Personal details
Official sites :
Born:
- Birthday: 1968-08-04
- Born Place: Busan, South Korea
Also Known As:
김대현, 다니엘 대 킴, Kim Dae-hyun, 金大贤, 金大賢, دنیل دِی کیم
Daniel Dae Kim
Daniel Dae Kim (born August 4, 1968, in Busan, South Korea) is a multi‑talented actor, voice actor, producer, and social advocate who has bridged Asian and American entertainment for nearly three decades. Raised in the U.S., he earned an MFA in Acting from NYU's Tisch School before launching a career that began on stage (performing Shakespeare, Ivanov, The King and I) and expanded into film and television. He broke through Hollywood with his role as Jin‑Soo Kwon on Lost (2004–2010), earning a SAG Ensemble Award and multiple Asian American honors. This led to his prominent turn as Chin Ho Kelly on Hawaii Five‑0 (2010–17), where he and co-star Grace Park departed after highlighting significant pay disparities. Beyond acting, Kim founded the production company 3AD, which launched The Good Doctor—and he now serves as its executive producer and also plays Dr. Jackson Han. On screen and stage, Kim’s range is impressive: he’s lent his voice to Chief Benja in Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, voiced villains across the Avatar universe, portrayed Fire Lord Ozai in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, appeared in Hellboy (2019) and Stowaway, and returned triumphantly to Broadway in David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face, becoming the first Asian American Tony nominee for Best Actor in a Play in 2025. He’s also produced theatre and audio work, notably reprising The King and I in London and on Broadway . An outspoken advocate, Kim fought Hollywood bias—relearning Korean for Lost, pushing for diversity through 3AD, and testifying before Congress, contributing to the passage of the COVID‑19 Hate Crimes Act. He serves on the White House AAPI commission and various cultural boards. He remains a beloved figure on screen and off, living between Los Angeles and Honolulu with his wife Mia and their two sons.
