Biography
Who is Daniel Dae Kim?
Early life and education
Daniel Dae Kim was born on August 4, 1968, in Busan, South Korea. His parents are Jung Kim and Doo-tae Kim. He moved to the United States when he was one year old. He spent his childhood growing up in New York City and in the towns of Easton and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He attended Freedom High School in Bethlehem.
In 1990, he graduated from Haverford College in Pennsylvania with double bachelor's degrees in theater and political science. While at Haverford, he studied at the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center during the spring of 1989. He later completed a Master of Fine Arts degree from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts in 1996.
Television and film career
After graduation, Daniel Dae Kim began working in theater and television. Early appearances included episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Charmed, Seinfeld, and NYPD Blue. He also held a recurring role on the television show Angel. He gained mainstream fame for his portrayal of Jin-Soo Kwon on the ABC series Lost from 2004 to 2010. During this time, he received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
Following his time on Lost, he joined the CBS series Hawaii Five-0 in 2010 as Chin Ho Kelly. He remained with the show until 2017. His film credits include roles in Spider-Man 2, Crash, The Cave, and the Divergent film series entries Insurgent and Allegiant. He also appeared in Hellboy, Always Be My Maybe, and Joy Ride. He provided the voice of Chief Benja in the animated film Raya and the Last Dragon.
Producing and stage work
Daniel Dae Kim is the founder of the production company 3AD. This company produced the medical drama The Good Doctor, which aired on ABC. He also acted in the series, portraying Dr. Jackson Han during the second season. In 2014, he signed a first-look development deal with CBS Television Studios, making him the first Asian-American actor to secure such an agreement.
His theater work includes performing as the King in revivals of The King and I at the Royal Albert Hall in 2009 and at the Lincoln Center in 2016. In 2024, he starred in the Broadway production of Yellow Face. This role earned him a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He has also voiced the character Johnny Gat in the Saints Row video game series.
Personal life and activism
Daniel Dae Kim married Mia Rhee on June 12, 1993. The couple has two sons, born in 1996 and 2002. During his work on the series Lost and Hawaii Five-0, he split his time living between Los Angeles and Hawaii. He is a collector of vintage watches, and some items from his personal collection have appeared in his film work.
He is an advocate against discrimination directed at Asian Americans. He spoke publicly about this issue after he tested positive for COVID-19, urging others to reject xenophobia and racism during the pandemic. He also attended the Anti-Defamation League's Never Is Now conference in 2021. In 2025, it was announced that he would host and produce a documentary series for CNN International called K-Everything.
Birthday and age
Daniel Dae Kim was born on August 4, 1968, which makes Daniel 58 years old today. That birthday falls under the Leo sign. Daniel shares the date with 44 other famous people.
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