Daniel Dae Kim (born Kim Dae-hyun (Korean: 김대현); August 4, 1968)[1] is a Korean-American actor and producer. 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 provides the voice of Chief Benja in the Disney animated film Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).
Daniel Dae Kim | |
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Born | Kim Dae-hyun (1968-08-04) August 4, 1968 (age 54) Busan, South Korea |
Nationality | American |
Education | Freedom High School Haverford College (BA) New York University (MFA) |
Occupation |
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Years active | 1992–present |
Agent | UTA (US) |
Spouse | Mia Kim (m. 1993) |
Children | 2 |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 김대현 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Gim Dae-hyeon |
McCune–Reischauer | Kim Taehyŏn |
Website | danieldaekim |
Kim was born in Busan, South Korea, the son of mother Jung Kim and father Dr. Doo-tae Kim,[1] and moved to the United States with his family when he was one year old.[2] 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]
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.[citation needed]
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).[citation needed]
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.[3] 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.[4] Kim was also named one of People Magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive" in 2005.[5]
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.[6] He was the first actor to be officially cast on the show.[6] That series premiered on September 20, 2010 to strong ratings and solid critical acclaim.[7]
In addition to acting, Kim made his directorial debut with the Hawaii Five-0 season five episode "Kuka'awale". He departed the show in late June 2017 prior to the eighth season due to a salary dispute with CBS. He had been seeking pay equality with co-stars Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan, but CBS would not agree to it.[8]
Kim co-starred in The Divergent Series: Insurgent, the sequel to 2014's Divergent,[9] playing Jack Kang, the leader of the Candor faction.[10]
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.[11][12] 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.[13]
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.[14] Kim provides the voice of Chief Benja in the Disney animated film Raya and the Last Dragon, which was released in March 2021.[15]
Kim is the voice of the character Johnny Gat for the Saints Row video game series. He provided the voice for Metron in the final two episodes of Justice League Unlimited.[citation needed]
In a return to his theater roots, 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.[16] 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.[17]
Kim has continued to split his time between Los Angeles and Hawaii, where he has been living with his wife and two sons. During the later seasons of Lost, he continued his residency after being cast in Hawaii Five-0.[18] He served as a speaker at the 2014 University of Hawaii commencement ceremony.[19]
On March 19, 2020, Kim announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19.[20][21] On March 30, 2020, Kim announced that he had recovered.[22]
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.[23]
Kim has voiced concerns about Asian American discrimination in the United States.[24] After he tested 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."[25]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1992 | American Shaolin | Gao Yun | |
1997 | Addicted to Love | Undergrad Assistant | |
The Jackal | Akashi | ||
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 | The Cave | Alex Kim | |
2008 | The Onion Movie | Ivy Leaguer | |
2011 | Arena | Taiga Mori / White Samurai | |
2013 | Linsanity | The Narrator [26] | Documentary |
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 |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1992–1993 | 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 | Episode: "Forgive and Forget" & "The Way We Weren't" | |
NYPD Blue | Simon Lee | Episode: "It Takes a Village" | |
NightMan | Roland Yates | TV movie | |
1998 | Brave New World | Ingram | TV movie |
The Pretender | Lenny Duc | Episode: "Collateral Damage" | |
Seinfeld | Student #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 | Lieutenant John Matheson | Main cast |
Walker, Texas Ranger | Kahn | Episode: "The Lynn Sisters" | |
2000 | Star Trek: Voyager | Gotana-Retz, Astronaut | Episode: "Blink of an Eye" |
Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For | Everett Jang | TV movie | |
2001 | Once and Again | Co-Worker #3 | Episode: "Won't Someone Please Help George Bailey Tonight" |
Charmed | Yenlo | Episode: "Enter the Demon" | |
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | 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 | FBI Agent Frears | TV movie | |
2003–2004 | 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" | |
2004–2010 | 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" | |
2007–2008 | Lost: Missing Pieces | Jin-Soo Kwon | Recurring cast |
2008 | The Andromeda Strain | Dr. Tsi Chou | Main cast |
2010–2017 | Hawaii Five-0 | Chin Ho Kelly | Main cast (season 1-7) |
2011 | G.I. Joe: Renegades | Teddy Lee (voice) | Episode: "The Anomaly" |
2012 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Chin Ho Kelly | Episode: "Touch of Death" |
2012–2014 | The Legend of Korra | Hiroshi Sato (voice) | Recurring cast (season 1 & 4) |
2013 | Hollywood Game Night | Himself | 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 | The Narrator | Recurring cast |
MacGyver | Chin Ho Kelly | Episode: "Flashlight" | |
2019 | The Good Doctor | Dr. Jackson Han | Recurring cast (season 2) |
2019–2020 | She-Ra and the Princesses of Power | King Micah (voice) | Guest: Season 3, recurring cast (season 4-5) |
2020 | Flack | Gabriel Cole | Recurring cast (season 2) |
2020–2021 | The Casagrandes | Mr. Hong (voice) | Guest (season 1), recurring cast (season 2) |
New Amsterdam | Dr. Cassian Shin | Recurring cast (season 2-3) | |
2021 | Dramaworld | Doug | Main cast (season 2)[27] |
The Premise | Daniel Jung | Episode: "Butt Plug" | |
The Hot Zone | Matthew Ryker | Main cast (season 2)[28] | |
2022 | Roar | Harry | Episode: "The Woman Who Was Kept on a Shelf" |
The Prophecy | Jonah Wang | Main cast | |
Pantheon | David (voice) | Main cast[29][30] | |
TBA | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Fire Lord Ozai | Upcoming Netflix series[31] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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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 | [32] |
2017 | Agents of Mayhem |
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Notes |
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2006 | 12th Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Lost | Won | [33] |
Asian Excellence Awards | Outstanding Television Actor | Won | |||
2011 | 2011 Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actor - Action | Hawaii Five-0 | Nominated | |
2012 | 2012 Teen Choice Awards | Nominated | |||
2017 | Asian Hall of Fame | National recognition for Asian American contributions in various disciplines | Won | [34] |
General | |
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National libraries | |
Other |
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