# Daniel Dae Kim

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

## Early life and education

Kim was born on August 4, 1968, in Busan, South Korea, to mother Jung Kim and father Doo-tae Kim. He moved to the United States with his family when he was one year old and 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. While attending Haverford, he spent the 1989 spring semester studying at the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. He went on to earn an MFA from New York University's Graduate Acting Program in 1996.

## Career

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. 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. Kim was also named one of People Magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive" in 2005.
Kim provided the voice of the character Johnny Gat for the Saints Row video game series, which debuted in 2006. That same year, Kim provided the voice for Metron in the final two episodes of Justice League Unlimited.
Kim played the King of Siam in Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I from June 12 to 28, 2009 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.
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.

### 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. He was the first actor to be officially cast on the show. That series premiered on September 20, 2010, to strong ratings and solid critical acclaim.
He served as a speaker at the 2014 University of Hawaii 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. 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, playing Jack Kang, the leader of the Candor faction.

### 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. 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.
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. Kim provides the voice of Chief Benja in the Disney animated film Raya and the Last Dragon, which was released in March 2021.
In August and September 2023, he portrayed Francis in the Los Angeles production of Peter Pan Goes Wrong.

## Activism

Kim has voiced concerns about Asian American discrimination in the United States. 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."
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.

## Personal life

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

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1992 | American Shaolin | Gao Yun | |
| 1997 | Addicted to Love | Undergrad Assistant | |
| 1997 | The Jackal | 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 | |
| 2003 | Hulk | Aide | |
| 2003 | Ride or Die | Miyako | Video |
| 2003 | Sin | Lakorn | |
| 2004 | Spider-Man 2 | Raymond | |
| 2004 | Crash | Park | |
| 2005 | The Cave | Alex Kim | |
| 2008 | The Onion Movie | Ivy Leaguer | |
| 2011 | Arena | Taiga Mori/White Samurai | |
| 2015 | Ktown Cowboys | David | |
| 2015 | The Divergent Series: Insurgent | Jack Kang | |
| 2016 | The Divergent Series: Allegiant | Jack Kang | |
| 2018 | Mirai | Great-Grandfather (voice) | |
| 2019 | Hellboy | Ben Daimio | |
| 2019 | Always Be My Maybe | Brandon Choi | |
| 2020 | Blast Beat | Dr. Michael Onitsuka | Also executive producer |
| 2021 | Raya and the Last Dragon | Benja (voice) | |
| 2021 | Stowaway | David Kim | |
| 2023 | Joy Ride | Dae Han | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1992–1993 | Unsolved Mysteries | Su-Ya's Brother-In-Law | 2 episodes |
| 1994 | Law & Order | Harry Watanabe | Episode: "Golden Years" |
| 1994 | 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" |
| 1997 | Night Man | Roland Yates | Episode: "Pilot: Part 1" |
| 1997 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Dr. Sturla | Recurring cast: season 8 |
| 1997 | NYPD Blue | Simon Lee | Episode: "It Takes a Village" |
| 1998 | The Pretender | Lenny Duc | Episode: "Collateral Damage" |
| 1998 | Seinfeld | Student No. 1 | Episode: "The Burning" |
| 1998 | Brave New World | Ingram | Television film |
| 1998 | The Practice | Testifying Officer | Episode: "Axe Murderer" |
| 1998 | Ally McBeal | Police Officer | Episode: "The Inmates" |
| 1998 | Fantasy Island | Chip Weston | Episode: "Dreams" |
| 1999 | Crusade | Lt. John Matheson | Main cast |
| 1999 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Kahn | Episode: "The Lynn Sisters" |
| 2000 | Star Trek: Voyager | Astronaut – Gotana-Retz | Episode: "Blink of an Eye" |
| 2000 | 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" |
| 2001 | Charmed | Yen Lo | Episode: "Enter the Demon" |
| 2001 | 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" |
| 2003 | Miss Match | Clifford Kim | Recurring cast |
| 2003 | Momentum | Agent Frears | Television film |
| 2003–2004 | Star Trek: Enterprise | Corporal Chang | Recurring cast: season 3 |
| 2003–2004 | ER | Ken Sung | Recurring cast: season 10 |
| 2003–2004 | 24 | Tom Baker | Recurring cast: season 2-3 |
| 2004 | Without a Trace | Mark Hiroshi | Episode: "Exposure" |
| 2004 | 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" |
| 2006 | Justice League Unlimited | Metron (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | AZN Asian Excellence Awards | Himself/Host | Main host |
| 2007–2008 | 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" |
| 2010–2017 | Hawaii Five-0 | Chin Ho Kelly | Main cast: season 1-7 |
| 2011 | CBS Cares | Himself | Episode: "2011" |
| 2011 | G.I. Joe: Renegades | Teddy Lee (voice) | Episode: "The Anomaly" |
| 2012 | Iron Chef America | Himself | Episode: "Military Grill Battle: Big Eye Tuna" |
| 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/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 |
| 2017 | MacGyver | Chin Ho Kelly | Episode: "Flashlight" |
| 2019 | Drop the Mic | Himself | Episode #3.2 |
| 2019 | Family Style | Himself | Episode: "Family" |
| 2019 | 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 |
| 2020 | 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 |
| 2021 | The Premise | Daniel Jung | Episode: "Butt Plug" |
| 2021 | The Hot Zone | Matthew Ryker | Main cast: season 2 |
| 2022 | Roar | Harry | Episode: "The Woman Who Was Kept on a Shelf" |
| 2022–2023 | Pantheon | David Kim (voice) | Main cast |
| 2023 | Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. | Max Lee | Episode: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Doctor" |
| 2023 | Star Wars: Visions | Bichan (voice) | Episode: "Journey to the Dark Head" |
| 2023 | Mech Cadets | General Aiden Park (voice) | Main cast |
| 2024 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Fire Lord Ozai | Main cast |
| TBA | Butterfly † | David Jung | Also producer; pre-production |
Key :
| † | Denotes series that have not yet been released |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2006 | 24: The Game | Agent Tom Baker |
| 2006 | Saints Row | Johnny Gat |
| 2006 | Scarface: The World is Yours | Mr. Lee |
| 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 | Johnny Gat |
| 2013 | Apache Overdose Gangstar IV | Mac Silver |
| 2015 | Saints Row: Gat out of Hell | Johnny Gat |
| 2017 | Agents of Mayhem | Johnny Gat |
| 2024 | Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth | Masataka Ebina |

### Stage

| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Company |
| 1991 | Romeo and Juliet | Paris | New Victory Theater | Theatre for a New Audience |
| 1991 | A Doll's House | Torvald | Pan Asian Repertory Theatre | - |
| 1995 | School for Wives | Horace | Vineyard 26th Street Theatre | National Asian American Theatre Company |
| 1996 | The Chang Fragments | Bruce | Joseph Papp Public Theater | The Public Theater |
| 2000 | Golden Child | Eng Tien-Bin | David Henry Hwang Theater | East West Players |
| 2002 | The Tempest | Prospero | David Henry Hwang Theater | East West Players |
| 2005 | Ivanov | Dr. Lvov | Bernie West Theatre/Baruch Performing Arts Center | National Asian American Theatre Company |
| 2009 | The King and I | The King | Royal Albert Hall | - |
| 2016 | The King and I | The King | Vivian Beaumont Theater | Lincoln Center Theater |
| 2020 | Belly of the Beast | Alex | 3AD | New York Theater Workshop/TodayTix |
| 2023 | Peter Pan Goes Wrong | Francis | Ahmanson Theatre/Ethel Barrymore Theatre | Mischief Theatre |
| 2024 | Yellow Face | David Henry Hwang (DHH) | Todd Haimes Theatre | Roundabout Theatre Company |

### Podcasts

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2022 | The Prophecy | Jonah Wang | Main cast |
| 2024 | Yellow Face | David Henry Hwang (DHH) | |

### Documentary

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | Linsanity | Narrator | |
| 2016 | Finding Kukan | Rey Scott (voice) | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2006 | 12th Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Lost | Won |
| 2006 | Asian Excellence Awards | Outstanding Television Actor | Lost | Won |
| 2006 | Multicultural Prism Award | Outstanding Performance by an Actor | Lost | Won |
| 2006 | Vanguard Award from Korean American Coalition | Outstanding Performance by an Actor | Lost | Won |
| 2009 | KoreAm Achievement Award | Achievement Award in the field of Arts and Entertainment | - | Won |
| 2011 | 2011 Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actor – Action | Hawaii Five-0 | Nominated |
| 2012 | 2012 Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actor – Action | Hawaii Five-0 | Nominated |
| 2016 | Broadway Beacon Awards | - | The King and I | Won |
| 2016 | Theater Legacy Award from New York's Pan Asian Repertory Theater | - | The King and I | Won |
| 2017 | Asian Hall of Fame | National recognition for Asian American contributions in various disciplines | - | Won |
| 2017 | ArtsQuest Linny Award | Pinnacle of the Arts Award | - | Won |