Daniel Dae Kim
Kim in June 2021
Born
Kim Dae-hyun

(1968-08-04) August 4, 1968
Busan, South Korea
NationalityAmerican
EducationHaverford College (BA)
New York University (MFA)
OccupationActor
Years active1992–present
AgentUTA (US)
Spouse
Mia Rhee
(m. 1993)
Children2
Korean name
Hangul
김대현
Hanja
Revised RomanizationGim Dae-hyeon
McCune–ReischauerKim Taehyŏn
Websitedanieldaekim.com

Daniel Dae Kim[1] (born August 4, 1968)[2] is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jin-Soo Kwon in Lost, Chin Ho Kelly in Hawaii Five-0, Gavin Park in Angel, and Johnny Gat in the Saints Row video game series. He also runs a production company, 3AD, which is currently producing the television series The Good Doctor. He portrayed Ben Daimio in the superhero film Hellboy (2019) and provided the voice of Chief Benja in the Disney animated film Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).

Early life and education

Kim was born in Busan, South Korea, the son of mother Jung Kim and father Dr. Doo-tae Kim,[1] but moved to the United States with his family when he was one year old.[3] He grew up in New York City, Easton, and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 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. He went on to earn an MFA from New York University's Graduate Acting Program in 1996.[1]

Career

Kim on the cover of the April 2010 KoreAm

After graduation, Kim made a name for himself playing numerous roles in a wide variety of television programs. He appeared in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 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.

Kim's film credits include a Shaolin monk in American Shaolin (1992), which enabled him to showcase his skills in Tae Kwon Do. 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).

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, he said he was forced to quickly relearn the language, which he had not spoken with any great frequency since high school.[4] He would go on to play the character up until the 2010 series finale. Throughout the show's run, he, along with his 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.[5] Kim was also named one of People Magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive" in 2005.[6]

Kim provided the voice of the character Johnny Gat for the Saints Row video game series, which debuted in 2006.[7][8] That same year, Kim provided the voice for Metron in the final two episodes of Justice League Unlimited.[9]

Kim played the King of Siam in Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I from June 12–28, 2009 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.[10] In January 2016, it was announced Kim would make his Broadway debut as the King of Siam in Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I from May 3 – June 26, 2016, at the Lincoln Center Theatre in New York.[11]

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, the role originally made famous by actor Kam Fong.[12] He was the first actor to be officially cast on the show.[12] That series premiered on September 20, 2010, to strong ratings and solid critical acclaim.[13]

He served as a speaker at the 2014 University of Hawaii commencement ceremony.[14]

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.[15] 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,[16] playing Jack Kang, the leader of the Candor faction.[17]

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.[18][19] 3AD is currently producing the ABC television series The Good Doctor, based on the 2013 South Korean series of the same name. He is 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.[20]

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.[21] Kim provides the voice of Chief Benja in the Disney animated film Raya and the Last Dragon, which was released in March 2021.[22]

Activism

Kim has voiced concerns about Asian American discrimination in the United States.[23] 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."[24]

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.[25]

Personal life

Kim at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2006

On June 12, 1993, Kim married Mia Rhee.[26] They have two sons who were born in 1996 and 2002.[27][28]

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.[29]

On March 19, 2020, Kim announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19.[30][31] On March 30, 2020, he announced that he had recovered.[32]

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.[33]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1992 American Shaolin Gao Yun
1997 Addicted to Love Undergrad Assistant
The Jackal Akashi
NightMan Roland Yates TV movie
1998 Brave New World Ingram TV movie
No Salida Hu-jan
1999 For Love of the Game E.R. Doctor
2000 Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For Everett Jang TV movie
2001 Looking for Bobby D Timmy Short
2002 Superman Must Die Bradley
2003 Cradle 2 the Grave Visiting Expert
Momentum Agent Frears TV movie
Hulk Aide
Ride or Die Miyako Video
Sin Lakorn
2004 Spider-Man 2 Raymond
Crash Park
2005 The Cave Alex Kim
2008 The Onion Movie Ivy Leaguer
2011 Arena Taiga Mori/White Samurai
2015 Ktown Cowboys David
The Divergent Series: Insurgent Jack Kang
2016 The Divergent Series: Allegiant Jack Kang
2018 Mirai Great-Grandfather (voice)
2019 Hellboy Ben Daimio
Always Be My Maybe Brandon Choi
2020 Blast Beat Dr. Michael Onitsuka
2021 Raya and the Last Dragon Benja (voice)
Stowaway David Kim
2023 Joy Ride Dae Han

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1992–93 Unsolved Mysteries Su-Ya's Brother-In-Law Episode: "Episode #5.6 & #6.5"
1994 Law & Order Harry Watanabe Episode: "Golden Years"
All-American Girl Stan Episode: "Ratting on Ruthie"
1995 All My Children Dr. Kim Episode: "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 The Pretender Lenny Duc Episode: "Collateral Damage"
Seinfeld Student No. 1 Episode: "The Burning"
The Practice 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 Star Trek: Voyager Astronaut – Gotana-Retz Episode: "Blink of an Eye"
2001 Once and Again Co-Worker #3 Episode: "Won't Someone Please Help George Bailey Tonight"
Charmed Yen Lo Episode: "Enter the Demon"
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Special Agent Beckman Episode: "Ellie"
2001–03 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
2003–04 Star Trek: Enterprise 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"
The Shield Thomas Choi Episode: "Riceburner"
2004–10 Lost Jin-Soo Kwon Main Cast
2006 Avatar: The Last Airbender General Fong (voice) Episode: "The Avatar State"
Justice League Unlimited Metron/Chinese Man (voices) Episode: "Alive!" & "Destroyer"
2007 AZN Asian Excellence Awards Himself/Host Main Host
2007–08 Lost: Missing Pieces Jin-Soo Kwon Recurring Cast
2008 The Andromeda Strain Dr. Tsi Chou Main Cast
2009 Ace of Cakes Himself Episode: "Lost in Hawaii"
2010–17 Hawaii Five-0 Chin Ho Kelly Main Cast: Season 1-7
2011 CBS Cares Himself Episode: "2011"
G.I. Joe: Renegades Teddy Lee (voice) Episode: "The Anomaly"
2012 Iron Chef America Himself Episode: "Military Grill Battle: Big Eye Tuna"
NCIS: Los Angeles Chin Ho Kelly Episode: "Touch of Death"
2012–14 The Legend of Korra 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: "Episode #3.2"
Family Style Himself Episode: "Family"
The Good Doctor Dr. Jackson Han Recurring Cast: Season 2
2019–20 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
2020–21 The Casagrandes Mr. Hong (voice) Guest: Season 1, Recurring Cast: Season 2
2020–23 New Amsterdam Dr. Cassian Shin Guest: Season 2 & 5, Recurring Cast: Season 3
2021 Dramaworld Doug Main Cast: Season 2 [34]
The Premise Daniel Jung Episode: "Butt Plug"
The Hot Zone Matthew Ryker Main Cast: Season 2 [35]
2022 Roar Harry Episode: "The Woman Who Was Kept on a Shelf"
2022–23 Pantheon David (voice) Main Cast [36][37]
2023 Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. Max Lee Episode: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Doctor"
Star Wars: Visions Bichen (voice) Episode: "Journey to the Dark Head"
Mech Cadets General Aiden Park (voice) Main Cast
2024 Avatar: The Last Airbender Fire Lord Ozai Upcoming Netflix series [38]

Video Games

Year Title Role Notes
2006 24: The Game Agent Tom Baker
Saints Row Johnny Gat
2007 Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Burning Earth General Fong
2008 Saints Row 2 Johnny Gat
2010 Apache Overdose Gangstar III Mac Silver
2011 Saints Row: The Third Johnny Gat
2013 Saints Row IV
Apache Overdose Gangstar IV Mac Silver
2015 Saints Row: Gat out of Hell Johnny Gat [39]
2017 Agents of Mayhem
2024 Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Masataka Ebina [40]

Podcasts

Year Title Role Notes
2022 The Prophecy Jonah Wang Main cast

Documentary

Year Title Role Notes
2013 Linsanity Narrator [41]
2016 Finding Kukan Rey Scott (voice)

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultNotes
200612th Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesLostWon[42]
Asian Excellence AwardsOutstanding Television ActorWon
20112011 Teen Choice AwardsChoice TV Actor – ActionHawaii Five-0Nominated
20122012 Teen Choice AwardsNominated
2017Asian Hall of FameNational recognition for Asian American contributions in various disciplinesWon[43]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Daniel Dae Kim Biography". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2016.
  2. "Daniel Dae Kim - Actor". TV Insider. January 12, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  3. "Daniel Dae Kim Biography ((?)-)". FilmReference.com. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  4. "Before They Were Lost". Lost: The Complete First Season, Buena Vista Home Entertainment. September 6, 2005. Featurette, disc 7.
  5. "Hawaii Five-0 Cast: Daniel Dae Kim". CBS. CBS Interactive.
  6. "2005's Sexiest Men Alive". People. May 3, 2016. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017.
  7. McMullen, Chris (August 2, 2023). "The Saints Row Reboot Hasn't Mentioned Johnny Gat, and That's Great". The Escapist. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  8. Foster, George (August 26, 2021). "Johnny Gat Won't Be In The Saints Row Reboot". TheGamer. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  9. 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.
  10. "Mini-View: Lost's Daniel Dae Kim". Fantasy Magazine. February 11, 2009. Archived from the original on February 23, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
  11. Lee, Traci G. (January 21, 2016). "Daniel Dae Kim Will Make His Broadway Debut in 'The King and I'". NBC News. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (February 7, 2010). "'Lost' actor joins 'Hawaii Five-O'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
  13. "Hawaii Five-0". Metacritic.
  14. University of Hawaii at Manoa Spring 2014 Undergraduate Commencement Speaker – Daniel Dae Kim, archived from the original on November 7, 2021, retrieved March 19, 2020
  15. Holloway, Daniel; Ryan, Maureen (June 30, 2017). "Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park Exit 'Hawaii Five-0'". Variety.com. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  16. "Daniel Dae Kim Joins Summit's 'Insurgent' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. June 5, 2014.
  17. "'Insurgent': Daniel Dae Kim joins cast". EW.com.
  18. Andreeva, Nellie (October 30, 2013). "'Hawaii Five-O' Co-Star Daniel Dae Kim Inks First-Look Deal With CBS TV Studios". Deadline Hollywood.
  19. Goldberg, Lesley (October 30, 2013). "Daniel Dae Kim Inks Overall Deal With CBS Television Studios". The Hollywood Reporter.
  20. "'The Good Doctor': Daniel Dae Kim Joins Medical Drama in First TV Role Since 'Hawaii Five-0' Exit". MSN. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  21. Brian Davids (April 10, 2019). "Daniel Dae Kim on His 'Hellboy' Casting and Early 'Lost' Concerns". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  22. Yang, Rachel (January 26, 2021). "Watch Awkwafina's Sisu in action in new Raya and the Last Dragon trailer". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  23. "Daniel Dae Kim on Coming Together to Combat Bigotry". Time. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  24. Carlisle, Madeline (March 19, 2020). "Actor Daniel Dae Kim Shares His Coronavirus Diagnosis and Calls for an End to 'Cowardly' Anti-Asian Racism". Time. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  25. Kim, Daniel Dae [@danieldaekim] (December 2, 2023). "Did you know that new laws in Georgia make it harder for students at many Historically Black Colleges & Universities to vote? Check the rules at t.co/fw5yclvJ43 to make sure you're ready for the Senate runoff on 12/6. Text #IDCheck to @VoteRiders at 844.338.8743 for help. t.co/FuZPEvlkwv". Twitter. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  26. "Who is Mia Dae Kim? The untold story of Daniel Dae's wife". yen.com.
  27. "Verified #tbt to a great hair day. #seemslikeitwasyesterday #myboys❤️". instagram.com.
  28. "How Many Kids Does 'The Good Doctor' Executive Producer Daniel Dae Kim Have?". distractify.com.
  29. "Daniel Dae Kim staying in Hawaii after "Lost" for new "Hawaii Five-O" series". Hawaii Magazine. February 8, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  30. "Actor Daniel Dae Kim tests positive for COVID-19". KITV. March 19, 2020. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  31. "Daniel Dae Kim on Instagram: "Hi everyone- yesterday I was diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Looks like I'll be ok, but I wanted share my…"". Instagram. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  32. Ryder, Taryn (March 30, 2020). "Daniel Dae Kim has recovered from coronavirus after 'setback': 'This disease is unlike anything I've ever experienced'". Yahoo Celebrity.
  33. Clymer, Benjamin (September 17, 2019). "Talking Watches with Daniel Dae Kim". Hodinkee.
  34. MacDonald, Joan (February 15, 2021). "'Dramaworld 2' Airs On Amazon And Its Stars Must Save The World Again". Forbes. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  35. Petski, Denise (January 13, 2021). "'The Hot Zone: Anthrax': Tony Goldwyn & Daniel Dae Kim To Star In Season 2 Of Nat Geo Series". Deadline. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  36. Thorne, Will (August 7, 2020). "Daniel Dae Kim, Katie Chang and Scoot McNairy Board AMC Animated Drama 'Pantheon'". Variety. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  37. Petski, Denise (August 7, 2020). "'Pantheon': AMC's Animated Drama Series Rounds Out Cast With Daniel Dae Kim, Katie Chang, Anika Noni Rose & More". Deadline. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  38. Otterson, Joe (November 3, 2021). "'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Netflix Live-Action Series Casts Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  39. Juba, Joe (December 11, 2014). "Get Candid with the Voice Actors of Saints Row: Gat Out Of Hell – Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell". Game Informer.
  40. Nelva, Giuseppe (September 20, 2023). "Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Gets a Release Date & Trailers that Will Make the Fans Scream With Joy". TechRaptor. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  41. Lauer-Williams, Kathy (March 25, 2013). "Freedom's Daniel Dae Kim narrates "Linsanity"". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015.
  42. "12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards.
  43. "Asian Hall of Fame Inducts 2017 Class". Northwest Asian Weekly. May 19, 2017.
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