Theatre/Ethel Barrymore Theatre | [63] | |
| 2024 | Yellow Face | David Henry Hwang (DHH) | Todd Haimes Theatre, Roundabout Theatre Company | [64] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Agent Tom Baker | |||
| Saints Row | Johnny Gat | |||
| Mr. Lee | [65] | |||
| 2007 | General Fong | |||
| 2008 | Saints Row 2 | Johnny Gat | ||
| 2010 | Apache Overdose Gangstar III | Mac Silver | ||
| 2011 | Johnny Gat | |||
| 2013 | Saints Row IV | |||
| Apache Overdose Gangstar IV | Mac Silver | |||
| 2015 | Johnny Gat | [66] | ||
| 2017 | Agents of Mayhem | |||
| 2024 | Masataka Ebina |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Prophecy | Jonah Wang | Main cast | |
| 2024 | Yellow Face | David Henry Hwang (DHH) | [67] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Linsanity | Narrator | [68] | |
| 2016 | Finding Kukan | Rey Scott (voice) |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 12th Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Lost | [69] | ||
| Asian Excellence Awards | Outstanding Television Actor | [70] | ||||
| Multicultural Prism Award | Outstanding Performance by an Actor | [71] [72] | ||||
| Vanguard Award from Korean American Coalition | Outstanding Performance by an Actor | |||||
| 2009 | KoreAm Achievement Award | Achievement Award in the field of Arts and Entertainment | ||||
| 2011 | 2011 Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actor – Action | Hawaii Five-0 | [73] | ||
| 2012 | 2012 Teen Choice Awards | [74] | ||||
| 2016 | Broadway Beacon Awards | The King and I | [75] | |||
| Theater Legacy Award from New York's Pan Asian Repertory Theater | ||||||
| 2017 | Asian Hall of Fame | National recognition for Asian American contributions in various disciplines | [76] | |||
| ArtsQuest Linny Award | Pinnacle of the Arts Award | [77] | ||||
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Leading Actor in a Play | Yellow Face | [78] | ||
